House of Nassau

This article is about the European aristocratic dynasty. For the former state ruled by this dynasty, the Countship and later Duchy of Nassau, see Nassau (state). For other uses, see Nassau (disambiguation).

Arms of Nassau: Azure billetty or, a lion rampant of the last armed and langued gules

The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count of Nassau", then elevated to the princely class as "Princely Counts" (in German: gefürstete Grafen, i.e. Counts who are granted all legal and aristocratic privileges of a Prince).

At the end of the Holy Roman Empire and the Napoleonic Wars, they proclaimed themselves with the permission of the Congress of Vienna "Dukes of Nassau", forming the independent state Nassau (capital city: Wiesbaden), a territory which is at present mainly part of the German Federal State of Hesse (Hessen), and partially of the neighbouring State of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz).

The Duchy was annexed in 1866 after the Austrian-Prussian War as an ally of Austria by Prussia. It was subsequently incorporated into the newly created Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau.

Today the term Nassau is used in Germany as a name for a geographical, historical and cultural region, but has no longer any political meaning.

All Dutch and Luxembourgish monarchs since 1815 were senior members of the House of Nassau. However, in 1890 (for the Netherlands), respectively in 1912 (for Luxembourg), the male line of heirs to the two thrones became extinct, so that since then they descended in the female line from the House of Nassau.

According to German tradition, the family name is passed on only in the male line of succession. The House would be therefore, from this (German) perspective, extinct since 1985. However, both Dutch and Luxembourgish monarchic traditions, constitutional rules and legislation in that matter differ from the German one, and thus both countries do not consider the House extinct.

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg uses "Duke of Nassau" as his secondary title and a title of pretense to the dignity of Chief of the House of Nassau (being the most senior member of the eldest branch of the House), but not to lay any territorial claims to the former Duchy of Nassau (which is now part of the Federal Republic of Germany).

Origins

Count Dudo-Henry of Laurenburg (ca. 1060 – ca. 1123) is considered the founder of the House of Nassau. He is first mentioned in the purported founding-charter of Maria Laach Abbey in 1093 (although many historians consider the document to be fabricated). The Castle Laurenburg, located a few kilometres upriver from Nassau on the Lahn, was the seat of his lordship. His family probably descended from the Lords of Lipporn. In 1159, Nassau Castle became the ruling seat, and the house is now named after this castle.

• 
  Laurenburg Castle
• 
  Nassau Castle

The Counts of Laurenburg and Nassau expanded their authority under the brothers Robert (Ruprecht) I (1123–1154) and Arnold I of Laurenburg (1123–1148). Robert was the first person to call himself Count of Nassau, but the title was not confirmed until 1159, five years after Robert's death. Robert's son Walram I (1154–1198) was the first person to be legally titled Count of Nassau.

The chronology of the Counts of Laurenburg is not certain and the link between Robert I and Walram I is especially controversial. Also, some sources consider Gerhard, listed as co-Count of Laurenburg in 1148, to be the son of Robert I's brother, Arnold I. However, Erich Brandenburg in his Die Nachkommen Karls des Großen states that it is most likely that Gerhard was Robert I's son, because Gerard was the name of Beatrix of Limburg's maternal grandfather.

Counts of Laurenburg (ca. 1093–1159)

• ca. 1060 – ca. 1123: Dudo-Henry
• 1123–1154: Robert (Ruprecht) I - son of Dudo-Henry
• 1123–1148: Arnold I - son of Dudo-Henry
• 1148: Gerhard - son (probably) of Robert I
• 1151–1154: Arnold II - son of Robert I
• 1154–1159: Robert II - son of Robert I

Counts of Nassau (1159–1255)

• 1154–1198: Walram I - son of Robert I
• 1158–1167: Henry (Heinrich) I - son of Arnold I, died in Rome during the August 1167 epidemic (after the Battle of Monte Porzio)
• 1160–1191: Robert III, the Bellicose - son of Arnold I
• 1198–1247: Henry II, the Rich - son of Walram I
• 1198–1230: Robert IV - son of Walram I; from 1230–1240: Knight of the Teutonic Order
• 1247–1255: Otto I; from 1255–1289: Count of Nassau in Dillenburg, Hadamar, Siegen, Herborn and Beilstein
• 1249–1255: Walram II; from 1255–1276: Count of Nassau in Wiesbaden, Idstein, and Weilburg

In 1255, Henry II's sons, Walram II and Otto I, split the Nassau possessions. The descendants of Walram became known as the Walram Line, which became important in the Countship of Nassau and Luxembourg. The descendants of Otto became known as the Ottonian Line, which would inherit parts of Nassau, France and the Netherlands. Both lines would often themselves be divided over the next few centuries. In 1783, the heads of various branches of the House of Nassau sealed the Nassau Family Pact (Erbverein) to regulate future succession in their states.

The Walram Line (1255–1985)

Arms and crest of the Walram line

Counts of Nassau in Wiesbaden, Idstein, and Weilburg (1255–1344)

• 1255–1276: Walram II
• 1276–1298: Adolf of Nassau, crowned King of Germany in 1292
• 1298–1304: Robert VI of Nassau
• 1298–1324: Walram III, Count of Nassau in Wiesbaden, Idstein, and Weilnau
• 1298–1344: Gerlach I, Count of Nassau in Wiesbaden, Idstein, Weilburg, and Weilnau

After Gerlach's death, the possessions of the Walram line were divided into Nassau-Weilburg and Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein.

Nassau-Weilburg (1344–1816)

Main article: House of Nassau-Weilburg

Flag of Nassau-Weilburg

Count Walram II began the Countship of Nassau-Weilburg, which existed to 1816. The sovereigns of this house afterwards ruled the Duchy of Nassau until 1866 and from 1890 the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The branch of Nassau-Weilburg ultimately became rulers of Luxembourg. The Walram line received the lordship of Merenberg in 1328 and Saarbrücken (by marriage) in 1353.

• 
  Weilburg
• 
  Weilburg Castle
• 
  East wing of the castle

Counts of Nassau-Weilburg (1344–1688)

• 1344–1371: John I

  

  Map of Nassau-Weilburg as of 1789

• 1371–1429: Philipp I of Nassau-Weilburg, and (from 1381) Count of Saarbrücken
• 1429–1492: Philip II
• 1492–1523: Louis I
• 1523–1559: Philip III
• 1559–1593: Albert
• 1559–1602: Philip IV
• 1593–1625: Louis II, Count of Nassau-Weilburg and in Ottweiler, Saarbrücken, Wiesbaden, and Idstein
• 1625–1629: William Louis, John IV and Ernest Casimir
• 1629–1655: Ernest Casimir
• 1655–1675: Frederick
• 1675–1688: John Ernst

Princely counts of Nassau-Weilburg (1688–1816)

• 1688–1719: John Ernst
• 1719–1753: Charles August
• 1753–1788: Charles Christian
• 1788–1816: Frederick William
• 1816: Wilhelm, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg and Duke of Nassau — Nassau-Weilburg merged into Duchy of Nassau

Dukes of Nassau (1816–1866)

• 1816–1839: Wilhelm
• 1839–1866: Adolf

In 1866, Prussia annexed the Duchy of Nassau as the duke had been an ally of Austria in the Second Austro-Prussian War. In 1890, Duke Adolf would become Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg.

• 
  Biebrich Palace

Grand Dukes of Luxembourg (from the House of Nassau-Weilburg) - 1890–1912 and succession through a female onwards

Main article: Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

• 1890–1905: Adolphe
• 1905–1912: William IV
• 1912–1919: Marie-Adélaïde
• 1919–1964: Charlotte
• 1964–2000: Jean
• 2000–present: Henri

• 
  Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg
• 
  Berg Castle, Luxembourg

From a morganatic marriage, contracted in 1868, descends a family, see Count of Merenberg, which in 1907 was declared non-dynastic. Had they not been excluded from the succession, they would have inherited the headship of the house in 1912.

Counts of Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein (1344–1728)

• 1344–1370: Adolph I
• 1370–after 1386: Gerlach II, Count of Nassau-Wiesbaden
• 1370–1393: Walram IV, Count of Nassau-Idstein; inherited Wiesbaden when Gerlach II died
• 1393–1426: Adolph II
• 1426–1480: John II
• 1480–1509: Philip, Count of Nassau-Idstein
• 1480–1511: Adolf III, Count of Nassau-Wiesbaden; inherited Idstein in 1509
• 1511–1558: Philip I
• 1558–1566: Philip II
• 1566–1568: Balthasar
• 1568–1596: John Louis I
• 1596–1599: John Philip, jointly with his brother John Louis II
• 1596–1605: John Louis II
• 1605–1627: Louis II
• 1627–1629: William Louis
• 1629–1677: John, Count of Nassau-Idstein, and (from 1651) in Wiesbaden, Sonnenberg, Wehen, Burg-Schwalbach and Lahr
• 1677–1721: George August Samuel (1688–1721)
• 1721–1723: Charles Louis
• 1723–1728: Frederick Louis, Count of Nassau-Ottweiler (1680–1728), and in Rixingen (1703–28), and Idstein (1721–1728), and in Wiesbaden, etc. (1723–28)

After Frederick Louis's death, Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein fell to Charles, Prince of Nassau-Usingen

• 
  Wiesbaden City Palace
• 
  Idstein Castle

Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken (1429–1797)

Main article: Nassau-Saarbrücken

• 1429–1472: John II
• 1472–1545: John Louis I
• 1545–1554: Philip II
• 1554–1574: John III
• 1574–1602: Philip IV, as Philip III of Nassau-Saarbrücken
• 1602–1625: Louis II, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Ottweiler
• 1629–1640: William Louis, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Ottweiler
• 1640–1642: Crato
• 1642–1659: John Louis II, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken and (1659–80) in Ottweiler, Jungenheim, and Wöllstein
• 1659–1677: Gustav Adolph
• 1677–1713: Louis Crato
• 1713–1723: Charles Louis
• 1723–1728: Frederick Louis
• 1728–1735: Charles
• 1735–1768: William Henry, first Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken
• 1768–1794: Louis
• 1794–1797: Henry Louis

After Henry Louis's death, Nassau-Saarbrücken fell to Charles William, Prince of Nassau-Usingen

• 
  Saarbrücken Castle

Princes of Nassau-Usingen (1659–1816)

• 1659–1702: Walrad, elevated to Prince
• 1702–1718: William Henry
• 1718–1775: Charles
• 1775–1803: Charles William
• 1803–1816: Frederick Augustus

In 1816, Nassau-Usingen merged with Nassau-Weilburg to form the Duchy of Nassau. See "Dukes of Nassau" above. The princely titles continued to be used, however, evidenced by the carrying of the title Prince of Nassau-Weilburg by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Following Frederick Augustus' death, the princely title was adopted (in pretense) by his half brother through an unequal marriage, Karl Philip. As head of the House in 1907, Wilhelm IV declared the Count of Merenberg non-dynastic; by extension, this would indicate that (according to Luxembourgish laws regarding the House of Nassau) this branch would assume the Salic headship of the house in 1965, following the death of the last male Count of Merenberg.

• 
  Usingen Castle

The Ottonian Line

Arms and crest of the Ottonian line (since the 13th century)

• 1255–1290: Otto I, Count of Nassau in Siegen, Dillenburg, Beilstein, and Ginsberg
• 1290–1303: Joint rule by Henry, John and Emicho I, sons of Otto I

In 1303, Otto's sons divided the possessions of the Ottonian line. Henry received Nassau-Siegen, John received Nassau-Dillenburg and Emicho I received Nassau-Hadamar. After John's death. Nassau-Dillenburg fell to Henry.

Counts of Nassau-Dillenburg

• 1303–1328: John in Dillenburg, Beilstein and Herborn, and (from 1320) in Katzenelnbogen
• 1328–1343: Henry, from 1303 in Siegen, Ginsberg, Haiger, and the Westerwald, and from 1328 in Dillenburg, Herborn, and Beilstein
• 1343–1350: Otto II
• 1350–1416: John I
• Tetrarchy
  • 1416–1420: Adolf
  • 1420–1429: John III
  • 1420–1442: Engelbert I
  • 1420–1443: John II
• 1442–1451: Henry II
• 1448–1475: John IV
• 1475–1504: Engelbert II
• 1504–1516: John V
• 1516–1538: Henry III
• 1538–1559: William I
• 1559–1606: John VI
• 1606–1620: William Louis
• 1620–1623: George
• 1623–1662: Louis Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1654
• 1662–1701: Henry
• 1701–1724: William II
• 1724–1739: Christian

In 1739, Nassau-Dillenburg fell to Nassau-Dietz, a.k.a. Orange-Nassau.

