Category Archives: Dutch Royals

Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Until September 8, 2022, Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange and his wife Princess Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel held the distinction of being the most recent common ancestors to all currently reigning European monarchs. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and his wife Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken became the most recent common ancestors of all current hereditary European monarchs on September 8, 2022 after Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who was not a descendant, died and her son, Charles III, a descendant through his father, became king.

The only surviving son and the third of the nine children of Hendrik Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen and Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau, Johan Willem Friso was born on August 14, 1687, in Dessau, Principality of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. His grandmothers Albertine Agnes and Henriëtte Catharina were daughters of Fredrik Hendrik, Prince of Orange and granddaughters of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange. Upon his father’s death in 1696, nine-year-old Johan Willem Friso became Prince of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen, two of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic.

Johan Willem Friso had eight siblings:

At the time of Johan Willem Friso’s birth, his first cousin once removed Willem III was Prince of Orange and Stadtholder (Governor) of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic. Willem III had married his English first cousin Mary, the elder surviving child of King James II of England. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which deposed King James II, Willem and Mary jointly ruled England as King William III and Queen Mary II. However, the couple had no children. Mary II died in 1694 and William (Willem) III died in 1702. Upon William’s death, Mary’s younger sister succeeded as Queen Anne in England. However, in the Dutch Republic and the Principality of Orange, which had only male succession, the legitimate male line of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange became extinct.

Johan Willem Friso claimed succession in the five provinces of the Dutch Republic that William (Willem) III had held as well as to the title Prince of Orange. However, the five provinces over which Willem III had ruled as Stadtholder – Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel – all suspended the office of Stadtholder after his death. A dispute arose between Johan Willem Friso and Friedrich I, King in Prussia, also a grandson of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, over the Principality of Orange which was located in France. Friedrich I eventually inherited the land and ceded the land to France in 1713. However, the title Prince of Orange continued to be used in the Dutch Republic. Eventually, when the Netherlands became a kingdom, Prince of Orange became the title for the heir apparent to the throne. The Netherlands has had absolute primogeniture since 1983 which means the eldest child is the heir regardless of gender. In 2013, upon the succession of King Willem-Alexander to the Dutch throne, his eldest child Princess Catharina-Amalia became the heir apparent and the Princess of Orange.

Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1707, 20-year-old Johan Willem Friso became a general in the Dutch army and took part in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was almost killed on two occasions and his mother Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau realized that her son needed an heir. She started searching for a bride and soon gave him a choice of two German princesses. Johan Willem Friso became engaged within a week to Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel. They were married on April 26, 1709, in Kassel.

Marie Luise and Johan Willem Friso had two children:

Marie Luise and her two children, circa 1725; Credit – Wikipedia

In July 1711, Johan Willem Friso traveled from the battlefields of the War of the Spanish Succession to The Hague to meet with King Friedrich I of Prussia about their succession dispute. To cross the Hollands Diep, a wide river in the Netherlands, Johan Willem Friso and his carriage traveled on a ferry. The captain had trouble with the sails and suddenly a great gust of wind filled the sails, the ferry capsized and Johan Willem Friso drowned at the age of 23 on July 14, 1711. His body was found floating in the river eight days later.

The drowning of Johan Willem Friso; Credit – Wikipedia

At the time of his death, Johan Willem Friso’s wife Marie Luise was pregnant with her second child. Six weeks later, she gave birth to a son who immediately became Willem IV, Prince of Orange. Marie Louise served as regent for her son from 1711 until he reached his majority in 1731. On February 25, 1712, more than seven months after his death, Johan Willem Friso was buried at the Grote of Jacobijnerkerk in Leeuwarden, Friesland now in the Netherlands, where sixteen members of Nassau-Diez family – six Stadtholders of Friesland, their spouses and children – are buried.

Grote of Jacobijnerkerk; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Willem II, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

The father of King William III of England, Willem II, Prince of Orange was the eldest of the nine children of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange and Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. He was born on May 27, 1626, in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands.

Willem at age six; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem had eight siblings but only four survived childhood:

Willem’s father, mother, and three youngest sisters, circa 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles I of England had wanted his eldest daughter Mary, Princess Royal to marry one of the sons of King Felipe IV of Spain or her first cousin Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine, but both marriage prospects failed. Instead, Mary was betrothed to Willem, whose parents were thrilled to have such an alliance with England. On May 2, 1641, at the Chapel Royal of the Palace of Whitehall in London, England, nine-year-old Mary married Willem, who would have his 15th birthday in a couple of weeks. Because of Mary’s young age, the marriage was not consummated for several years.

Willem and Mary, Princess Royal by Anthony Van Dyck; Credit – Wikipedia

In February 1642, Willem and Mary, accompanied by her mother Henrietta Maria of France, sailed from England to The Hague in the Dutch Republic. Once in The Hague, Mary was warmly greeted by her in-laws and her paternal aunt Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine and some of her children. A second marriage ceremony was held in The Hague on November 4, 1643.

Mary and Willem had one child:

Willem III, Prince of Orange in 1654; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange died in 1647 and his son Willem became Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. His two brothers-in-law, the future King Charles II and King James II, exiled because of the English Civil War, were welcomed to Willem and Mary’s court in 1648.

Since 1568, initially under Willem II’s grandfather, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, the Dutch provinces had been engaged in the Eighty Years’ War against Spain for its independence. Under Frederik Hendrik, the Dutch provinces had largely won the war, and since 1646 had been negotiating with Spain on the terms for ending the war. In 1648, Willem II opposed the signing of the Peace of Westphalia, although it officially recognized the independence of the Dutch provinces. However, six of the seven Dutch provinces voted to accept it so the treaty went into effect.

