Queen Mary II (1662-1694), 1703 (engraving)

Mary II was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland and daughter of King James II and VII. She was married to her cousin, William of Orange, in 1677 at the age of fifteen. When her father, a Roman Catholic, ascended to the throne in 1685 to the displeasure of the mainly Protestant British populace, her husband was convinced to invade England in 1689 and overthrow her father in what was known as the 'Glorious Revolution'. Mary ruled as equal sovereign with her husband, their joint reign often referred to as that of William and Mary, though in truth she ceded most of her authority to her husband when he was in England; despite this, William relied heavily on her, and she would act alone whenever William was militarily engaged abroad. Mary proved herself to be a powerful and effective ruler until her death in 1694.