• 
  Dillenburg Castle
• 
  Herborn Castle

Counts of Nassau-Beilstein

In 1343, Nassau-Beilstein was split off from Nassau-Dillenburg.

• 1343–1388: Henry I
• 1388–1410: Henry II, jointly with his brother Reinhard
• 1388–1412: Reinhard
• 1412–1473: John I, jointly with his brother Henry III
• 1412–1477: Henry III
• 1473–1499: Henry IV
• 1499–1513: John II
• 1513–1561: John III, jointly with his brother Henry V
• 1513–1525: Henry V

After John III's death, Nassau-Beilstein fell back to Nassau-Dillenburg. It was split off again in 1607 for George, who inherited the rest of Nassau-Dillenburg in 1620.

• 
  Beilstein Castle

Counts and Princes of Nassau-Hadamar

• 1303–1334: Emicho I, Count in Driedorf, Esterau, and Hadamar, married Anna of Nuremberg
• 1334–1364: John, married Elisabeth of Waldeck
• ?-1412: Elisabeth, daughter of John, Countess of Nassau-Hadamar
• 1334–1359: Emicho II, son of Emicho I, married Anna of Dietz
• 1364–1369: Henry, son of John, Count of Nassau-Hadamar
• 1369–1394: Emicho III, son of John

After Emicho III's death, Nassau-Hadamar fell back to Nassau-Dillenburg.

In 1620, the younger line of Nassau-Hadamar was split off from Nassau-Dillenburg

• 1620–1653: John Louis, son of John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg, Prince from 1650
• 1653–1679: Maurice Henry, son of John Louis
• 1679–1711: Francis Alexander, son of Maurice Henry

In 1711, Nassau-Hadamar was divided between Nassau-Dietz, Nassau-Dillenburg, and Nassau-Siegen.

• 
  Hadamar Castle

Nassau-Siegen

Main article: House of Nassau-Siegen

The branch of Nassau-Siegen was a collateral line of the House of Nassau, and ruled in Siegen. The first Count of Nassau in Siegen was Count Henry, Count of Nassau in Siegen (d. 1343), the elder son of Count Otto I of Nassau. His son Count Otto II of Nassau ruled also in Dillenburg.

• 1303–1343: Henry, Count of Nassau in Siegen, Ginsberg, Haiger, and the Westerwald, and (1328–1343) in Dillenburg, Herborn, and Beilstein

In 1328, John of Nassau-Dillenburg died unmarried and childless, and Dillenburg fell to Henry of Nassau-Siegen. For counts of Nassau-Siegen in between 1343 and 1606, see "Counts of Nassau-Dillenburg" above.

In 1606 the younger line of Nassau-Siegen was split off from the House of Nassau-Dillenburg. After the main line of the House became extinct in 1734, Emperor Charles VI transferred the county to the House of Orange-Nassau.

• 
  Siegen, Upper Castle

Counts and Princes of Nassau-Siegen

Gozdzki - de Nassau Palace in Warsaw that belonged to wealthy Karolina Gozdzka (1747–1807) and her husband Charles Henry de Nassau-Siegen (1745–1808).

• 1606–1623 John I
• 1623–1638 John II
• 1638–1674 George Frederick
• 1674–1679 John Maurice
• 1679–1691 William Maurice
• 1691–1699 John Francis Desideratus
• 1699–1707 William Hyacinth
• 1707–1722 Frederick William Adolf
• 1722–1734 Frederick William II

In 1734, Nassau-Siegen fell to Nassau-Dietz, a.k.a. Orange-Nassau.

• 
  Siegen, Lower Castle

Counts and Princes of Nassau-Dietz

Princes of the House of Nassau-Dietz from the Stadhouderlijk Hof of Paleis in Leeuwaarden, H.Prince of Nassau, Henry Casimir, Prince of Nassau, George, Prince of Nassau, and Willem Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz

• 1606–1632: Ernst Casimir
• 1632–1640: Henry Casimir I
• 1640–1664: William Frederick, Prince from 1650
• 1664–1696: Henry Casimir II of Nassau-Dietz, Prince of Nassau-Dietz
• 1696–1711: John William Friso, Prince of Nassau-Dietz (after 1702 also Prince of Orange)

• 
  Diez Castle
• 
  Oranienstein Castle, Diez

Orange-Nassau

Main article: House of Orange-Nassau

The House of Orange-Nassau stems from the Ottonian Line. The connection was via Engelbert I, who offered his services to the Duke of Burgundy, married a Dutch noblewoman and inherited lands in the Netherlands, with the barony of Breda as the core of his Dutch possessions.

• 
  Breda Castle

William I. "the Silent" (1545–1584), founder of the Netherlands, statue at Wiesbaden

The importance of the Nassaus grew throughout the 15th and 16th century. Henry III of Nassau-Breda was appointed stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht by Emperor Charles V in the beginning of the 16th century. Henry was succeeded by his son, René of Châlon-Orange in 1538, who was, as can be inferred from his name, a Prince of Orange. When René died prematurely on the battlefield in 1544 his possessions and the princely title passed to his cousin, William the Silent, a Count of Nassau-Dillenburg. By dropping the suffix name "Dillenburg" (of the Orange-Nassau-Dillenburg), from then on the family members called themselves "Orange-Nassau."

With the death of William III, the legitimate direct male line of William the Silent became extinct and thereby the first House of Orange-Nassau. John William Friso, the senior agnatic descendant of William the Silent's brother and a cognatic descendant of Frederick Henry, grandfather of William III, inherited the princely title and all the possessions in the low countries and Germany, but not the Principality of Orange itself. The Principality was ceded to France under the Treaty of Utrecht that ended the wars with King Louis XIV. John William Friso, who also was the Prince of Nassau-Dietz, founded thereby the second House of Orange-Nassau (the suffix name "Dietz" was dropped of the combined name Orange-Nassau-Dietz).

After the post-Napoleonic reorganization of Europe, the head of House of Orange-Nassau gained the title "King/Queen of the Netherlands".

Princes of Orange

House of Orange-Nassau(-Dillenburg), first creation

• 1544–1584: William I, also Count of Katzenelnbogen, Vianden, Dietz, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1584–1618: Philip William, also Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1618–1625: Maurice, also Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1625–1647: Frederick Henry, also Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1647–1650: William II, also Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1650–1702: William III, also Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam, Lord of IJsselstein and (from 1689) King of England, Scotland, and Ireland

In 1702, the Orange-Nassau-Dillenburg line died out and its possessions fell to the Nassau-Dietz line.

• 
  Vianden Castle, Luxembourg

House of Orange-Nassau(-Dietz), second creation

• 1702–1711: John William Friso, also Prince of Nassau-Dietz, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1711–1751: William IV, also Prince of Nassau-Dietz, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1751–1806: William V, also Prince of Nassau-Dietz, Count of Vianden, Buren and Leerdam and Lord of IJsselstein
• 1806–1815: William VI, also Prince of Fulda and Count of Corvey, Weingarten and Dortmund; in 1815 became King William I of the Netherlands

Royal Coat of Arms of the Netherlands

Kings and Queens of the Netherlands (from the House of Orange-Nassau-Dietz)

• 1815–1840: William I, also Duke and Grand Duke of Luxemburg and Duke of Limburg
• 1840–1849: William II, also Grand Duke of Luxemburg and Duke of Limburg
• 1849–1890: William III, also Grand Duke of Luxemburg and Duke of Limburg
• 1890–1948: Wilhelmina

Following German laws, the House of Orange-Nassau(-Dietz) has been extinct since the death of Wilhelmina (1962). Dutch laws and the Dutch nation do not consider it extinct.

• 1948–1980: Juliana
• 1980–2013: Beatrix
• 2013-present: Willem-Alexander

• 
  Royal Palace of Amsterdam
• 
  Noordeinde Palace, Den Haag
• 
  Huis ten Bosch, Den Haag
• 
  Het Loo Palace

Family Tree

The following family tree is compiled from Wikipedia and the reference cited in the note

Dudo-Henry of Laurenburg (German: Dudo-Heinrich) (ca. 1060 – ca. 1123) was Count of Laurenburg in 1093

Robert I of Nassau (German: Ruprecht) (ca. 1090 – ca. 1154) was from 1123 co-Count of Laurenburg later title himself 1st Count of Nassau

Arnold I of Laurenburg (died ca. 1148)

Robert II (German: Ruprecht) Count of Laurenburg (1154-1158)(died ca. 1159)

Walram I of Nassau (French: Valéran) (ca. 1146–1198) was the first (legally titled) Count of Nassau (1154-1198)

Henry (Heinrich) I co-Count of Nassau (1160 - August 1167)

Robert III, the Bellicose German: Ruprecht der Streitbare (died 1191) co-Count of Nassau (1160-1191)

Henry (Heinrich) II, the Rich Count of Nassau (1180–1251)

Robert (Ruprecht) IV Count of Nassau (1198–1230) Teutonic Knight (1230–1240)

Herrmann (d after 3 December 1240) Canon of Mainz Cathedral

Walram II of Nassau (ca. 1220 - 1276) the WALRAMIAN Branch present-day rulers of Luxembourg descend from him

Robert (Ruprecht) V d. before 1247 Teutonic Knight (1230–1240)

Otto I of Nassau (reigned ca. 1247 - 1290) the OTTONIAN branch the present-day rulers of the Netherlands descend from him

John (ca. 1230 - 1309) Bishop-Elect of Utrecht (1267–1290)

Adolf (ca. 1255-1298) King of Germany (1292 - 1298)

Henry (d. 1343) Count of Nassau in Siegen

Emich (d. 7 June 1334) Count of Nassau in Hadamar extinct 1394

John (d. 1328) Count Nassau in Dillenburg

Ruprecht (+ 1304)

Gerlach I, Count of Nassau-Wiesbaden (bef 1288 +1361)

Walram III Count of Nassau-Wiesbaden

Otto II (c. 1305 – 1330/1331) Count of Nassau-Dillenburg

Henry (1307-1388) Count of Nassau-Beilstein ext. 1561

Adolph (1307 +1370) Count of Nassau in Wiesbaden-Idstein ext 1605

John I (1309 +1371) Count of Nassau-Weilburg

Rupert 'the Bellicose' (c. 1340 +1390) Count of Nassau-Sonnenberg

John I (1340 +1416) Count of Nassau-Dillenburg

Philip I 1368 +1429) Count of Nassau in Weilburg,Saarbrücken, etc.

Adolph (1362 +1420) Count of Nassau-Dillenburg-Dietz

John II "The Elder" ( +1443)

Engelbert I (c. 1370/80 +1442) Count of Nassau, Baron of Breda founder of the Netherlands Nassaus

John III "The Younger" (+1430) Count of Nassau in Siegen

Philip II (1418 +1492) Count of Nassau-Weilburg

John II (1423 +1472) Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken ext. 1574

John IV (Jan) (1410, +1475) Count of Nassau-Dillenburg-Dietz

Henry II (1414 +1450) Count of Nassau-Dillenburg

John III (1441 +1480) Count of Nassau-Weilburg

Philip (1443-1471) Count of Nassau-Weilburg

Engelbert II the Valorious (1451 +1504) Count of Nassau and Vianden, Baron of Breda(fr), Lek, Diest, Roosendaal en Nispen and Wouw

John V (1455 +1516) Count of Nassau in Dillenburg,Siegen,Hadamar,Herborn,Vianden,Dietz

From here descends the House of Nassau-Weilburg and the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg (see below also)'

From here descends the House of Orange-Nassau (see below also)

House of Orange and Nassau

"House of Orange" redirects here. For other uses, see House of Orange (disambiguation).