Willem II and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange in 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1650, there was a serious confrontation between Willem II and the province of Holland, led by the regents of Amsterdam who requested the reduction of the army, according to the Peace of Westphalia. Willem II denied the request and imprisoned several members of the Provincial Assembly of the Netherlands and sent troops to take Amsterdam, but the campaign failed due to bad weather.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

In 1650, Mary was pregnant with her first child when her husband Willem II fell ill with smallpox. He died on November 6, 1650, at the age of 24, and was buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. Eight days later, on November 14, 1650, Mary gave birth to her only child Willem III, Prince of Orange who went on to marry his first cousin Mary, the eldest surviving child of the future King James II of England. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which James II was deposed, they jointly reigned as King William III and Queen Mary II.

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Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Amalia of Solms-Braunfels was born on August 31, 1602, at Braunfels Castle (Schloss Braunfels) in Braunfels, then in the County of Solms-Braunfels now in Hesse, Germany. She was the fourth of five daughters and the eighth of the eleven children of Johann Albrecht I, Count of Solms-Braunfels and Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Schloss Braunfels, Amalia’s birthplace; Photo Credit – By I, ArtMechanic, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=196823

Amalia had ten siblings but only five survived childhood:

  • Friedrich Kasimir (1591 – 1595), died in early childhood
  • Elisabeth (1593 – 1636), married Wolfgang Friedrich, Count of Salm, Wild and Rheingraf, had seven children
  • Ursula (1594 – 1657), married Christoph, Count of Dohna, had twelve children
  • Konrad Ludwig, Count of Solms-Braunfels (1595 – 1635), married Anna Sibylla, Baroness Winneburg, no children
  • Juliana (1597 – 1599), died in early childhood
  • Otto (born and died 1598)
  • Johann Albrecht II, Count of Solms-Braunfels (1599 – 1648), married Anna Elisabeth, Baroness Daun-Falkenstein, had two children
  • Friedrich (1604 – 1605), died in early childhood
  • Johann Philipp (1605 – 1609), died in early childhood
  • Louise Christina (1606 – 1669), married Johan Wolfert van Brederode, 16th Lord van Brederode, had eight children

Amalia spent her childhood at the family’s castle in Braunfels. In 1619, Amalia’s father became an adviser to Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine who had just been elected King of Bohemia. Amalia’s family traveled to Prague, the capital of Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic) and Amalia became a maid of honor to King Friedrich’s wife Elizabeth Stuart, the eldest daughter of King James I of England. The crown of Bohemia had been in Habsburg hands for a long time and the Habsburg heir, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor refused to accept Friedrich as King of Bohemia. Friedrich’s reign ended with his defeat by Ferdinand at the Battle of White Mountain, one of the early battles of the Thirty Years’ War, on November 8, 1620. Friedrich and Elizabeth are called the Winter King and the Winter Queen in reference to their short reign as King and Queen of Bohemia.

Elizabeth, pregnant with her fifth child, left Prague with Amalia in attendance. At the Castle of Custrin outside of Berlin, Elizabeth gave birth to her son Moritz with the help of Amalia. Friedrich and Elizabeth were given asylum by Maurits, Prince of Orange, and invited to live in The Hague. It was at a ball in honor of Elizabeth in 1622 in The Hague that Amalia met her future husband Frederik Hendrik, the only child of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and his fourth wife Louise de Coligny, and the half-brother of the Prince of Orange, Maurits. Frederik Hendrik, who was unmarried, fell madly in love with Amalia and wanted her to become his mistress. Amalia refused to accept anything but marriage.

Frederik Hendrik and Amalia; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik’s half-brother Maurits, Prince of Orange never married but he did have a number of illegitimate children. In 1625, while on his deathbed, Maurits threatened to legitimize his illegitimate sons which would then threaten the succession of Frederik Hendrik. Because of Maurits’ threat to legitimize his illegitimate sons, Frederik Hendrik summoned Amalia and married her on April 4, 1625. The marriage and the promise of children satisfied Maurits. He died on April 23, 1625, at the age of 57. Frederik Hendrik succeeded him as Prince of Orange and the other hereditary titles of their father. He also succeeded in the elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic and as the Captain-General and Admiral of the military forces of the Dutch Republic.

Frederik Hendrik and Amalia had nine children but four did not survive infancy:

Frederik Hendrik with his wife and three youngest daughters, circa 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

Apparently, Amalia and her husband had a good relationship and a happy marriage. She was the main matchmaker of the family, arranging the marriage of her son Willem with Mary, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England, and the marriages of her daughters with German princes. Amalia had influence in politics, initially as Frederik Hendrik’s adviser, and then, after 1640, when her husband became ill, she became openly involved in political life and received foreign diplomats and envoys.

For many years before his death, Frederik Hendrik suffered from gout. In the summer of 1646, he had a stroke that temporarily prevented him from speaking. After that, Frederik Hendrik was physically weak, difficult to cope with, and sometimes mentally unstable. He died on March 14, 1647, in The Hague, Holland, Dutch Republic at the age of 63. His 21-year-old eldest son succeeded him as Willem II, Prince of Orange.

Willem II served as Stadtholder and Prince of Orange for only three years. On November 6, 1650, he died from smallpox. His wife Mary gave birth to their only child eight days later. The 19-year-old widow wanted to name her son Charles after her brother King Charles II of England but her mother-in-law Amalia insisted that her grandson be named Willem Hendrik and she got her way. From birth, the infant was Willem III, Prince of Orange.

