<![CDATA[On 4th November 1677, the future joint Monarchs of
England, Scotland and Ireland, Queen Mary II and King William III
married at St James' Palace.
Although their marriage was, in broad terms, quite a happy one,
their wedding day was far from a joyous occasion. Mary, a mere 15
year old girl, is said to have wept continuously throughout the
ceremony, and the arranger of the marriage, King Charles II, is
reported to have behaved like a joker at the event, making silly
jests and seeking attention.
The Bishop of London, Compton, performed the ceremony at St James'
Palace in a passage near to Mary's chambers. Unlike the Royal
weddings we witness today, back then they were very private
affairs, especially with regards to attendees. The 9pm service
(that's right 9pm!) was, however, followed by a riotous
celebration, and at 11pm they began the ritual of the public seeing
the couple into their wedding bed and the throwing of a symbolic
stocking – a far cry from today's street parties and gathering on
The Mall!
Although Mary was unhappy with her partner to begin with, the
nation was completely the opposite – in fact they were ecstatic
with the King's choice of husband for his niece. William of Orange
was seen as the Protestant champion of Europe in contrast to
Charles II's brother and future successor, James Duke of York, who
had been a devout Catholic for almost two decades. Wedding
celebrations took place all over England and Scotland, and even at
this early stage there was talk of William being a viable candidate
for the Throne, should the more senior members of the Stuart family
be as Absolutist as King Charles I was, and King Charles II was
supposedly becoming.
William and Mary were only married for 17 years as on 28th December
1694, Queen Mary II died at Kensington Palace. King William was
completely devastated over the loss of Mary and so too were her
people. King William continued to reign on his own until his death
in 1702, when he was succeeded by his sister-in-law, Queen
Anne.
They may have been married for only a short time, however the
legacy of 'William and Mary' lived on for a very long time. Perhaps
the greatest legacy to them both is the William and Mary college in
Williamsburg, Virginia. Although one of their greatest legacies in
this country is probably the painting of them both on the ceiling
in Painted Hall, Greenwich.
Featured Photo Credit: Fred Dawson via photopin
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