House of Orange-Nassau
Royal house
Royal arms of the Netherlands
Arms of William the Silent
Parent house	House of Nassau
Country	Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Germany, Orange, Nassau
Etymology	Orange, France & Nassau, Germany
Founded	15 July 1544 (1544-07-15)
Founder	William the Silent
Current head	King Willem-Alexander
Titles	List Current: King of the Netherlands Prince of Orange Marquis of Veere and Flushing Count of Katzenelnbogen Count of Vianden Count of Diez Count of Spiegelberg Count of Buren Count of Leerdam Count of Culemborg Burgrave of Antwerp Baron of Breda Baron of Diest Baron of Beilstein Baron of the town of Grave and the lands of Cuyk Baron of IJsselstein Baron of Cranendonk Baron of Eindhoven Baron of Liesveld Baron of Herstal Baron of Warneton Baron of Arlay and Nozeroy Hereditary and Free Lord of Ameland Lord of Borculo Lord of Bredevoort Lord of Lichtenvoorde Lord of Het Loo Lord of Geertruidenberg Lord of Clundert Lord of Zevenbergen Lord of Hooge and Lage Zwaluwe Lord of Naaldwijk Lord of Polanen Lord of St Maartensdijk Lord of Soest Lord of Baarn Lord of Ter Eem Lord of Willemstad Lord of Steenbergen Lord of Montfort Lord of St Vith Lord of Bütgenbach Lord of Dasburg Lord of Niervaart Lord of Turnhout Lord of Besançon Former: King of England, Scotland and Ireland Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands Grand Duke of Luxembourg Duke of Limburg Fürst of Nassau-Orange Fürst of Nassau-Orange-Fulda Princely Count of Nassau-Dietz Count of Nassau-Dillenburg Stadtholder in the Netherlands
Estate(s)	Netherlands
Dissolution	28 November 1962 (in agnatic line, following the death of Wilhelmina of the Netherlands)

The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: Huis van Oranje-Nassau, pronounced [ˈɦœys fɑn oːˌrɑɲə ˈnɑsʌu]) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, particularly since William the Silent organised the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) led to an independent Dutch state. William III of Orange led the resistance of the Netherlands and Europe to Louis XIV of France and orchestrated the Glorious Revolution in England that established parliamentary rule. Similarly, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was instrumental in the Dutch resistance during World War II.

Several members of the house served during the Eighty Years war and after as stadtholder ("governor"; Dutch: stadhouder) during the Dutch Republic. However, in 1815, after a long period as a republic, the Netherlands became a monarchy under the House of Orange-Nassau.

The dynasty was established as a result of the marriage of Henry III of Nassau-Breda from Germany and Claudia of Châlon-Orange from French Burgundy in 1515. Their son René of Chalon inherited in 1530 the independent and sovereign Principality of Orange from his mother's brother, Philibert of Châlon. As the first Nassau to be the Prince of Orange, René could have used "Orange-Nassau" as his new family name. However, his uncle, in his will, had stipulated that René should continue the use of the name Châlon-Orange. After René's death in 1544, his cousin William of Nassau-Dillenburg inherited all of his lands. This "William I of Orange", in English better known as William the Silent, became the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau.

Origins

Further information: House of Nassau and House of Chalon-Arlay

1544: "Orange-Nassau" symbolized by adding the "Châlon-Orange" arms in an escutcheon to the "Nassau" arms.

Nassau Castle was founded around 1100 by Dudo, Count of Laurenburg, the founder of the House of Nassau. In 1120, Dudo's sons and successors, Counts Rupert I and Arnold I, established themselves at Nassau Castle, taking for themselves the title "Count of Nassau". In 1255 the Nassau possessions were split between Walram and Otto, the sons of Count Henry II. The descendants of Walram were known as the Walram Line, and they became Dukes of Nassau and, in 1890, Grand Dukes of Luxembourg. This line also included Adolph of Nassau, who was elected King of the Romans in 1292. The descendants of Otto became known as the Ottonian Line, and they inherited parts of the County of Nassau, as well as properties in France and the Netherlands.

The House of Orange-Nassau stems from the younger Ottonian Line. The first of this line to establish himself in the Netherlands was John I, Count of Nassau-Siegen, who married Margaret of the Mark. The real founder of the Nassau fortunes in the Netherlands was John's son, Engelbert I. He became counsellor to the Burgundian Dukes of Brabant, first to Anton of Burgundy, and later to his son Jan IV of Brabant. He also would later serve Philip the Good. In 1403, he married the Dutch noblewoman Johanna van Polanen and so inherited lands in the Netherlands, with the Barony of Breda as the core of the Dutch possessions and the family fortune.

A nobleman's power was often based on his ownership of vast tracts of land and lucrative offices. It also helped that much of the lands that the House of Orange-Nassau controlled sat under one of the commercial and mercantile centres of the world (see below under Lands and Titles). The importance of the family grew throughout the 15th and 16th centuries as they became councilors, generals and stadholders of the Habsburgs (see armorial of the great nobles of the Burgundian Netherlands and list of knights of the Golden Fleece). Engelbert II of Nassau served Charles the Bold and Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, who had married Charles's daughter Mary of Burgundy. In 1496, he was appointed stadtholder of Flanders and by 1498 he had been named President of the Grand Conseil. In 1501, Maximilian named him Lieutenant-General of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands. From that point forward (until his death in 1504), Engelbert was the principal representative of the Habsburg Empire to the region. Hendrik III of Nassau-Breda was appointed stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland by Charles of Ghent in the beginning of the 16th century. Hendrik was succeeded by his son René of Chalon in 1538, who had inherited the title of Prince of Orange and the principality of that name from his maternal uncle Philibert of Chalon. In 1544, René died in battle aged 25. His possessions, including the principality and title, passed by his will as sovereign prince to his paternal cousin, William I of Orange. From then on, the family members called themselves "Orange-Nassau."

Eighty Years' War

Main article: Eighty Years' War

William the Silent, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt, and stadholder of Holland, Zeeland, and Utrecht by Adriaen Thomasz. Key, c. 1580

Although Charles V pretended to resist the Protestant Reformation, he ruled the Dutch territories wisely with moderation and regard for local customs, and he did not persecute his Protestant subjects on a large scale. His son Philip II inherited his antipathy for the Protestants but not his moderation. Under the reign of Philip, a true persecution of Protestants was initiated and taxes were raised to an outrageous level. Discontent arose and William of Orange (with his vague Lutheran childhood) stood up for the Protestant (mainly Calvinist) inhabitants of the Netherlands. Things went badly after the Eighty Years' War started in 1568, but luck turned to his advantage when Protestant rebels attacking from the North Sea captured Brielle, a coastal town in present-day South Holland in 1572. Many cities in Holland began to support William. During the 1570s he had to defend his core territories in Holland several times, but in the 1580s the inland cities in Holland were secure. William of Orange was considered a threat to Spanish rule in the area and was assassinated in 1584 by a hired killer sent by Philip.

William was succeeded by his second son Maurits, a Protestant who proved an excellent military commander. His abilities as a commander and the lack of strong leadership in Spain after the death of Philip II (1598) gave Maurits excellent opportunities to conquer large parts of the present-day Dutch territory. In 1585 Maurits was elected stadtholder of the provinces of Holland and Zealand as his father's successor and as a counterpose to Elizabeth's delegate, the Earl of Leicester. In 1587 he was appointed captain-general (military commander-in-chief) of the armies of the Dutch Republic. In the early years of the 17th century there arose quarrels between stadtholder and oligarchist regents—a group of powerful merchants led by Johan van Oldebarnevelt—because Maurits wanted more powers in the Republic. Maurits won this power struggle by arranging the judicial murder of Oldebarnevelt.

17th century

Expansion of dynastic power

Maurice died unmarried in 1625 and left no legitimate children. He was succeeded by his half-brother Frederick Henry (Dutch: Frederik Hendrik), youngest son of William I. Maurits urged his successor on his deathbed to marry as soon as possible. A few weeks after Maurits's death, he married Amalia van Solms-Braunfels. Frederick Henry and Amalia were the parents of a son and several daughters. These daughters were married to important noble houses such as the house of Hohenzollern, but also to the Frisian Nassaus, who were stadtholders in Friesland. His only son, William, married Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, the eldest daughter of Charles I of England. These dynastic moves were the work of Amalia.

Exile and resurgence

Further information: First Stadtholderless period

Painting by Willem van Honthorst (1662), diachronically depicting four generations of Princes of Orange: William I, Maurice and Frederick Henry, William II, and William III.

Frederick Henry died in 1647 and his son succeeded him. As the Treaty of Munster was about to be signed, thereby ending the Eighty Years' War, William tried to maintain the powers he had in wartime as military commander. These would necessarily be diminished in peacetime as the army would be reduced, along with his income. This met with great opposition from the regents. When Andries Bicker and Cornelis de Graeff, the great regents of the city of Amsterdam refused some mayors he appointed, he besieged Amsterdam. The siege provoked the wrath of the regents. William died of smallpox on November 6, 1650, leaving only a posthumous son, William III (*November 14, 1650). Since the Prince of Orange upon the death of William II, William III, was an infant, the regents used this opportunity to leave the stadtholdership vacant. This inaugurated the era in Dutch history that is known as the First Stadtholderless Period. A quarrel about the education of the young prince arose between his mother and his grandmother Amalia (who outlived her husband by 28 years). Amalia wanted an education which was pointed at the resurgence of the House of Orange to power, but Mary wanted a pure English education. The Estates of Holland, under Jan de Witt and Cornelis de Graeff, meddled in the education and made William a "child of state" to be educated by the state. The doctrine used in this education was keeping William from the throne. William became indeed very docile to the wishes of the regents and the Estates.

The Dutch Republic was attacked by France and England in 1672. The military function of stadtholder was no longer superfluous, and with the support of the Orangists, William was restored, and he became the stadtholder. William successfully repelled the invasion and seized royal power. He became more powerful than his predecessors from the Eighty Years' War. In 1677, William married his cousin Mary Stuart, the daughter of the future king James II of England. In 1688, William embarked on a mission to depose his Catholic father-in-law from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland. He and his wife were crowned the King and Queen of England on April 11, 1689. With the accession to the thrones of the three kingdoms, he became one of the most powerful sovereigns in Europe, and the only one to defeat Louis XIV of France. William III died childless after a riding accident on March 8, 1702, leaving the main male line of the House of Orange extinct, and leaving Scotland, England and Ireland to his sister-in-law Queen Anne.

Position in the Dutch Republic in the 17th century

Willem II (1626–50), prince of Orange, and his wife Princess Maria Stuart of England (1631–60).

The house of Orange-Nassau was relatively unlucky in establishing a hereditary dynasty in an age that favoured hereditary rule. The Stuarts and the Bourbons came to power at the same time as the Oranges, the Vasas and Oldenburgs were able to establish a hereditary kingship in Sweden and Denmark, and the Hohenzollerns were able to set themselves on a course to the rule of Germany. The House of Orange was no less gifted than those houses, in fact, some might argue more so, as their ranks included some the foremost statesmen and captains of the time. A 104 years separated the death of William the Silent from the accession of his great-grandson, William III, as King of England. Although the institutions of the United Provinces became more republican and entrenched as time went on, William the Silent had been offered the countship of Holland and Zealand, and only his assassination prevented his accession to those offices. This fact did not go unforgotten by his successors.

The Prince of Orange was also not just another noble among equals in the Netherlands. First, he was the traditional leader of the nation in war and in rebellion against Spain. He was uniquely able to transcend the local issues of the cities, towns and provinces. He was also a sovereign ruler in his own right (see Prince of Orange article). This gave him a great deal of prestige, even in a republic. He was the center of a real court like the Stuarts and Bourbons, French speaking, and extravagant to a scale. It was natural for foreign ambassadors and dignitaries to present themselves to him and consult with him as well as to the States General to which they were officially credited. The marriage policy of the princes, allying themselves twice with the Royal Stuarts, also gave them acceptance into the royal caste of rulers.

Besides showing the relationships among the family, the family tree below also points out an extraordinary run of bad luck. In the 211 years from the death of William the Silent to the conquest by France, there was only one time that a son directly succeeded his father as Prince of Orange, Stadholder and Captain-General without a minority (William II). When the Oranges were in power, they also tended to settle for the actualities of power, rather than the appearances, which increasingly tended to upset the ruling regents of the towns and cities. On being offered the dukedom of Gelderland by the States of that province, William III let the offer lapse as liable to raise too much opposition in the other provinces.

• 
  The collateral house of Nassau: the four brothers of Willem I, prince of Orange: Jan (1536–1606), sitting, Hendrik (1550–1574), Adolf (1540–1568) and Lodewijk (1538–1574), counts of Nassau.
• 
  "The Nassau Cavalcade", members of the House of Orange-Nassau on parade in 1621 from an engraving by Willem Delff. From left to right in the first row: Prince Maurice, Prince Philip William and Prince Frederick Henry, between Maurice and Frederick Henry is William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg.
• 
  Princes of the collateral House of Nassau-Dietz from the Stadhouderlijk Hof (nowadays called Princessehof Ceramics Museum) in Leeuwarden, H.Prince of Nassau, Henry Casimir, Prince of Nassau, George, Prince of Nassau, and Willem Frederick, Prince of Nassau_Dietz

The house of Orange was also related by marriage to several of these key European dynasties of the time, Stuart, Bourbon, and Palatine, Hannover and Hohenzollern. These alliances had consequences for all of them. William III used his double relationship with the Stuarts to justify his co-equal status with his wife on the English throne after the Glorious Revolution. As an arrière petit fils de France, albeit in the female line, he felt doubly insulted by his cousin Louis XIV's occupation and seizure of his sovereign principality of Orange. His death without children of his own ensured the passing of Orange to a Dutch cousin and years of squabbles over the same, while securing the British throne to the more distantly related House of Hanover.