Amalia’s grandson Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England; Credit – Wikipedia

During Willem’s minority, his mother Mary had to share his guardianship and regency with his paternal grandmother Amalia and Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg, whose wife Louise Henriette was the elder sister of little Willem’s father. In 1660, Willem’s mother Mary died from smallpox while visiting her brothers King Charles II and the future King James II in England and Amalia became the sole regent for her 10-year-old grandson. In 1672, Willem III, Prince of Orange was declared an adult and his regency council was dismissed. Amalia witnessed her grandson become Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel and Captain-General of the military forces. Willem went on to marry his first cousin Mary, the eldest surviving child of the future King James II of England. During the Glorious Revolution of 1688, King James II was overthrown and his son-in-law and daughter then reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II.

Amalia died on September 8, 1675, in The Hague at the age of 73. She was buried at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

Nieuwe Kerk in Delft; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik was the third son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange to become Prince of Orange. Willem I and his four wives had a total of 15 children but only four were sons and only three of those sons survived childhood. Both elder half-brothers of Frederik Hendrik, Filips Willem (who was 30 years older than his youngest half-brother) and Maurits (who was 17 years older), were childless and so Frederik Hendrik became Prince of Orange upon the death of his half-brother Maurits. Frederik Hendrik, born on January 29, 1584, in Delft, Holland, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, was the only child of Willem I and his fourth wife, French Huguenot Louise de Coligny. Louise’s father, Gaspard II de Coligny, was a French nobleman and admiral but is best remembered as a leader of the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants). He was killed during the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572 when thousands of Huguenots were murdered.

Frederik Hendrik had three half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Anna van Egmont:

Frederik Hendrik had five half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Anna of Saxony:

Frederik Hendrik had six half-sisters from his father’s third marriage to Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier:

On July 10, 1584, when Frederik Hendrik was not quite six months old, his father was assassinated. In 1568, Willem I, Prince of Orange, Frederik Hendrik’s father, became the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs who held the land that we now know as the Netherlands and Belgium. That set off the Eighty Years’ War and resulted in the formal independence of the Dutch Republic in 1581. In 1568, Frederik Hendrick’s 13-year-old half-brother and the eldest son of his father, Filips Willem, was a student at the University of Leuven (now in Belgium). Angered by Willem’s actions against Spain, King Felipe II of Spain had Filips Willem abducted, taken to Spain, and held hostage. In Spain, Filips Willem was made to convert to Roman Catholicism and educated as a Spaniard. He never saw his father again.

Upon his father’s death, Filips Willem became Prince of Orange, which was a French hereditary title, not a Dutch title. However, he was not allowed to return to his homeland because he was not trusted and was considered an agent of Spain. In 1585, 17-year-old Maurits held his father’s elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Five years later, Maurits became Stadtholder of the provinces of Guelders, Overijssel, and Utrecht. As the Stadtholder of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic, Maurits was effectively the ruler of the Dutch Republic.

After Willem I’s death, his widow Louise de Coligny raised her son and his six half-sisters from his father’s third marriage. In 1591, Frederik Hendrik and his mother moved to the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. Frederik Hendrik was taught Latin and religion by Louise’s pastor Johannes Uytenbogaert.  In 1594, Frederik Hendrik went to the University of Leiden to study mathematics and land surveying. In 1600, he was appointed to the State Council, the chief advisory council, for him to become acquainted with state affairs. His elder half-brother Maurits, a general, trained Frederik Hendrik in military matters. Maurits was the Captain-General and Admiral of the military forces of the Dutch Republic. He organized the Dutch rebellion against Spain into a coherent, successful revolt and won fame as a military strategist. Frederik Hendrik participated in many battles during the rebellion.

Frederik Hendrick on the right with his brother Maurits on the left as Generals; Credit – Wikipedia

Filips Willem died in 1618 and Maurits became Prince of Orange. Maurits never married but he did have a number of illegitimate children. In 1625, while on his deathbed, Maurits threatened to legitimize his illegitimate sons which would then threaten the succession of Frederik Hendrik. 41-year-old Frederik Hendrik also had not yet married, but he had one illegitimate son born in 1624. A few years earlier Frederik Hendrik had met Princess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, became infatuated with her, and asked her to become his lover. She refused, saying she would only consider marriage. Because of Maurits’ threat to legitimize his illegitimate sons, Frederik Hendrik summoned Amalia and married her on April 4, 1625. Maurits died on April 23, 1625, at the age of 57. Frederik Hendrik succeeded him as Prince of Orange and the other hereditary titles of their father. He also succeeded in the elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic and as the Captain-General and Admiral of the military forces of the Dutch Republic.

Frederik Hendrik and his wife Amalia of Solms-Braunfels; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik and Amalia had nine children but four did not survive infancy:

Frederik Hendrik recognized one illegitimate child by Margaretha Catharina Bruyns:

Frederik Hendrik with his wife and three youngest daughters, circa 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik ruled the Dutch Republic for 22 years. His reign is included in the era known as the Dutch Golden Age in which Dutch trade, science, military, and art were among the most acclaimed around the world. He was almost as good a general as his brother Maurits and was a more capable statesman. Frederik Hendrik married off his children to form alliances. The highlight of these marriages was an alliance with England when his eldest son, the future Willem II, Prince of Orange married Mary, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England.

For many years before his death, Frederik Hendrik suffered from gout. In the summer of 1646, he had a stroke that temporarily prevented him from speaking. After that, Frederik Hendrik was physically weak, difficult to cope with, and sometimes mentally unstable. He died on March 14, 1647, in The Hague, Holland, Dutch Republic at the age of 63. His eldest son succeeded him as Willem II, Prince of Orange but sadly he died three years later from smallpox. Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange was buried in the royal vault at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft with his father and brother Maurits.

