General Notes

The reign of William II, b. Dec. 6, 1792, d. Mar. 17, 1849, was marked by the
adoption of a new constitution, which gave the Netherlands the political
institutions by which it is still governed. Exiled to England in 1795 with his
father, who later became King William I, he served in the duke of Wellington's
army and commanded Dutch troops at Waterloo (1815). In 1831 he again commanded
an army, defeating the separatist Belgians.

In October 1840 he succeeded to the throne on the abdication of his father.
Hoping to keep his country free from the revolutionary ferment of 1848,
William took the initiative in the enactment of a new constitution, written by
the liberal statesman Johan Thorbecke, which firmly established the supremacy
of the States-General. He was succeeded by his son William III.