Houses of Orange and Stuart

William the Silent, Prince of Orange Henry IV of France James I of England Louis XIII Maurice, Prince of Orange Amalia of Solms-Braunfels Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Henrietta Maria Charles I of England Elizabeth Stuart Louis XIV Louise Henriette of Nassau Albertine Agnes of Nassau William II, Prince of Orange Mary, Princess Royal Charles II of England James II of England Sophia of the Palatine Frederick I of Prussia Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz William III of Orange and England Mary II of England Anne of England James Francis Edward George I of Great Britain John William Friso, Prince of Orange  Prince of Orange   Member of House of Orange   King of France   Prince or Princess of France   King of England/House of Stuart   Prince/Princess of England   Princess Palatine   King of Great Britain/House of Hanover

18th century

Second Stadtholderless period

Further information: Second Stadtholderless period

The regents found that they had suffered under the powerful leadership of William III as the ruler of the Netherlands and king in the British Isles and they left the stadtholdership vacant for the second time. As William III died childless in 1702 the principality became a matter of dispute between Prince John William Friso of Nassau-Dietz of the Frisian Nassaus and King Frederick I of Prussia, who both claimed the title Prince of Orange. Both descended from Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. The King of Prussia was his grandson through his mother, Countess Luise Henriette of Nassau. Frederick Henry in his will had appointed this line as successor in case the main House of Orange-Nassau were to die out. John William Friso was a great-grandson of Frederick Henry (through Countess Albertine Agnes of Nassau, another daughter) and was appointed heir in William III's will. The principality was captured by the forces of King Louis XIV of France under François Adhémar de Monteil, Count of Grignan, in the Franco-Dutch War in 1672, and again in August 1682. With the Treaty of Utrecht that ended the wars of Louis XIV, the territory was formally ceded to France by Frederick I in 1713. John William Friso drowned in 1711 in the Hollands Diep near Moerdijk, and he left his posthumously born son William IV, Prince of Orange. That son succeeded at that time his father as stadtholder in Friesland (as the stadtholdership had been hereditary in that province since 1664), and Groningen. William IV was proclaimed the stadtholder of Guelders, Overijssel, and Utrecht in 1722. When the French invaded Holland in 1747, William IV was appointed stadtholder in Holland and Zeeland as well in the Orangist revolution. The position of stadtholder was made hereditary in both the male and the female lines in all provinces at the same time.

Hereditary territories in Germany

Hereditary possessions of the House of Orange-Nassau in Germany in 1789

After the Nassau-Dietz branch took over, the House of Orange-Nassau had acquired the following territories by the end of the 18th century in the Holy Roman Empire, located in present-day Germany:

• County of Nassau-Dillenburg, elevated to principality in 1654
• County of Nassau-Siegen, elevated to principality
• County of Nassau-Dietz, elevated to principality
• County of Nassau-Hadamar, elevated to principality
• Fief Beilstein
• Fief Spiegelberg
• Amt Nassau (shared with Nassau-Usingen)
• Amt Kirrberg (shared with Nassau-Usingen)
• Grund Seel and Burbach (shared with Nassau-Weilburg)
• Amt Camberg (shared with the Electorate of Trier)
• Amt Wehrheim (shared with the Electorate of Trier)
• Ems custody (shared with Hesse-Darmstadt)

Around 1742, William IV of Orange established the Hochdeutsche Hofdepartement, an administrative centre located in The Hague inside the Dutch Republic, which looked after the family's possessions in Germany.

End of the stadtholdership

William IV died in 1751, leaving his three-year-old son, William V, as the stadtholder. Since William V was still a minor, the regents reigned for him. He grew up to be an indecisive person, a character defect which would come to haunt William V his whole life. His marriage to Wilhelmina of Prussia relieved this defect to some degree. In 1787, Willem V survived an attempt to depose him by the Patriots (anti-Orangist revolutionaries) after the Kingdom of Prussia intervened. When the French invaded Holland in 1795, William V was forced into exile, and he was never to return alive to Holland.

After 1795, the House of Orange-Nassau faced a difficult period, surviving in exile at other European courts, especially those of Prussia and Britain. Following the recognition of the Batavian Republic by the 1801 Oranienstein Letters, William V's son William VI renounced the stadtholdership in 1802. In return, he received a few territories like the Free Imperial City of Dortmund, Corvey Abbey and Diocese of Fulda from First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte of the French Republic (Treaty of Amiens), which was established as the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda. William V died in 1806.

Monarchy since 1813

Main article: Monarchy of the Netherlands

United Kingdom of the Netherlands

After a repressed Dutch rebel action, Prussian and Cossack troops drove out the French in 1813, with the support of the Patriots of 1785. A provisional government was formed, most of whose members had helped drive out William V 18 years earlier. However, they were realistic enough to accept that any new government would have to be headed by William V's son, William Frederick (William VI). All agreed that it would be better in the long term for the Dutch to restore William themselves rather than have him imposed by the allies.

Prince William of Orange wounded at Waterloo, 1815

At the invitation of the provisional government, William Frederick returned to the Netherlands on November 30. This move was strongly supported by the United Kingdom, which sought ways to strengthen the Netherlands and deny future French aggressors easy access to the Low Countries' Channel ports. The provisional government offered William the crown. He refused, believing that a stadholdership would give him more power. Thus, on December 6, William proclaimed himself hereditary sovereign prince of the Netherlands—something between a kingship and a stadholdership. In 1814, he was awarded sovereignty over the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège as well. On March 15, 1815, with the support of the powers gathered at the Congress of Vienna, William proclaimed himself King William I. He was also made grand duke of Luxembourg, and (to assuage French sensitivity by distancing the title from the now-defunct principality) the title 'Prince of Orange' was changed to 'Prince of Oranje'. The two countries remained separate, though they shared a common monarch via a personal union. William had thus fulfilled the House of Orange's three-century quest to unite the Low Countries.

The institution of the monarch in the Netherlands is considered an office under the Constitution of the Netherlands. There are none of the religious connotations to the office as in some other monarchies. A Dutch sovereign is inaugurated rather than crowned in a coronation ceremony. It was initially more of a crowned/hereditary presidency, and a continuation of the status quo ante of the pre-1795 hereditary stadholderate in the Republic. In practice, the current monarch has considerably less power than the stadtholder.

As king of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, William tried to establish one common culture. This provoked resistance in the southern parts of the country, which had been culturally separate from the north since 1581. He was considered an enlightened despot.

The Prince of Orange held rights to Nassau lands (Dillenburg, Dietz, Beilstein, Hadamar, Siegen) in central Germany. On the other hand, the King of Prussia, Frederick William III—brother-in-law and first cousin of William I, had beginning from 1813 managed to establish his rule in Luxembourg, which he regarded as his inheritance from Anne, Duchess of Luxembourg who had died over three centuries earlier. At the Congress of Vienna, the two brothers-in-law agreed to a trade—Frederick William received William I's ancestral lands while William I received Luxembourg. Both got what was geographically nearer to their centre of power.

In 1830, most of the southern portion of William's realm—the former Austrian Netherlands and Prince-Bishopric—declared independence as Belgium. William fought a disastrous war until 1839 when he was forced to settle for peace. With his realm halved, he decided to abdicate in 1840 in favour of his son, William II. Although William II shared his father's conservative inclinations, in 1848 he accepted an amended constitution that significantly curbed his own authority and transferred the real power to the States General. He took this step to prevent the Revolutions of 1848 from spreading to his country.

William III and the risk of extinction

Further information: Luxembourg Crisis; Republicanism in the Netherlands § 1848–1890: Waning popularity; and Republicanism in the Netherlands § Succession secured, republic prevented

William II died in 1849. He was succeeded by his son, William III. A rather conservative, even reactionary man, William III was sharply opposed to the new 1848 constitution. He continually tried to form governments that were dependent on his support, even though it was prohibitively difficult for a government to stay in office against the will of Parliament. In 1868, he tried to sell Luxembourg to France, which was the source of a quarrel between Prussia and France.

William III had a rather unhappy marriage with Sophie of Württemberg, and his heirs died young. This raised the possibility of the extinction of the House of Orange-Nassau. After the death of Queen Sophie in 1877, William remarried to 20-year-old Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont in 1879; he was 41 years older than her. On 31 August 1880, Queen Emma gave birth to their daughter and the royal heiress, Wilhelmina. There were considerably more concerns over the royal dynasty's future, when Wilhelmina's marriage with Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (since 1901) repeatedly resulted in miscarriages. Had the House of Orange died out, the throne would likely have passed to Prince Heinrich XXXII Reuss of Köstritz, leading the Netherlands into an undesirably strong influence from the German Empire that would threaten Dutch independence. Not just Socialists, but now also Anti-Revolutionary politicians including Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper and Liberals such as Samuel van Houten advocated the restoration of the Republic in Parliament in case the marriage remained childless. The birth of Princess Juliana in 1909 put the question to rest.

Monarchy in modern times

Frederiksplein in Amsterdam during the entry of Queen Wilhelmina, 5 September 1898

Wilhelmina was queen of the Netherlands for 58 years, from 1890 to 1948. Because she was only 10 years old in 1890, her mother, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, was the regent until Wilhelmina's 18th birthday in 1898. Since females were not allowed to hold power in Luxembourg, due to Salic law, Luxembourg passed to the House of Nassau-Weilburg, a collateral line to the House of Orange-Nassau. For a time, it appeared that the Dutch royal family would die with Wilhelmina. Her half-brother, Prince Alexander, had died in 1884, and no royal babies were born from then until Wilhelmina gave birth to her only child, Juliana, in 1909. The Dutch royal house remained quite small until the later 1930s and the early 1940s, during which time Juliana gave birth to four daughters. Although the House of Orange died out in its male line with the death of Queen Wilhelmina, it continued in the female line as can be seen in other modern European monarchies, the name "Orange" continues to be used by the Dutch royalty and as evidenced in many patriotic songs, such as "Oranje boven".

The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, during her reign, and the country was not invaded by Germany, as neighbouring Belgium was.

Nevertheless, Queen Wilhelmina became a symbol of the Dutch resistance during World War II. The moral authority of the Monarchy was restored because of her rule. After 58 years on the throne as the Queen, Wilhelmina decided to abdicate in favour of her daughter, Juliana. Juliana had the reputation of making the monarchy less "aloof", and under her reign the Monarchy became known as the "cycling monarchy". Members of the royal family were often seen riding bicycles through the cities and the countryside under Juliana.

A royal marriage controversy occurred in 1966 when Juliana's eldest daughter, the future Queen Beatrix, decided to marry Claus von Amsberg, a German diplomat. The marriage of a member of the royal family to a German was quite controversial in the Netherlands, which had suffered under Nazi German occupation in 1940–45. This reluctance to accept a German consort probably was exacerbated by von Amsberg's former membership in the Hitler Youth under the Nazi regime in his native country, and also his following service in the German Wehrmacht. Beatrix needed permission from the government to marry anyone if she wanted to remain heiress to the throne, but after some argument, it was granted. As the years went by, Prince Claus was fully accepted by the Dutch people. In time, he became one of the most popular members of the Dutch monarchy, and his death in 2002 was widely mourned.

On April 30, 1980, Queen Juliana abdicated in favour of her daughter, Beatrix. In the early years of the twenty-first century, the Dutch monarchy remained popular with a large part of the population. Beatrix's eldest son, Willem-Alexander, was born on April 27, 1967; the first immediate male heir to the Dutch throne since the death of his great-granduncle, Prince Alexander, in 1884. Willem-Alexander married Máxima Zorreguieta, an Argentine banker, in 2002; the first commoner ever to marry an heir apparent to the Dutch throne. They are parents of three daughters: Catharina-Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane. After a long struggle with neurological illness, Queen Juliana died on March 20, 2004, and her husband, Prince Bernhard, died on December 1 of that same year.

Upon Beatrix's abdication on April 30, 2013, the Prince of Orange was inaugurated as King Willem-Alexander, becoming the Netherlands' first male ruler since 1890. His eldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia, as heiress apparent to the throne, became Princess of Orange in her own right.

Net worth

See also: List of the richest royals

Unlike other royal houses, there has always been a separation in the Netherlands between what was owned by the state and used by the House of Orange in their offices as monarch, or previously, stadtholder, and the personal investments and fortune of the House of Orange.