The Old Crypt with the coffin of Willem I on the bottom, the coffin of Willem I’s fourth wife Louise de Coligny on the bottom right, the coffin of Maurits on the top left and the coffin of Frederik Hendrik on the top right; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Maurits, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Maurits, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Maurits (Maurice in English), Prince of Orange was born on November 14, 1567, at Castle Dillenburg, the ancestral seat of the Orange branch of the House of Nassau now in Hesse, Germany. He was the only surviving son and the fourth of the five children of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and his second wife Anna of Saxony. Maurits was named after his maternal grandfather Maurice, Elector of Saxony.

Maurits had four siblings but only two survived childhood:

Maurits had three half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Anna van Egmont:

Maurits had six half-sisters from his father’s third marriage to Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier:

Maurits had one half-brother from his father’s fourth marriage to Louise de Coligny:

Maurits, circa 1578-1579; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Maurits’ parents was not a happy one. The situation between Anna and Willem was strained and they often lived apart. In early 1571, when Maurits was only four years old, his mother Anna realized she was pregnant. Immediately, the paternity was controversial. Two possibilities were discussed: either Anna’s husband Willem, who had visited Anna and his children during Christmas 1570, was the father or the lawyer Jan Rubens, the future father of the painter Peter Paul Rubens, who spent a lot of time with Anna as her legal adviser was the father. A daughter, Christine, was born in August 1571. Willem accused Rubens and Anna of adultery and forced Anna to agree to a divorce. Anna was sent to her family in Saxony where they imprisoned her as an adulteress until her death five years later. Maurits never saw his mother again and his elder half-sister Maria took over the care of Maurits and his sisters.

Maurits grew up at the family ancestral home, Castle Dillenburg, and was educated in Heidelberg (now in Germany) and Leiden (now in the Netherlands) with his first cousin Willem Lodewijk, the eldest son of his paternal uncle Count Jan VI of Nassau-Dillenburg.

Castle Dillenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1568, Willem I, Prince of Orange, Maurit’s father, became the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs who held the land that we now know as the Netherlands and Belgium. That set off the Eighty Years’ War and resulted in the formal independence of the Dutch Republic in 1581. In 1568, Maurits’ 13-year-old half-brother and the eldest son of his father, Filips Willem, was a student at the University of Leuven (now in Belgium). Angered by Willem’s actions against Spain, King Philip II of Spain had Filips Willem abducted, taken to Spain, and held hostage. In Spain, Filips Willem was made to convert to Roman Catholicism and educated as a Spaniard. He never saw his father again.

In 1580, Willem I was declared an outlaw by Philip II. He called Willem “a pest on the whole of Christianity and the enemy of the human race” and offered 25,000 crowns to anyone who killed Willem. Willem was severely injured by an unsuccessful assassination attempt in 1582. On July 10, 1584, Balthasar Gérard, a subject and supporter of Philip II who regarded Willem as a traitor to both Philip and the Catholic religion, succeeded in assassinating Willem.

Filips Willem became Prince of Orange, a French hereditary title, not a Dutch title. However, he was not allowed to return to his homeland because he was not trusted and was considered an agent of Spain. In his absence, his sister Maria vigorously defended his claims to the title Prince of Orange and other titles against the claims of their half-brother Maurits. In 1585, 17-year-old Maurits held his father’s elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Five years later, Maurits became Stadtholder of the provinces of Guelders, Overijssel, and Utrecht. As the Stadtholder of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic, Maurits was effectively the ruler of the Dutch Republic. In 1590, Maurits became Captain-General and Admiral of the military forces of the Dutch Republic. He organized the Dutch rebellion against Spain into a coherent, successful revolt and won fame as a military strategist.

Maurits leading his troops into battle; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1596, 28 years after he was kidnapped, Filips Willem returned to the Netherlands and lived at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels. At the request of the States-General (the legislature), he did not engage in political affairs. In 1606, at the age of 51, he married 19-year-old Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé but the couple remained childless. Filips Willem died on February 20, 1618, at the age of 63 and Maurits succeeded him as Prince of Orange.

Maurits never married but he did have a number of illegitimate children.

by Margaretha van Mechelen

by Cornelia Jacobsdochter

  • Anna (died 1673)

by Ursula de Rijck

  • Elisabeth (1611–1679)
  • Karl (ca. 1612–1637)

by Anna van de Kelder

  • Karl Maurits

by Deliana de Backer

  • Eleonora (died 1673)

Maurits, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Maurits refused to marry his mistress Margaretha van Mechelen because she was Catholic. On his deathbed, he threatened to legitimize her sons which would then threaten the succession of his unmarried half-brother Frederik Hendrik. A few years earlier, Frederik Hendrik had met Princess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels and asked her to become his lover. She refused saying she would only marry him. Frederik Hendrik summoned Amalia and married her on April 4, 1625. Maurits died on April 23, 1625, at the age of 57 and was buried in the royal vault in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

The Old Crypt with the coffin of Willem I on the bottom, the body-like coffin of Willem I’s fourth wife Louise de Coligny on the bottom right, the coffin of Maurits on the top left, and the coffin of Frederik Hendrik on the top right; Credit – Wikipedia

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Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Filips Willem, Prince of Orange, Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, was born on April 30, 1587, St-Jean-d’Angély, Saintonge, France. She was the elder of the two children of Henri I, Prince de Condé and his second wife Charlotte Catherine de La Tremoille. The House of Condé was a French princely house and a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. The title of Prince of Condé was originally assumed around 1557 by Éléonore’s grandfather Louis de Bourbon,  a prominent Huguenot (French Protestant) leader and general and first cousin of King Henri IV of France. The title was held by his male-line descendants.

