The College of William & Mary (W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, among the original nine colonial colleges, and the ninth-oldest institution in the English-speaking world. William & Mary is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". In 1779, then led by James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and other reformers, it underwent a significant transformation that saw the abolition of the Divinity School, the establishment of the first university-affiliated American law school, and a modernization of the curriculum.