As monarch, the King or Queen has use of, but not ownership of, the Huis ten Bosch as a residence and Noordeinde Palace as a work palace. In addition, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam is also at the disposal of the monarch (although it is only used for state visits and is open to the public when not in use for that purpose). Soestdijk Palace was sold to private investors in 2017. The crown jewels, comprising the crown, orb and sceptre, Sword of State, royal banner, and ermine mantle have been placed in the Crown Property Trust. The trust also holds the items used on ceremonial occasions, such as the carriages, table silver, and dinner services. The Royal House is also exempt from income, inheritance, and personal tax.

The House of Orange has long had the reputation of being one of the wealthier royal houses in the world, largely due to their business investments in Royal Dutch Shell, Philips electronics company, KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines, and the Holland-America Line. How significant these investments are is a matter of conjecture, as their private finances, unlike their public stipends as monarch, are not open to public scrutiny.

As late as 2001, the fortune of the Royal Family was estimated by various sources (Forbes magazine) at $3.2 billion. Most of the wealth was reported to come from the family's longstanding stake in the Royal Dutch/Shell Group. At one time, the Oranges reportedly owned as much as 25% of the oil company; their stake is in 2001 was estimated at a minimum of 2%, worth $2.7 billion on the May 21 cutoff date for the Billionaires issue. The family also was estimated to have a 1% stake in financial services firm ABN-AMRO.

The royal family's fortune seems to have been hit by declines in real estate and equities after 2008. They were also rumored to have lost up to $100 million when Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme collapsed, though the royal house denies the allegations. In 2009, Forbes estimated Queen Beatrix's wealth at US$300 million. This could also have been due to splitting the fortune between Queen Beatrix and her 3 sisters, as there is no right of the eldest to inherit the whole property. A surge in export revenue, recovery in real estate and strong stock market have helped steady the royal family's fortunes, but uncertainty over the new government and future austerity measures needed to bring budget deficits in line may dampen future prospects. In July 2010, Forbes magazine estimated her net worth at $200 million This estimate was unchanged in April 2011.

List of rulers

Stadtholderate under the House of Orange-Nassau

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William I Father of the nation, William the Silent, Prince of Orange	(1533-04-24)24 April 1533 – 10 July 1584(1584-07-10) (aged 51)	1559	1584	Stadtholder	Orange-Nassau
Maurice Prince of Orange	(1567-11-14)14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625(1625-04-23) (aged 57)	1585	1625	Stadtholder, son of William I	Orange-Nassau
Frederick Henry Prince of Orange	(1584-01-29)29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647(1647-03-14) (aged 63)	1625	1647	Stadtholder, son of William I	Orange-Nassau
William II Prince of Orange	(1626-05-27)27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650(1650-11-06) (aged 24)	14 March 1647	6 November 1650	Stadtholder, son of Frederick Henry	Orange-Nassau
William III Prince of Orange	(1650-11-04)4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702(1702-03-08) (aged 51)	4 July 1672	8 March 1702	Stadtholder, son of William II	Orange-Nassau
William IV Prince of Orange	(1711-09-01)1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751(1751-10-22) (aged 40)	1 September 1711 (under the regency of Marie Louise until 1731)	22 October 1751	Hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands, son of John William Friso	Orange-Nassau
William V Prince of Orange	(1748-03-08)8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806(1806-04-09) (aged 58)	22 October 1751	9 April 1806	Hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands, son of William IV, succeeded by his son King William I (-> Principality of the Netherlands (1813–1815)	Orange-Nassau

Stadtholderate under the Houses of Nassau-Dillenburg and Nassau-Dietz

Note:

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
John VI Jan de Oude (John the Elder)	(1536-11-22)22 November 1536 – 8 October 1606(1606-10-08) (aged 69)	1578	1581	Stadtholder, brother of William I	Nassau-Dillenburg
William Louis Us Heit (Our Father)	(1560-03-13)13 March 1560 – 31 May 1620(1620-05-31) (aged 60)	1584	1620	Stadtholder, son of John VI	Nassau-Dillenburg
Ernest Casimir I	(1573-12-22)22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632(1632-06-02) (aged 58)	1620	1632	Stadtholder, son of John VI	Nassau
Henry Casimir I	(1612-01-21)21 January 1612 – 13 July 1640(1640-07-13) (aged 28)	1632	1640	Stadtholder, son of Ernest Casimir I	Nassau-Dietz
William Frederick	(1613-08-07)7 August 1613 – 31 October 1664(1664-10-31) (aged 51)	1640	1664	Stadtholder, son of Ernest Casimir I	Nassau
Henry Casimir II	(1657-01-18)18 January 1657 – 25 March 1696(1696-03-25) (aged 39)	18 January 1664	25 March 1696	Hereditary Stadtholder, son of William Frederick	Nassau-Dietz
John William Friso	(1687-08-04)4 August 1687 – 14 July 1711(1711-07-14) (aged 23)	25 March 1696	14 July 1711	Hereditary Stadtholder, son of Henry Casimir II, succeeded by his son William IV of Orange-Nassau, Hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands (-> Stadtholderate under the House of Orange-Nassau	Nassau-Dietz, Orange-Nassau

Principality of the Netherlands (1813–1815)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William I	(1772-08-24)24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843(1843-12-12) (aged 71)	6 December 1813	16 March 1815	Raised Netherlands to status of kingdom in 1815, son of Stadtholder William V	Orange-Nassau

Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–present)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William I	(1772-08-24)24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843(1843-12-12) (aged 71)	16 March 1815	7 October 1840	Son of the last Stadtholder William V	Orange-Nassau
William II	(1792-12-06)6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849(1849-03-17) (aged 56)	7 October 1840	17 March 1849	Son of William I	Orange-Nassau
William III	(1817-02-17)17 February 1817 – 23 November 1890(1890-11-23) (aged 73)	17 March 1849	23 November 1890	Son of William II	Orange-Nassau
Wilhelmina	(1880-08-31)31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962(1962-11-28) (aged 82)	23 November 1890	4 September 1948	Daughter of William III	Orange-Nassau
Juliana	(1909-04-30)30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004(2004-03-20) (aged 94)	4 September 1948	30 April 1980	Daughter of Wilhelmina	Orange-Nassau
Beatrix	(1938-01-31) 31 January 1938	30 April 1980	30 April 2013	Daughter of Juliana	Orange-Nassau
Willem-Alexander	(1967-04-27) 27 April 1967	30 April 2013		Son of Beatrix	Orange-Nassau

Royal family versus royal house

Main article: Dutch royal house

Under Dutch law, there is a distinction between the royal family and the Dutch royal house. Whereas 'royal family' refers to the entire Orange-Nassau family, only a small subgroup of it constitutes the royal house. By the Royal House Membership Act 2002, membership of the royal house is limited to:

The royal house and family is the Orange-Nassau family.

• (Article 1) the reigning monarch (King or Queen);
• (Article 1a) the members of the royal family in the line of succession to the Dutch throne, limited to the second degree of sanguinity reckoned from the reigning monarch;
• (Article 1b) the heir presumptive of the reigning monarch;
• (Article 1c) the former monarch (upon abdication);
• (Article 2) the spouses of the above, even if the above die.
• (Article 3) H.R.H. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, (for whom an exception was made);

Members of the Royal House lose their membership (and thereby, designation as prince or princess of the Netherlands) if they lose the membership of the Royal House on the succession of a new monarch (not being in the second degree of sanguinity to the monarch anymore, Article 1a), or by royal decree approved by the Council of State (Article 5). This last scenario could happen, for example, if a royal house member marries without the consent of the Dutch Parliament. For example, this happened with Prince Friso in 2004, when he married Mabel Wisse Smit.

Family tree

Origins of the Nassaus

The lineage of the House of Nassau can be traced back to the 10th century.

Family tree of the House of Nassau

The following family tree is compiled from Wikipedia and the reference cited in the note Dudo of Laurenburg (c. 1060 – c. 1123) Count of Laurenburg r.1093 Rupert (Ruprecht) I of Nassau (c. 1090 – c. 1154) co-Count of Laurenburg r.1123 1st Count of Nassau Arnold I Count of Laurenburg (d.c. 1148) Rupert (Ruprecht) II Count of Laurenburg (1154–1158)(d.c. 1159) Walram I (French: Valéran) (c. 1146–1198) was the first (legally titled) Count of Nassau (1154–1198) Henry (Heinrich) I co-Count of Nassau (1160 – August 1167) Rupert (Ruprecht) III the Bellicose (d.1191) co-Count of Nassau (1160–1191) Henry (Heinrich) II the Rich Count of Nassau (1180–1251) Rupert (Ruprecht) IV Count of Nassau (1198–1230) Teutonic Knight (1230–1240) Herrmann (d.aft. 3 December 1240) Canon of Mainz Cathedral Walram II of Nassau (c. 1220 – 1276) WALRAMIAN Branch Present-day rulers of Luxembourg Rupert (Ruprecht) V d.before 1247 Teutonic Knight (1230–1240) Otto I of Nassau (reigned c. 1247 – 1290) OTTONIAN branch Present-day rulers of the Netherlands John (c. 1230 – 1309) Bishop-Elect of Utrecht (1267–1290) Adolf (c. 1255–1298) King of Germany (1292–1298) Henry I (d.1343) Count of Nassau-Siegen Emicho I (d.7 June 1334) Count of Nassau-Hadamar extinct 1394 John (d.1328) Count Nassau-Dillenburg Ruprecht (d.1304) Gerlach I Count of Nassau-Wiesbaden (bef.1288–1361) Walram III Count of Nassau-Wiesbaden Otto II (c. 1305–1350/1351) Count of Nassau-Siegen Henry I (1307–1388) Count of Nassau-Beilstein ext. 1561 Adolph (1307–1370) Count of Nassau in Wiesbaden-Idstein ext 1605 John I (1309–1371) Count of Nassau-Weilburg Rupert the Bellicose (c. 1340–1390) Count of Nassau-Sonnenberg John I (c. 1339–1416) Count of Nassau-Siegen Philip I (1368–1429) Count of Nassau in Weilburg, Saarbrücken, etc. Adolf I (1362–1420) Count of Nassau-Siegen John II "The Elder" (d. 1443) Engelbert I (c. 1370/80–1442) Count of Nassau-Siegen, Baron of Breda founder of the Netherlands Nassaus John III "The Younger" d. 1430 Count of Nassau-Siegen Philip II (1418–1492) Count of Nassau-Weilburg John II (1423–1472) Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken ext. 1574 John IV (1410–1475) Count of Nassau-Siegen Henry II (1414–1451) Count of Nassau-Siegen John III (1441–1480) Count of Nassau-Weilburg Philip (1443–1471) Count of Nassau-Weilburg Engelbert II the Valorious (1451–1504) Count of Nassau and Vianden, Baron of Breda(fr), Lek, Diest, Roosendaal en Nispen and Wouw John V (1455–1516) Count of Nassau-Siegen House of Nassau-Weilburg and the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg House of Orange-Nassau

A detailed family tree can be found here. A detailed family tree of the House of Orange-Nassau from the 15th century can be found on the Dutch Wikipedia at Dutch monarchs family tree.