Éléonore had one younger brother who was named heir presumptive to the French throne by King Henri IV and remained the heir until the birth of the king’s son, the future King Louis XII, in 1601:

Éléonore had a half-sister from her father’s first marriage to Marie of Cleves:

  • Catherine de Bourbon-Conde, (1574–1595), died unmarried

Éléonore’s father died when she was nearly a year old. Henri I, Prince de Condé had been wounded in battle several months earlier and was recuperating when he suddenly died on March 3, 1588, at the age of 35. An autopsy indicated that he may have been poisoned. Éléonore’s mother Charlotte Catherine was three months pregnant at the time and there was talk that the father was her page. Thought to have a motive, Charlotte Catherine was arrested for murder. She was held in the tower of the family castle where she gave birth to her son Henri on September 1, 1588. Charlotte Catherine was tried and condemned to death. She appealed her conviction but she remained imprisoned. After seven years, Charlotte Catherine’s conviction was overturned and she was released from her imprisonment.

On November 23, 1606, at the Château de Fontainebleau in France, 19-year-old Éléonore married 51-year-old Filips Willem, Prince of Orange, son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and his first wife Anna van Egmont. The marriage had been arranged by Louise de Coligny, the fourth wife and widow of Willem I. Louise was the daughter of a French nobleman, admiral, and Huguenot leader Gaspard II de Coligny who had been killed during the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572 when thousands of Huguenots were murdered.

Filips Willem, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, Filips Willem’s father, was the leader of Dutch forces during the wars of independence against the Spaniards who held the land we now know as the Netherlands. In 1568, when the 13-year-old Filips Willem was a student at the University of Leuven (now in Belgium), he had been abducted and taken to Spain, where he had been held hostage by King Philip II of Spain. In Spain, Filips Willem was made to convert to Roman Catholicism and educated as a Spaniard. He never saw his father again. In 1584, his father was assassinated and Filips Willem inherited the Principality of Orange (which was in France). He did not return to the Netherlands until 1596, 28 years after he was kidnapped. As a Catholic, Filips Willem often collided with his younger Protestant half-brother Maurits, who had succeeded his father as Stadtholder (Governor) of several Dutch provinces. The brothers were at odds with each other until 1609 when King Henri IV of France succeeded in reconciling them.

Éléonore and Filips Willem dancing at a ball; Credit – Wikipedia

Éléonore and Filips Willem had a happy marriage despite their age difference and the absence of children. Filips Willem died on February 20, 1618, at the age of 63 at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels after a botched medical procedure. He was buried at Saint Sulpice Church, a Roman Catholic parish church in Diest, now in Belgium. Éléonore did not inherit anything since her husband had willed all his possessions to his half-brother Maurits who became the next Prince of Orange.

Éléonore survived her husband by barely a year, dying at the age of 31 on January 20, 1619, in Muret-le-Château, France. She was buried at the Eglise Saint-Thomas de Cantorbery in Vallery, France, the traditional burial place of the Princes of Condé and their descendants.

Eglise Saint-Thomas de Cantorbery; Photo Credit – Par François GOGLINS — Travail personnel, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28084982

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Filips Willem, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Filips Willem, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Filips Willem (Philip William in English), Prince of Orange was born on December 19, 1554, in Buren, Guelders, now part of the Netherlands, but then part of the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Lord of the Netherlands and Archduke of Austria. Filips Willem was the only son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and the first of his four wives Anna van Egmont. He was named for King Philip II of Spain (son of Charles V) and his father.

Filips Willem had two sisters but only one survived infancy:

Filips Willem had five half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Anna of Saxony:

Filips Willem had six half-sisters from his father’s third marriage to Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier:

Filips Willem had one half-brother from his father’s fourth marriage to Louise de Coligny:

A sculpture of Filips Willem, his parents, and his sister; Photo Credit – By Brbbl – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20845588

Anna van Egmont was the only child of Maximilian of Egmont, Count of Buren and Leerdam and she inherited those titles in her own right upon the death of her father. Sadly, Anna died when Filips Willem was three-years-old and he inherited his mother’s titles. Filips Willem and his sister Maria were placed in the care of Charles V’s sister Mary of Austria, Governor of Habsburg Netherlands.

In 1555, Charles V abdicated and retired to the peace of a monastery, where he died three years later. Upon Charles’s abdication, the Holy Roman Empire was inherited by his younger brother Ferdinand, who had already been given the Austrian lands in 1521. The Spanish Empire, including the possessions in the Netherlands and Italy, was inherited by Charles’ son King Philip II of Spain. In 1568, Willem I, Prince of Orange, Filips Willem’s father, became the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs who held the land that we now know as the Netherlands and Belgium.  That set off the Eighty Years’ War and resulted in the formal independence of the Dutch Republic in 1581.

At the time of the outbreak of the revolt, 13-year-old Filips Willem was a student at the University of Leuven in Brabant, now in Belgium. Angered by Willem I’s revolt, Philip II arranged for the boy to be kidnapped and taken to Spain, partly as a hostage, but also to be raised as a Catholic and a loyal subject to Spain. Filips Willem never saw his father again.

Filips Willem is kidnapped from the University of Leuven by David van der Kellen; Credit – Wikipedia

Filips Willem was allowed to continue his studies at the University of Alcalá de Henares and soon spoke six languages fluently. He was given the freedom to hunt, dance, and have friends and was allowed to visit King Philip II. Although contact with his family was forbidden, he had managed to secretly write to his father. When this correspondence was discovered, Filips Willem was transferred to the Castle of Arévalo under somewhat stricter conditions.

In 1580, Willem I was declared an outlaw by Philip II.  He called Willem “a pest on the whole of Christianity and the enemy of the human race” and offered 25,000 crowns to anyone who killed Willem.   Willem was severely injured by an unsuccessful assassination attempt in 1582.  On July 10, 1584, Balthasar Gérard, a subject and supporter of Philip II who regarded Willem as a traitor to both Philip and the Catholic religion, succeeded in assassinating Willem.

