A King William III Commemorative Medal

A King William III Commemorative Medal - Silver, obverse engraver marked "I C PARKES F", inscribed "THE GLORIOUS MEMORY OF KING WILLIAM III" and "BOYNE, NO SURRENDER, AUGHRIM" over statue of King William III on horseback with date "1690" at the statue's base, celebrating the victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne, blank reverse, 43.3 mm, ring suspension, extremely fine. Footnote: William III & II (November 4, 1650 – March 8, 1702) was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland. By coincidence, his regnal number (III) was the same for both Orange and England. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is informally known by sections of the population in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy". In what became known as the "Glorious Revolution", on November 5, 1688 William invaded England in an action that ultimately deposed King James II & VII and won him the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland. In the British Isles, William ruled jointly with his wife, Mary II, until her death on December 28, 1694. The period of their joint reign is often referred to as "William and Mary". A Protestant, William participated in several wars against the powerful Catholic king of France, Louis XIV (The Sun King), in coalition with Protestant and Catholic powers in Europe. Many Protestants heralded him as a champion of their faith. Largely because of that reputation, William was able to take the British crowns when many were fearful of a revival of Catholicism under James. William's victory over James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is still commemorated by the Orange Order. His reign marked the beginning of the transition from the personal rule of the Stuarts to the more Parliament-centred rule of the House of Hanover.