Orange and Nassau Family Tree

A summary family tree of the House of Orange-Nassau

From the joining of the house of Nassau-Breda/Dillenburg and the House of Châlon-Arlay-Orange to the end of the Dutch Republic is shown below. The family spawned many famous statesmen and generals, including two of the acknowledged "first captains of their age", Maurice of Nassau and the Marshal de Turenne. John V Count of Nassau-Siegen 1455–1516 Stadholder of Gelderland John IV Prince of Orange, 1475–1502 William the Rich Count of Nassau-Siegen 1487- 1559 Henry III Count of Nassau-Breda 1483–1538 Claudia of Châlon 1498–1521 Philibert of Châlon of Châlon Prince of Orange 1502–1530 William I "the Silent" 1533–1584 Prince of Orange 1544 Stadholder of Holland, Zealand & Utrecht Louis 1538–1574 Adolf 1540–1568 Henry 1550–1574 John VI "the Elder" 1536–1606 Stadholder of Gelderland René of Châlon 1519–1544 Prince of Orange r.1521 Philip William 1554–1618 Prince of Orange r.1584 Maurice 1567–1625 Prince of Orange r.1618 Stadholder of Holland, Zealand, Utrecht, etc. Frederick Henry 1584–1647 Prince of Orange r.1625 Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, & etc. Louise Juliana 1576–1644 married Frederick IV Elector Palatine from whom the British royal family descends Elisabeth 1577–1642 married Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne Duke of Bouillon (illeg.) Justinus van Nassau 1559–1631 Admiral & General Governor of Breda 1601–1625 William Louis "Us Heit" Count of Nassau-Dillenburg 1560–1620 Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe Ernst Casimir Count of Nassau-Dietz 1573–1632 Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe John VII "the Middle" Count of Nassau-Siegen r.1561–1623 (illeg.) William of Nassau 1601–1627 Lord of de Lek (illeg.) Louis of Nassau Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd 1602–1665 Charles I King of England 1630-1685 Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia (1596–1662) Frederick V Elector Palatine r.1610 King of Bohemia r.1619–1621 Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne Vicomte de Turenne & Marshal-General of France 1611–1675 James II King of England Mary Princess Royal William II 1626–1650 Prince of Orange & Stadholder of Holland, Zealand, etc, r.1647 Louise Henriette 1627–1667 married Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (illeg.) Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein 1608–1672 general of the army Albertine Agnes 1634–1696) William Frederick 1613–1664 Count —later Prince— of Nassau-Dietz, Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe Henry Casimir I Count of Nassau-Dietz 1612–1640 Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe John Maurice "the Brazilian" Prince of Nassau-Siegen 1604–1679 Governor of Dutch Brazil Field Marshal of the Dutch Army Mary II Queen of England William III 1650–1702 Prince of Orange 1650 Stadholder of Holland, Zealand, etc, 1672 King of England, 1689 ceded claims to the lands of Orange to France in 1713 but kept right to use the title in its German form. Kings of Prussia and later German Emperors currently Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, "Prinz von Oranien" Earls of Rochford in England Henry Casimir II Prince of Nassau-Dietz 1657–1696 Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe John William Friso 1687–1711 appointed heir by William III Prince of Orange r.1702 Stadholder of Frieslandr.1696 Anne Princess Royal of England William IV 1711–1751 Prince of Orange Stadholder of Holland, Zealand, etc. 1747 Wilhelmina of Prussia William V 1748–1806 Prince of Orange r.1751 Stadholder of Holland, Zealand, etc. r.1751–1795 Carolina 1743–1787 Charles Christian Prince of Nassau-Weilburg r.1735–1788 Princess Louise of Orange-Nassau 1770–1819 married Karl, Hereditary Prince of Braunschweig(-Wolfenbuttel) Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau 1774–1799 William VI Fürst of Nassau-Orange-Fulda 1803–1806 Fürst of Nassau-Orange Prince of Orange r.1806 later William I King of the Netherlands r.1815 Frederick William Prince of Nassau-Weilburg 1768–1816 Royal Family of the Netherlands William Duke of Nassau 1792–1839 Adolphe 1817–1905 Duke of Nassau r.1839–1866 Grand Duke of Luxembourg r.1890–1905 Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

The main house of Orange-Nassau also spawned several illegitimate branches. These branches contributed to the political and economic history of England and the Netherlands. Justinus van Nassau was the only extramarital child of William of Orange. He was a Dutch army commander known for unsuccessfully defending Breda against the Spanish, and the depiction of his surrender on the famous picture by Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda. Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd was a younger illegitimate son of Prince Maurice and Margaretha van Mechelen. His descendants were later created Counts of Nassau-LaLecq. One of his sons was the famous general Henry de Nassau, Lord of Overkirk, King William III's Master of the Horse, and one of the most trusted generals of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. His descendants became the Earls of Grantham in England. Frederick van Nassau, Lord of Zuylestein, an illegitimate son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, gave rise to the Earls of Rochford in England. The 4th earl of Rochford was a famous English diplomat and a statesman.

Royal House of Orange-Nassau

In 1815, William VI of Orange became King of the Netherlands. This summary genealogical tree shows how the current Royal house of Orange-Nassau is related:

William I, 1772–1843, King of the Netherlands, 1815–1840

Wilhelmina of Prussia

William II, 1792–1849, King of the Netherlands, 1840

Anna Pavlovna of Russia

Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, 1797–1881

Princess Pauline of Orange-Nassau, 1800–1806

Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, 1810–1883 married Prince Albert of Prussia (1809–1872)

Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont

William III, 1817–1890, King of the Netherlands, 1849

Sophia of Württemberg

Prince Alexander of the Netherlands, 1818–1848

Prince Henry of the Netherlands, "the Navigator" 1820–1879

Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, 1824–1897 married Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Princess Louise of the Netherlands,1828–1871 married Charles XV of Sweden

Princess Marie of the Netherlands, 1841–1910 married William, Prince of Wied one son was William, Prince of Albania

Wilhelmina, 1880–1962, Queen of the Netherlands, 1890–1948 To 1907 after 1907

Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1876–1934, Prince of the Netherlands

William, Prince of Orange 1840–1879

Prince Maurice of the Netherlands, 1843–1850

Alexander, Prince of Orange, 1851–1884

Juliana 1909–2004, Queen of the Netherlands, 1948–1980

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince of the Netherlands 1911–2004

Beatrix,1938–, Queen of the Netherlands,1980–2013

Claus van Amsberg,1926–2002, Prince of the Netherlands

Princess Irene of the Netherlands, 1939, m.(1964–1981) Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma, 4 children not eligible for throne

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, 1943–

Pieter van Vollenhoven

Princess Christina of the Netherlands,(1947–2019), m. Jorge Pérez y Guillermo (m. 1975; div. 1996), 3 children not eligible for throne

William-Alexander of the Netherlands,1967– Prince of Orange & Heir Apparent, 1980–2013, King of the Netherlands, 2013–

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau 1968–2013 m.(2004) Mabel Wisse Smit without permission, his children are not eligible for the throne and he was no longer a Prince of the Netherlands after his marriage

Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, 1969–

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands

4 sons, 2 of whom were eligible for the throne until Beatrix abdicated in 2013

Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands,2003– Princess of Orange & heiress apparent, 2013–

Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, 2005–

Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, 2007–

Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau, 2002–

Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, 2004–

Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau, 2006–

Coats of Arms

Main articles: Armorial of the House of Nassau and nl:Wapen van Nassau § Tak van Otto

See also: Coat of arms of the Netherlands

Arms of the Ottonian Branch of the House of Nassau: Azure billetty or, a lion rampant of the last armed and langued gules

The gallery below show the coats of arms used by members of the house of Orange-Nassau. Their growing complexity and use of crowns shows how arms are used to reflect the growing political position and royal aspirations of the family. A much more complete armorial is given at the Armorial of the House of Nassau, and another one at Wapen van Nassau, Tak van Otto at the Dutch Wikipedia.

The ancestral coat of arms of the Ottonian line of the house of Nassau is shown right. Their distant cousins of the Walramian line added a red coronet to distinguish them. There is no specific documentation in the literature on the origin of the arms. The lion was always a popular noble symbol, originating as a symbol of nobility, power, and royal aspirations in western culture going all the way back to Hercules. The lion was also heavily used as a heraldic symbol in border territories and neighbouring countries of the Holy Roman Empire and France. It was in all likelihood a way of showing independence from the Holy Roman Emperor, who used an eagle in his personal arms and the King of France, who used the famous Fleur-de-lis. The lion was so heavily used in the Netherlands for various provinces and families (see Leo Belgicus) that it became the national arms of the Dutch Republic, its successor Kingdom of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Blue, because of its nearness to purple, which in the northern climes tended to fade (red was the other choice), was also a popular color for those with royal aspirations. The billets could have been anything from blocks of wood to abstractions of the reenforcements holding the shield together. The fact that these were arms were very similar to those of the counts of Burgundy (Franche-Comté) did not seem to cause too much confusion.

Henry III of Nassau-Breda came to the Netherlands in 1499 as heir to his uncle, Engelbrecht II of Nassau-Breda. His and his uncle's arms are shown below. When Philbert, prince of Orange died in 1530, his sister's son René of Breda inherited the Princedom of Orange on condition that he used the name and coat of arms of the Châlon-Orange family. History knows him therefore as René of Châlon instead of as "René of Nassau-Breda." The 1st and 4th grand quarters show the arms of the Chalons-Arlay (the gold bend) princes of Orange (the bugle). The blue and gold cross is the arms of Jeanne of Geneva, who married one of the Chalons princes. The 2nd and 3rd show the quarterings of Brittany and Luxembourg-St. Pol. The inescutcheon overall is his paternal arms quartered of Nassau and Breda. William the Silent's father, William the Rich, was rich only in children. He bore the arms shown below. Clockwise from upper left they displayed the arms of Nassau (1st quarter), Katzenelenbogen (3rd quarter), Dietz (2nd quarter), Vianden (4th quarter).

• 
  Arms of Engelbrecht II and Henry III of Nassau-Breda.
• 
  Coat of arms of Rene of Chalons as Prince of Orange.
• 
  Arms of William the Rich, count of Nassau-Dillenburg.

The princes of Orange in the 16th and 17th century used the following sets of arms. On becoming prince of Orange, William placed the Châlon-Arlay arms in the center ("as an inescutcheon") of his father's arms. He used these arms until 1582 when he purchased the marquisate of Veere and Vlissingen. It had been the property of Philip II since 1567, but had fallen into arrears to the province. In 1580 the Court of Holland ordered it sold. William bought it as it gave him two more votes in the States of Zeeland. He owned the government of the two towns, and so could appoint their magistrates. He already had one as First Noble for Philip William, who had inherited Maartensdijk. This made William the predominant member of the States of Zeeland. It was a smaller version of the countship of Zeeland (& Holland) promised to William, and was a potent political base for his descendants. William then added the shield of Veere and Buren to his arms as shown in the arms of Frederick Henry, William II and William III with the arms of the marquisate in the top center, and the arms of the county of Buren in the bottom center. William also started the tradition of keeping the number of billets in the upper left quarter for Nassau at 17 to symbolize the original 17 provinces of the Burgundian/Habsburg Netherlands, which he always hoped would form one united nation.

• 
  Coat of arms of William the Silent as Prince of Orange from 1544 to 1582, and his eldest son Philip William
• 
  The coat of arms used by William the Silent from 1582 until his death, Frederick Henry, William II, and William III as Prince of Orange
• 
  The coat of arms used by Maurice showing the county of Moers (top left center and bottom right center) and his mother's arms of Saxony (center)
• 
  An alternate coat of arms sometimes used by Frederick Henry, William II, and William III as Prince of Orange showing the county of Moers in the top center rather than Veere.
• 
  Coat of arms on expeditionary banner of William and Mary, 1688, showing the arms of William III impaled with the royal arms of England
• 
  Coat of arms of King William III of England as King of England.

When John William Friso became Prince of Orange, he used the arms below. However, he was never recognized outside of Holland and areas friendly to Holland as Prince of Orange. His son, William IV, recognized as Prince of Orange, seems to have used the original arms of William the Silent. When the princes of Orange fled the Netherlands during the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland, and when France occupied the Netherlands, they were compensated by Napoleon with the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda. These principalities were confiscated when Napoleon invaded Germany (1806) and William VI supported his Prussian relatives. He succeeded his father as prince of Orange later that year, after William V's death. The house of Orange-Nassau also had several illegitimate lines (see below) who based their arms on the arms of Nassau-Dillenburg.

• 
  Arms of Johan Willem Friso as Prince of Orange.
• 
  Arms of William VI of Orange as prince of Orange-Nassau-Fulda. The bottom most shield shows clockwise from top left the principality of Fulda, the lordship of Corvey, the county of Weingarten, and the lordship of Dortmund.
• 
  Arms of Justinus van Nassau, natural son of William the Silent.
• 
  Arms of the Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd, natural son of Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, and his descendants the lords of den Lek and the earls of Grantham in England
• 
  Arms of the lords of Zuylestein, natural son of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and his descendants the earls of Rochford in England

When William VI of Orange returned to the Netherlands in 1813 and was proclaimed Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands, he quartered the former Arms of the Dutch Republic (1st and 4th quarter) with the "Châlon-Orange" arms (2nd and 3rd quarter), which had come to symbolize Orange. As an in escutcheon he placed his ancestral arms of Nassau. When he became King in 1815, he combined the Dutch Republic Lion with the billets of the Nassau arms and added a royal crown to form the Coat of arms of the Netherlands. In 1907, Queen Wilhelmina replaced the royal crown on the lion and the shield bearers of the arms with a coronet.

• 
  Arms of the States General of the Dutch Republic. The sword symbolizes the determination to defend the nation, and the bundle of 7 arrows the unity of the 7 United Provinces of the Dutch Republic.
• 
  Arms of William VI as sovereign prince of the Netherlands.
• 
  First arms of the Kingdom and Kings of the Netherlands from 1815 to 1907.
• 
  Arms of the Kingdom and Kings of the Netherlands since 1907.