Filips Willem became Prince of Orange, which was a French hereditary title, not a Dutch title. However, he was not allowed to return to his homeland because he was not trusted and was considered an agent of Spain. His half-brother Maurits held his father’s elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Five years later, Maurits became Stadtholder of the provinces of Guelders, Overijssel, and Utrecht. As the Stadtholder of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic, Maurits was effectively the ruler of the Dutch Republic. In Filips Willem’s absence, his sister Maria vigorously defended his claims to the title Prince of Orange and other titles against the claims of their half-brother Maurits. In 1596, 28 years after he was kidnapped, Filips Willem returned to the Netherlands and lived at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels. At the request of the States-General (the legislature), he did not engage in political affairs. In 1606, Filips Willem was recognized as Lord of Breda.

Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé; Credit – Wikipedia

Through the influence of Louise de Coligny, Willem I’s French fourth wife and widow, Filips Willem made a French marriage. At the age of 51, he married 19-year-old Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, daughter of Henri I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé (a first cousin of King Henri IV of France) and his second wife Charlotte Catherine de la Tremoille, on November 23, 1606, at the Château de Fontainebleau in France. The couple was childless.

Filips Willem died on February 20, 1618, at the age of 63 at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels after a botched medical procedure. In his will, he requested to be buried in one of his cities (Breda, Orange, Lons-le-Saunier, or Diest) whichever would be closest to his place of death. He had a Catholic funeral and was buried at the Catholic parish church Saint Sulpice in Diest, now in Belgium. In 1944, a proposal was made to Queen Wilhelmina to move the remains of Filips Willem to the royal crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, where the other Princes of Orange (except Willem III, Prince of Orange who later became King William III of England) and the monarchs of the Netherlands are buried. Queen Wilhelmina rejected the proposal because of the request of Filips Willem in his will.

Saint Sulpice Church in Diest; Photo Credit – Door Sonuwe – Eigen werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5520238

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Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

In the Netherlands, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange is known as the Vader des Vaderlands (Father of the Fatherland), and the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, was written in his honor. He got his nickname “the Silent” (in Dutch De Zwijger) not because he was quiet, but because of his habit of holding his tongue in difficult situations.  Willem is the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau and the ancestor of the Dutch monarchs, the British monarchs from King George I forward, and other European royal families. Willem was the eldest of the twelve children of Willem, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg and his second wife Juliana of Stolberg-Werningerode. He was born on April 24, 1533, at Dillenburg Castle, then in the County of Nassau-Dillenburg in the Holy Roman Empire, now in Hesse, Germany.

Willem had two half-sisters from his father’s first marriage to Countess Walburga of Egmont:

  • Elisabeth (1520 – 1523), died in early childhood
  • Magdalene (1522 – 1567), married Count Herman of Neuenahr and Moers

Willem had eleven younger siblings:

Until Willem was eleven years old, he received a Lutheran education at home. His mother was a determined Lutheran and passed her strong Protestant convictions to her children. When Willem’s childless cousin René of Châlon, Prince of Orange died in 1544, he left the Principality of Orange to Willem. The Principality of Orange was a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France.  Today, the title Prince/Princess of Orange is held by the heir apparent of the Dutch monarch.

Willem also received land in present-day Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. However, Charles V, Lord of the Netherlands and Holy Roman Emperor attached the condition that eleven-year-old Willem would convert to Roman Catholicism and receive a Roman Catholic education. Because of the immense inheritance, Willem would receive, his parents agreed. In the court of Emperor Charles V, German-speaking Willem learned Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch and received a military and diplomatic education.

Willem married four times.

Anna van Egmont; Credit – Wikipedia

(1) On July 8, 1551, 18-year-old Willem married his first wife Anna van Egmont, a wealthy Dutch heiress, the only child of Maximiliaan van Egmont and Françoise de Lannoy. Because Anna’s father had died, Willem acquired his titles, Lord of Egmond and Count of Buren, on his wedding day. Anna’s early death at the age of 25, on March 24, 1558, brought much grief to Willem.

Willem and Anna had three children:

Anna of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

(2) On August 25, 1561, William married his second wife, Anna of Saxony, the only surviving child and heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony and his wife Agnes of Hesse. Anna’s dowry of 100,000 thalers was a very large amount of money. The marriage was an unhappy one.

Willem and Anna had five children but only three survived to adulthood:

In early 1571, Anna realized she was pregnant. Immediately, the paternity was controversial. Two possibilities were discussed: either Anna’s husband Willem, who had visited Anna and his children during Christmas 1570, was the father or the lawyer Jan Rubens, the future father of the painter Peter Paul Rubens, who spent a lot of time with Anna as her legal adviser was the father. A daughter, Christine, was born in August 1571.

Willem knew that his non-recognition of the child as his daughter would be a pretext for divorce by accusing Anna of adultery. Wilhelm accused Rubens of having had an adulterous relationship with his wife and of being the biological father of Christine. Rubens was imprisoned and threatened with execution. He confessed to adultery under torture and was pardoned on the intercession of his wife. Anna also admitted the adultery, but she denied that Rubens was the father. On December 14, 1571, Anna was forced to agree to a divorce. Christine, who had been given Diez as a surname, was not recognized by Willem as his child and he did not have to pay any further maintenance for her.  In 1572, Anna was sent to her family in Saxony where they imprisoned her as an adulteress until she died in 1577.

Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier: Credit – Wikipedia

(3) On April 24, 1575, Willem married his third wife Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier, daughter of Louis, Duke of Montpensier and Jacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine. She was a former French nun who converted to Calvinism and escaped the convent. This marriage was Willem’s happiest marriage. Charlotte died from pneumonia on May 5, 1582, at the age of 35. Willem was recovering from an assassination attempt and his doctors feared his grief might cause a fatal relapse.

