William of Orange

1 8.2

King of England, Scotland and Ireland who ruled with Mary II after the Glorious Revolution

proper noun

: Guillermo de Orange

The Glorious Revolution marked the moment when William of Orange became joint monarch with Mary II.

Examples

When James fled England, the leaders of the rebellion invited William of Orange to assume the throne.

Academic text (1993)
After James II fled England, the leaders of the rebellion invited William of Orange to assume the throne.
In 1689, William of Orange and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of England.

Synonyms

William III

vsWilliam of Orange

2 5.8

King of England, Scotland, and Ireland who ruled with Mary II after the Glorious Revolution

is the same monarch called by a dynastic or regional title rather than number

Surface Forms

William of Orange main

Morphology

William + of + Orange

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical figure (William III) and not a meaning that can be compositionally derived from the words 'William' (a personal name), 'of' and 'Orange' (a color/place). A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not be able to infer the monarchial identity or historical significance without cultural/historical knowledge, so the expression is not transparently interpretable.

Etymology

William of Orange gets his name from a small area called Orange in southern France that his Dutch family once ruled. Calling him William of Orange showed where he came from and his 'title', so people kept that name when he became king of England.