Wilhelmina further decreed that in perpetuity her descendants should be styled "princes and princesses of Orange-Nassau" and that the name of the house would be "Orange-Nassau" (in Dutch "Oranje-Nassau"). Only those members of the members of the Dutch Royal Family that are designated to the smaller "Royal House" can use the title of prince or princess of the Netherlands. Since then, individual members of the House of Orange-Nassau are also given their own arms by the reigning monarch, similar to the United Kingdom. This is usually the royal arms, quartered with the arms of the principality of Orange, and an in escutcheon of their paternal arms.

• 
  Juliana of the Netherlands & Oranje-Nassau Personal Arms
• 
  Beatrix of the Netherlands & Oranje-Nassau Personal Arms
• 
  William Alexander of the Netherlands and Oranje-Nassau Personal Arms
• 
  Arms for children of King William Alexander of the Netherlands
• 
  Sons of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Pieter van Vollenhoven

As sovereign Princes, the princes of Orange used an independent prince's crown or the princely hat. Sometimes, only the coronet part was used (see, here and here). After the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as the principality of Orange had been incorporated into France by Louis XIV, they used the Dutch Royal Crowns. The full coats of arms of the princes of Orange, later Kings of the Netherlands, incorporated the arms above, the crown, 2 lions as supporters and the motto "Je maintiendrai" ("I will maintain"), the latter taken from the Chalons princes of Orange, who used "Je maintiendrai Chalons".

Coat of Arms of Frederick Henry, William II and William III as sovereign princes of Orange.	Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands (1815–1907)	Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands (1907–present)

Lands and titles

Main articles: King of the Netherlands § Terminology, title, and lineage; Style of the Dutch sovereign; and nl:Titels van de Nederlandse koninklijke familie § Historische titels van de Koning

Titles

Coats of arms corresponding to the titles borne by various Dutch monarchs, including Veere and Flushing (right above the bottom crowned arms), displayed at Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam

Besides being sovereign over the principality of Orange , this is a partial listing of larger estates and titles that William the Silent and his heirs possessed, most enfeoffed to some other sovereign, either the King of France, the Habsburgs, or the States of the provinces of the Netherlands

Style of the Dutch sovereign:

• Marquis of Veere and Vlissingen

• Count of Nassau-Dillenburg

• Katzenelnbogen ,

Dietz , Vianden , Buren , Moers , Leerdam , and Culemborg (1748)

• Viscount of Antwerp

• Baron of Breda ,

Cranendonck , Lands of Cuijk , Eindhoven , City of Grave , Lek , IJsselstein , Acquoy , Diest , Grimbergen /, Herstal , Warneton (Waasten (nl)) , Beilstein , Bentheim-Lingen , Arlay , Nozeroy , and Orpierre ;

• Lord of Baarn , Soest , & Ter Eem ,

Bredevoort , Dasburg , Geertruidenberg, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe , Klundert, 't Loo , Montfort, Naaldwijk , Niervaart, Polanen/lands of Polanen , Steenbergen , Sint-Maartensdijk , Turnhout & Zevenbergen , Willemstad , Bütgenbach, Sankt Vith , and Besançon

A fuller listing with maps of the territories are in the Maps of the Lands of the House of Orange.

Standards

Main articles: Royal Standard of the Netherlands, Flag of the Netherlands, and List of Dutch flags

The Dutch Royal Family also makes extensive use of royal standards that are based on their coats of arms, but not identical to them (as the British Royal Family does). Some examples from the Royal Family's website are:

The standards of the ruling king or queen:

• 
  Royal Flag of the Netherlands (1815–1908)
• 
  Royal Standard of Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix (1908–2013)
• 
  Royal Standard of the King

The standards of the current sons of the former Queen, now Princess Beatrix and their wives and the Queen's husband:

• 
  Royal Standard of the Princes of the Netherlands (Sons of Queen Beatrix)
• 
  Standard of Claus von Amsberg as Royal consort of the Netherlands
• 
  Standard of Princess Maxima of the Netherlands
• 
  Standard of Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands

A fuller listing can be found at the Armorial de la Maison de Nassau, section Lignée Ottonienne at the French Wikipedia.

Residences of the House of Orange

• 
  Hotel de Nassau in Brussels painted 1658 (former residence)
• 
  Royal Palace of Amsterdam (official ceremonial residence)
• 
  Noordeinde Palace, The Hague (working offices of the Monarch)
• 
  Huis ten Bosch palace, The Hague
• 
  Het Loo Palace
• 
  Soestdijk Palace
• 
  Schloss Oranienstein (former residence)

See also

For further about the Dutch Monarchy and the Dutch Royal House:

• Dutch monarchy
• House of Nassau
• Prince of Orange
• Principality of Orange
• Orange Institution
• William III of England

Traditionally, members of the Nassau family were buried in Breda; but because that city was in Spanish hands when William died, he was buried in a new crypt in the New Church, Delft. The monument on his tomb was originally very modest, but it was replaced in 1623 by a new one, made by Hendrik de Keyser and his son Pieter. Since then, most of the members of the House of Orange-Nassau, including all Dutch monarchs, have been buried in that church. His great-grandson William the Third, King of England and Scotland and Stadtholder in the Netherlands, was buried in Westminster Abbey.

• Crypt of the House of Orange-Nassau (in Dutch) in Delft
• Burial Monument to William the Silent (in Dutch)
• Crypt of the Frisian Nassaus (in Dutch) in Leeuwarden
• Crypt of the Nassau-LaLecqs in Ouderkerk aan den IJssel (in Dutch)
• Original Crypt of Netherland Nassaus (in Dutch) in Breda
• Crypt of Engelbrecht II van Nassau (in Dutch) in Breda
• Crypt of the Nassau-Bergens in Bergen (in Dutch)
• Crypt of the Nassau-Siegens (in Dutch) in Siegen

In Robert A. Heinlein's 1956 science fiction novel Double Star, the House of Orange reigns over – but does not rule over – an empire of humanity that spans the entire Solar System.

• Hofstra University

References

Cited works

• Herbert H. Rowen, The princes of Orange: the stadholders in the Dutch Republic. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
• John Lothrop Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1855.
• John Lothrop Motley, History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Synod of Dort. London: John Murray, 1860.
• Petrus Johannes Blok, History of the people of the Netherlands. New York: G. P. Putnam's sons, 1898.
• Jonathan I. Israel, The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall, 1477–1806. Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-19-820734-4
• Pieter Geyl, Orange and Stuart 1641–1672. Phoenix Press, 2002.
• Mark Edward Hay, "Russia, Britain, and the House of Nassau: The Re-Establishment of the Orange Dynasty in the Netherlands, March–November 1813" Archived 2018-06-12 at the Wayback Machine, Low Countries Historical Review 133/1, March 2018, 3–21.

Further reading

• Edmundson, George (1911). "Orange, House of" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). p. 146.
• John Lothrop Motley, The Life and Death of John of Barenvelt. New York & London: Harper and Brothers Publishing, 1900.
• Rouven Pons (Hrsg.): Oranien und Nassau in Europa. Lebenswelten einer frühneuzeitlichen Dynastie. Historische Kommission für Nassau, Wiesbaden 2018, ISBN 978-3-930221-38-7.

External links

• Dutch Royal House – official website
• Sources about the history of Orange-Nassau in the Hessian Main State Archives, Wiesbaden

House of Nassau-Weilburg

House of Nassau-Weilburg
Parent house	House of Nassau
Founded	1344 (1344)
Founder	John I of Nassau-Weilburg
Current head	Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (in cognatic line)
Titles	Grand Duke of Luxembourg Prince of Nassau-Weilburg Duke of Nassau Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Style(s)	His/Her Royal Highness
Estate(s)	Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg City Berg Castle, Colmar-Berg Fischbach Castle, Fischbach
Dissolution	1985 (in agnatic line)

The House of Nassau-Weilburg, a branch of the House of Nassau, ruled a division of the County of Nassau, which was a state in what is now Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1344 to 1806.

On 17 July 1806, upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the principalities of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg both joined the Confederation of the Rhine. Under pressure from Napoleon, both principalities merged to become the Duchy of Nassau on 30 August 1806, under the joint rule of Prince Frederick August of Nassau-Usingen and his younger cousin, Prince Frederick William of Nassau-Weilburg. As Frederick August had no heirs, he agreed that Frederick William should become the sole ruler after his death. However, Frederick William died from a fall on the stairs at Schloss Weilburg on 9 January 1816 and it was his son William who later became duke of a unified Nassau.

The sovereigns of this house afterwards governed the Duchy of Nassau until 1866. Since 1890, they have reigned over the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Religion

The first two Grand Dukes of Luxembourg, Adolphe and Guillaume IV, were Protestants, however, the Christian denomination of the house changed after Grand Duke Guillaume IV's marriage to Marie Anne de Braganza, who was Roman Catholic.

Gallery

• 
  Weilburg
• 
  Weilburg Castle
• 
  Biebrich Palace
• 
  Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg
• 
  Berg Castle, Luxembourg

Sovereigns from the House of Nassau-Weilburg

Nassau

Counts of Nassau-Weilburg

• 1344–71: John I
• 1371–1429: Philip I
• 1429–42: Philip II and John II
• 1442–92: Philip II
• 1492–1523: Louis I
• 1523–59: Philip III
• 1559–93: Albrecht
• 1559–1602: Philip IV
• 1593–1625: Louis II
• 1625–29: William Louis, John IV and Ernst Casimir
• 1629–55: Ernst Casimir
• 1655–75: Frederick
• 1675–88: John Ernst

Princely counts of Nassau-Weilburg

• 1688–1719: John Ernst
• 1719–53: Charles August
• 1753–88: Charles Christian
• 1788–1816: Frederick William
• 1816: William

Dukes of Nassau

• 1816–39: William
• 1839–66: Adolphe

Grand Dukes of Luxembourg

Main article: List of Grand Dukes of Luxembourg

• 1890–1905: Adolphe
• 1905–12: William IV
• 1912–19: Marie-Adélaïde
• 1919–64: Charlotte
• 1964–2000: Jean
• 2000–present: Henri

Family tree

Family tree of the House of Nassau-Weilburg

Compiled from Wikipedia and these references. For ancestors of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, see House of Nassau#Family Tree John III (1441–1480) Count of Nassau-Weilburg Louis I (1473–1523) Count of Nassau-Weilburg Philip III (1504–1559) Count of Nassau-Weilburg Albert (1537–1593) Count of Nassau-Weilburg Philip IV (1542–1602) Count of Nassau-Weilburg in Saarbrucken Louis II (1565–1627) Count of Nassau-Weilburg in Ottweiler William (1570–1597) Count of Nassau-Weilburg in Weilburg John Casimir (1577–1602) Count of Nassau-Weilburg in Gleiberg William Louis (1590–1640) Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken John (1603–1677) Count of Nassau-Idstein Counts of Nassau-Idstein ext.1721 Ernest Casimir (1607–1655) Count of Nassau-Weilburg John Louis (1625–1690) Count of Nassau-Ottweiler ext. 1728 Gustav Adolph (1632–1677) Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken ext. 1723 Walrad (1635–1702) Count & Prince of Nassau-Usingen ext. 1816 Frederick (1640–1675) Count of Nassau-Weilburg John Ernst (1664–1719) Count & Prince of Nassau-Weilburg Charles August (1685–1753) Prince of Nassau-Weilburg Charles Ernst (1689–1709) Prince of Nassau-Weilburg Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau (1743–1787) Charles Christian (1735–1788) Prince of Nassau-Weilburg Frederick William (1768–1816) Prince of Nassau-Weilburg William (1792–1839) Duke of Nassau Adolphe (1817–1905) Duke of Nassau 1839–1866 Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1890–1905 Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

References

The Grand-Ducal Family of Luxembourg

Not to be confused with the House of Luxembourg.

"Grand ducal family" redirects here. For the concept as a whole, see Royal family.

The grand ducal family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign grand duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, whose sovereign territories passed cognatically from the House of Nassau to the House of Bourbon-Parma, itself a branch of the Spanish royal house which is agnatically a cadet branch of the House of Capet that originated in France, itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians and the Karlings and the founding house of the Capetian dynasty.

History

In 1443 the last member of the senior branch of the House of Luxemburg, Duchess Elisabeth, sold the Duchy of Luxembourg to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, a prince of the French House of Valois. In 1477 the duchy passed by marriage of Philip's granddaughter, Mary of Burgundy, to Archduke Maximilian I of Austria of the House of Habsburg. Luxembourg was one of the fiefdoms in the former Burgundian Netherlands which Maximilian and Mary's grandson, Emperor Charles V, combined into an integral union, the Seventeen Provinces, by issuing the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549. The southern Netherlands remained part of the Habsburg Empire, first held by the Spanish branch and then by the Austrian line, until 1794 when French revolutionaries replaced Habsburg rule with French hegemony until the defeat of Napoleon.