Willem and Charlotte had six daughters:

Louise de Coligny; Credit – Wikipedia

(4) On April 12, 1583, Willem married his fourth wife, French Huguenot Louise de Coligny, daughter of Gaspard II de Coligny and Charlotte de Laval. Her father was a French nobleman and admiral but is best remembered as a leader of the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants). Louise had previously been married to Charles de Teligny. Both he and Louise’s father were killed during the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572 when thousands of Huguenots were murdered. Louise survived Willem.

Willem and Louise had one son:

Willem in 1555; Credit – Wikipedia

As a young man, Willem served at the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Brussels and became a confidant of Charles. Physically exhausted after 40 years of ruling, Charles abdicated in 1555 and retired to the peace of a monastery, where he died three years later. Upon Charles’s abdications, his younger brother Ferdinand, who had already been given the Austrian lands in 1521, was elected Holy Roman Emperor. Charles’s son was now King Philip II of Spain having inherited the Spanish Empire, including the possessions in the Netherlands and Italy.

In 1559, Philip appointed Willem Stadtholder (governor) of the provinces of Holland, Zeeland, and Utrecht (all in the present-day Netherlands) greatly increasing his political power. Willem soon became one of the most prominent opposition members in the Council of State who were seeking more political power for themselves and also for the Dutch nobility because too many Catholic Spaniards were involved in governing the Netherlands. King Philip II was a devout Roman Catholic and envisioned an empire with Roman Catholicism as the only religion. Willem had been brought up as a Lutheran but had converted to Roman Catholicism. However, he was a strong proponent of freedom of religion and was increasingly disturbed by the persecution of Protestants by the Catholic Spaniards in the Netherlands. In addition, Willem wanted to see the end of Spanish troops in the Netherlands.

In 1568 the Netherlands, led by Willem, revolted against Philip II because of high taxes, persecution of Protestants, and Philip’s efforts to modernize and centralize the medieval government structures of the provinces. This disagreement eventually resulted in the Eighty Years War which resulted in the independence of the northern United Provinces in 1581. The United Provinces, also known as the Dutch Republic, a confederation of seven provinces, that had their own governments and were very independent. The States-General consisted of representatives of each of the seven provinces: Duchy of Guelders, County of Holland, County of Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Lordship of Overijssel, Lordship of Frisia, and Lordship of Groningen and Ommelanden. The Princes of Orange, beginning with William the Silent, were always chosen as stadtholders (governors) of most of the provinces.

In 1573, Willem left the Roman Catholic Church and became a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, a Calvinist reformed religion that followed the practices of John Calvin. He was declared an outlaw in 1580 by Philip II, who called Willem “a pest on the whole of Christianity and the enemy of the human race.” Philip offered 25,000 crowns to anyone who killed Willem. Willem responded with a document, Apology, which defended his actions, attacked Philip II, and restated his allegiance to the Protestant reform religion. On March 18, 1582, Juan de Jáuregui, a Spaniard, attempted to assassinate Willem. He was severely wounded but survived due to the care of his third wife Charlotte and his sister Maria. Unfortunately, while William slowly recovered, Charlotte became exhausted from providing intensive care and died.

In 1584, Balthasar Gérard, a subject and supporter of Philip II who regarded Willem as a traitor to both Philip and the Catholic religion, succeeded in assassinating Willem. On July 10, 1584, Willem had lunch with his sister, his wife, his daughter, and Rombertus van Uylenburgh, Mayor of Leeuwarden at the Prinsenhof in Delft. After lunch, Willem began to climb the stairs to his second-floor chamber where he worked and slept. Gérard, who had been hiding behind a pillar, jumped out and fired two shots at the 51-year-old Willem, who collapsed and died. The killer was arrested after a wild pursuit and was brutally tortured and then executed on July 14, 1584. Instead of giving Gérard’s parents the reward of 25,000 crowns, Philip II instead gave them three country estates and a peerage.

Site of the assassination, bullet holes are still in the wall; Credit – Door Looi uit nl, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2287221

Willem had been planned to be buried at the Grote Kerk in Breda, where the House of Orange was traditionally buried, but Breda was under Spanish control. Instead, Willem was buried in the Old Crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk ( New Church) in Delft, South Holland (Zuid-Holland), the Netherlands. His memorial was originally very modest but 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 the same church in the royal vault whose entrance, sealed by a large stone cover with four brass rings, is behind the tomb of Willem the Silent.  Willem’s fourth wife Louise de Coligny was buried with him.

The Old Crypt with the body-like lead sarcophagus of Louise de Coligny on the bottom right and Willem I, Prince of Orange’s coffin on the bottom left; Credit – Wikipedia

Memorial to Willem the Silent; Credit – By Alexander Williams – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80947669

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Wedding of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

On February 7, 1901, in The Hague, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands married Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. A civil ceremony was held at the Palace of Justice followed by a religious ceremony at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague. At the time of the wedding, Heinrich took the Dutch version of his name, Hendrik, and was given the title Prince of the Netherlands.

Wilhelmina’s Early Life

Queen Wilhelmina was born on August 31, 1880, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the youngest child of King Willem III of the Netherlands, with his second wife, Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. She became heiress-presumptive to the Dutch throne when the last of her elder half-brothers died in 1884. She became Queen upon her father’s death in 1890, with her mother serving as Regent until Wilhelmina reached the age of 18. She went on to reign for nearly 58 years – the longest reign of any Dutch monarch – before abdicating in favor of her only child, Juliana, in 1948.

For more information about Queen Wilhelmina see:

Unofficial Royalty: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Heinrich’s Early Life

Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born on April 18, 1876, in Schwerin, the youngest son of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with his third wife, Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. His siblings and half-siblings included Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia and Grand Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Oldenburg.