Luxembourg's territories, centering on the ancestral castle, were captured from occupying French forces in the first stages of the fall of Napoleon. Some were eventually ceded to William VI of Nassau, Prince of Orange, who had been declared Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands in 1813, by his cousin King Frederick William III of Prussia who annexed other territories which had been held by princes of the various branches of the House of Nassau. The Great Powers agreed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to re-constitute and elevate Luxembourg into a grand duchy, to be hereditary in the male line of the entire House of Nassau, beginning with the Prince of Orange, who was simultaneously but separately recognised as King of the Netherlands.

Thus William I of the Netherlands ascended the grand ducal throne as the first grand duke of Luxemburg. When the male line of the House of Orange-Nassau became extinct in 1890, the crown of the Netherlands went to his descendant, Wilhelmina of Orange-Nassau, but the crown of Luxembourg continued in the male line, devolving upon the head of the only surviving branch of the House of Nassau, ex-Duke Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg. His son, Guillaume IV (reigned 1905–1912), left no sons and was succeeded by his daughters, Marie-Adélaïde and then by Charlotte (reigned 1919–1964). Her descendants (from her marriage to Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma) comprise the Grand Ducal House in the 21st century.

Titulature

The monarch bears the style of Royal Highness (subsumed in the higher style of Majesty that was borne by its sovereigns during the personal union of the grand duchy with the Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1890), to which the heir apparent is also entitled. The other male-line descendants of Grand Duke Adolphe held the titles "Prince/Princess of Luxembourg" and "Prince/Princess of Nassau", with the style of Grand Ducal Highness. Until 1995, the daughters and male-line issue of Grand Duchess Charlotte also bore the title of "Prince/Princess of Bourbon-Parma" and were addressed as Royal Highness, in right of their descent from her consort, Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma.

On 28 July 1987, by grand ducal decree, members of the dynasty assumed the surname "de Nassau" and discontinued use of the princely title and inescutcheon of the House of Bourbon-Parma (the dukes of which had not consented to the marriages to commoners of the dynasts of their Luxembourg cadet branch, Prince Charles in 1967 and Hereditary Grand Duke Henri in 1981), while retaining the style of Royal Highness.

Since the grand ducal decree of 21 September 1995, dynasts who are the children of a grand duke or hereditary grand duke hold the titles "Prince/Princess of Luxembourg" and "Prince/Princess of Nassau" with the style of Royal Highness. Shortly after his accession to the throne in October 2000, Grand Duke Henri issued a grand ducal decree conferring upon his eldest son and heir, Prince Guillaume, the title of "Hereditary Grand Duke" and restoring to him the title "Prince of Bourbon-Parma". Male line descendants of Grand Duchess Charlotte who are not the children of a grand duke or hereditary grand duke are "Prince/Princess of Nassau" with the style of His/Her Royal Highness.

A grand ducal decree in 2012, concerning the family pact, further defined the rules of titles borne.

The wives, children and male-line descendants of a prince of the dynasty whose marriage has not received grand ducal consent are "Count/Countess de Nassau".

To date, the title of "His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess of Bourbon-Parma" has been returned to all legitimate members of the grand ducal family. Indeed, the members of the grand ducal family have never ceased to actually be members of the Royal House of Bourbon-Parma.

Religion

Grand Dukes Adolphe (1817–1905) and William IV (1852–1912) were Evangelical Christians. William married the Roman Catholic Marie Anne of Portugal, believing that a country in which the great majority of people were Roman Catholic should also have a Roman Catholic monarch. In 1907, William declared the Evangelical Counts of Merenberg to be non-dynastic and named his own Roman Catholic daughter, Marie-Adélaïde (1894–1924), heiress to the grand ducal throne; she in 1919 abdicated in favour of her sister, Charlotte (1896–1985), who was also Roman Catholic, and Charlotte's Roman Catholic descendants have reigned in Luxembourg ever since.

However, although Roman Catholicism is the claimed faith of the overwhelming majority of the Luxembourgish people (ca. 90–93%), it does not have the status of a state religion, nor is there any legal or constitutional obligation for the grand duke (as head of state) to be Roman Catholic.

Members

Henri is the current grand duke of Luxembourg. He was born on 16 April 1955. He was married on 14 February 1981 to Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista, now Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, who was born on 22 March 1956; in Havana, Cuba, and became Grand Duke when his father, Jean, abdicated on 7 October 2000. They have 5 children:

• Guillaume is the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's eldest son, born on 11 November 1981. He was married on 20 October 2012 to Countess Stephanie of Lannoy, now Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg, who was born on 18 February 1984. They have 2 sons:
  • Prince Charles of Luxembourg, the Hereditary Grand Duke's elder son, was born on 10 May 2020 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
  • Prince François of Luxembourg, the Hereditary Grand Duke's second son, was born on 27 March 2023 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
• Prince Félix of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's second son, born on 3 June 1984. He was married on 21 September 2013 to Claire Lademacher, now Princess Claire of Luxembourg, who was born on 21 March 1985. They have 3 children:
  • Princess Amalia of Nassau, Prince Félix's daughter, was born on 15 June 2014 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
  • Prince Liam of Nassau, Prince Félix's son, was born on 28 November 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Prince Balthazar of Nassau, Prince Félix's son, was born on 7 January 2024 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
• Prince Louis of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's third son, born on 3 August 1986. He was married on 29 September 2006 to Tessy Antony, later Princess Tessy of Luxembourg until divorce, who was born on 28 October 1985. Upon marrying, Prince Louis renounced his right of succession prior to his marriage. Prince Louis and Antony divorced on 4 April 2019. They have 2 sons:
  • Prince Gabriel of Nassau, Prince Louis's eldest son, was born on 12 March 2006.
  • Prince Noah of Nassau, Prince Louis's youngest son, was born on 21 September 2007 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
• Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, now Princess Alexandra, Mrs. Bagory, the Grand Duke's daughter, born on 16 February 1991. She was married on 29 April 2023 to Nicolas Bagory, who was born on 11 November 1988. They have 1 child:
  • Victoire Bagory, daughter of Princess Alexandra, born on 14 May 2024 in Paris, France.
• Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's youngest son, born on 16 April 1992.

Extended family

• Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, now Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria, the Grand Duke's eldest sister, was born on 17 February 1954. She was married on 6 February 1982 to Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, who was born in 1954. They have five children.
• Prince Jean of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's brother, was born on 15 May 1957. He was married on 27 May 1987 to Hélène Vestur, later Countess Hélène of Nassau until divorce, who was born in 1958. They have children. On 26 September 1986, Prince Jean renounced his right of succession to the Luxembourg throne. His children were styled as Count(ess) of Nassau until given the title HRH Prince(ss) of Nassau on 24 November 2004. Prince Jean and Vestur divorced in 2004 and, on 18 March 2009, he married Diane de Guerre, now Countess Diane of Nassau, who was born in 1962, in a civil ceremony in Roermond, the Netherlands. They have no children.
  • Princess Marie Gabrielle of Nassau, now Princess Marie Gabrielle, Mrs. Willms, Prince Jean's daughter, was born out of wedlock on 8 September 1986. Married Antonius Willms, who was born in 1988, in 2017. They have 2 sons and 1 daughter.
  • Prince Constantin of Nassau, Prince Jean's eldest son, was born on 22 July 1988. He married Kathryn Mechie, now Princess Kathryn of Nassau, who was born in 1989, in 2020. They have 2 children.
    • Prince Felix of Nassau, Prince Constantin's son, born out of wedlock on 22 April 2018.
    • Princess Cosima of Nassau, Prince Constantin's daughter, born on 13 May 2022.
  • Prince Wenceslas of Nassau, Prince Jean's second son, was born on 17 November 1990. He married Elisabeth Lamarche, now Princess Elisabeth of Nassau, who was born in 1990, in 2021. They have 1 son.
    • Prince Calixte of Nassau, Prince Wenceslas's son, born in November 2022.
  • Prince Carl Johann of Nassau, Prince Jean's third son and youngest child, was born on 15 August 1992. He married Ivanna Jamin, now Princess Ivanna of Nassau, who was born in 1994, in 2019. They have 2 children.
    • Prince Xander of Nassau, Prince Carl Johann's son, born in 2021.
    • Princess Amadea of Nassau, Prince Carl Johann's daughter, born in 2022.
• Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, now Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, the Grand Duke's youngest sister. She was born on 15 May 1957. She was married on 20 March 1982 to Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, who was born in 1947. They have had 3 surviving children.
• Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's youngest brother, was born on 1 May 1963. He was married on 8 September 1994 to Sibilla Sandra Weiller (the daughter of Donna Olimpia Torlonia dei principi di Civitella-Cesi and Paul-Annik Weiller, and great-granddaughter of Alfonso XIII of Spain), now Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg.
  • Prince Paul-Louis of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's eldest son, was born on 4 March 1998.
  • Prince Léopold of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's second son, was born on 2 May 2000. He is the twin brother of Princess Charlotte.
  • Princess Charlotte of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's only daughter, was born on 2 May 2000. She is the twin sister of Prince Léopold.
  • Prince Jean André of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's youngest son, was born on 13 July 2004.
• Princess Joan of Luxembourg (née Dillon), the Grand Duke's aunt, was born on 31 January 1935. She is the widow of Prince Charles of Luxembourg. They married on 1 March 1967. They have issue:
  • Princess Charlotte of Luxembourg, now Princess Charlotte, Mrs. Cunningham, the Grand Duke's first cousin, was born on 15 September 1967. She was married in 1993 to Marc Victor Cunningham, who was born on 24 September 1965. They have issue.
  • Prince Robert of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's first cousin, was born on 14 August 1968 and married religiously on 19 September 1993 to Julie Elizabeth Houston Ongaro, now Princess Julie of Nassau, who was born on 9 June 1966. They have issue.
    • Princess Charlotte of Nassau. Prince Robert's daughter, born 20 March 1995.
    • Prince Alexandre of Nassau, Prince Robert's eldest son, born 18 April 1997.
    • Prince Frederik of Nassau, Prince Robert's youngest son, born 18 March 2002.

Succession to the throne

Main article: Line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg

The preference for men over women in succession to Luxembourg's throne was abandoned in favour of absolute primogeniture on 20 June 2011 by decree of Grand Duke Henri. Henceforth, any legitimate female descendant of the House of Luxembourg-Nassau born of authorized marriage shall inherit the throne by order of seniority of line of descent and of birth as stipulated in Article 3 of the Constitution and the Nassau Family Pact without regard to gender, applicable first to succession by the descendants of Grand Duke Henri. The Grand Duke's marshal issued an addendum to the decree explaining the context of the change: pursuant to the United Nations' 1979 call for nations to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, in 2008 the grand duchy dropped the exception to gender non-discrimination it had declared in the matter of the grand ducal succession.

Summary family tree

For the ancestry of the House of Nassau, see Family Tree of the House of Nassau.

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

Adolphe (1817–1905) Duke of Nassau r.1839–1866 Grand Duke of Luxembourg r.1890–1905 Adelheid-Marie Princess of Anhalt-Dessau William IV (1852–1912) Grand Duke of Luxembourg r.1905–1912 Marie Anne Infanta of Portugal Marie-Adélaïde (1894–1924) Grand Duchess of Luxembourg r.1912–1919 Charlotte (1896–1985) Grand Duchess of Luxembourg r.1919–1964 Felix Prince of Bourbon-Parma Jean (1921–2019) Grand Duke of Luxembourg r.1964–2000 Joséphine-Charlotte Princess of Belgium Charles Prince of Luxembourg Marie-Astrid Archduchess of Austria Henri (1955–present) Grand Duke of Luxembourg r.2000–present Maria Teresa Mestre Jean Prince of Luxembourg Margaretha Princess of Liechtenstein Guillaume Prince of Luxembourg Guillaume Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Félix Prince of Luxembourg Louis Prince of Luxembourg Alexandra Princess of Luxembourg Sébastien Prince of Luxembourg

Arms

See also: Category:SVG coats of arms of Luxembourg

A complete armorial is given at the Armorial de la Maison de Nassau, section Lignée Valramienne at the French Wikipedia, and another one at Wapen van Nassau, Tak van Walram at the Dutch Wikipedia.

See also

• List of monarchs of Luxembourg
• Line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg

See also

• Kings of Germany family tree

Sources

• Genealogy of the Middle Ages - House of Nassau
• Nassau-info.de
• Marek, Miroslav. "Nassau Genealogies". Genealogy.EU. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

• Archives of the House of Nassau