For more information about Prince Hendrik see:
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

The Engagement

Wilhelmina and Heinrich first met in October 1892, when both were attending the golden anniversary celebrations of Grand Duke Karl Alexander and Grand Duchess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Sophie was Wilhelmina’s paternal aunt, and Heinrich’s half-brother was married to one of Sophie’s daughters. Wilhelmina and Heinrich were second cousins once removed, through their mutual descent from Tsar Paul I of Russia. They met again in May 1900, when Wilhelmina and her mother traveled to Schloss Schwarzburg in Rudolstadt to meet three prospective grooms for the young Queen. Wilhelmina chose Heinrich, and within a few months, their engagement was announced on October 16, 1900. Plans for the wedding, scheduled for February 7, 1901, in The Hague, were overshadowed by the deaths of Wilhelmina’s uncle, Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on January 5th, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom on January 22nd.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

Foreign royal guests began to arrive in The Hague several days before the wedding, and the festivities began to take place. Numerous choral societies performed in front of the palace of the bride and groom and their guests, and the couple made several trips around the city to greet the crowds. A state banquet was held on February 5th for all of the foreign guests, followed by a gala performance at the theatre.

Wedding Guests

Royal guests at the wedding included:

  • Queen Emma of the Netherlands
  • Dowager Grand Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Duke Adolf-Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Prince and Princess Heinrich XVIII Reuss of Köstritz
  • Prince Ulrich of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  • Prince Hermann of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  • The Hereditary Count of Erbach
  • Prince Albrecht of Prussia
  • The Prince and Princess of Bentheim-Steinfurt
  • The Prince and Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Princess Tekla of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Prince and Princess Heinrich of Schönburg
  • The Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  • The Prince and Princess of Wied
  • The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Wied
  • Princess Luise of Wied
  • Duke Paul Friedrich and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • The Prince and Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont
  • Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
  • Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia
  • Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia
  • The Duchess of Albany
  • Princess Alice of Albany
  • Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg

The Wedding Attire

The Queen wore a gown designed by Mme. Nicaud of Paris. Made of white silk and satin, the gown was embellished with embroidery of “the finest silver tissue” with silver threaded seed pearls and a design of orange blossoms. The embroidery work was done at the School of Needlework in Amsterdam. The low-cut bodice was trimmed with antique lace, and extended out to a train of over seven feet in length, trailed with more embroidery. Her antique lace veil was held in place by the smaller version of the Stuart Tiara, which the bride complemented with a large diamond collet necklace and the large diamond bow brooch at the center of her bodice. Wilhelmina carried a large bouquet of lilies of the valley, adorned with green, red, and long white satin ribbons.

The groom wore the uniform of a Dutch Admiral, adorned with the sash and star of the Dutch Military Order of Willem – the highest order of chivalry in the Netherlands, and the collar and star of the House Order of the Wendish Crown – the highest order of Mecklenburg.

The Civil Ceremony

The wedding day began with the Civil Ceremony. At 11:00 am, Wilhelmina and Heinrich departed Noordeinde Palace in the gilded coach which had been presented to the Queen by the people of Amsterdam. They arrived at the Palace of Justice, where the civil ceremony took place in the White Hall. In attendance were the couple’s mothers and six witnesses – the Speakers of the two houses of Parliament; Adjutant General Van Bergambacht, The Grand Chamberlain, General Count du Monceau; Vice President of the Council of State, Mynheer Van Schorer, and The Chief Justice. After the brief ceremony, conducted by the Minister of Justice, Dr. van der Linden, the couple, their mothers, and the witnesses signed the official marriage document. The couple then made their procession to the church for the religious ceremony.

The Religious Ceremony

As the bride and groom made their procession from the Palace of Justice, guests had already arrived and were seated in the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk. The several hundred guests included members of the Dutch Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of nearly every town and city in the Netherlands, members of the court, and other personal friends. The procession into the church began with the foreign royal guests and family members, with the bride and groom the last to arrive. Despite the glitter of jewels and the numerous prominent guests, the service was the very simple and traditional marriage service of the Dutch Reformed Church, described as a service of “puritanical simplicity”, with no bridesmaids or groomsmen. The couple exchanged their vows and rings, followed by an address by the Chaplain. Following a final blessing, they made their way out of the church, to process back to Noordeinde Palace.

The Wedding Banquet and Honeymoon

Upon arriving back at the palace, The Queen and her husband received numerous guests before hosting a luncheon for their families, royal guests, and Ministers of State. At 4:00 that afternoon, they departed for the railway station to make their way to Het Loo Palace, where they spent their honeymoon.

Children

Wilhelmina with her daughter in 1914; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina and Heinrich had one child:

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Sophie of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Sophie of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. source: Wikipedia

Princess Sophie of the Netherlands was the wife of Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She was born Princess Wilhelmine Marie Sophie Luise on April 8, 1824, at Lange Voorhout Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, the youngest child of King Willem II of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia.

Sophie (second from right) with her parents and siblings, painted by Jan Baptist van der Hulst, 1832. source: Wikipedia

Sophie had four elder siblings:

Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. source: Wikipedia

At the Kneuterdijk Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands, on October 8, 1842, Sophie married Karl Alexander. The two were first cousins as their mothers were both daughters of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. Sophie and Karl Alexander had four children:

In her new homeland, Sophie quickly threw herself into charity work. With her own significant wealth, she founded numerous schools and hospitals throughout the grand duchy. These included the first girls’ high school in Weimar, a training school for nurses, an institute for the blind and deaf, and numerous schools and shelters. She also – much more privately – supported countless churches and religious organizations.

The Goethe-Schiller Archive, Weimar. photo by Michael Sander – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6502671

In 1885, Sophie inherited the works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, following the death of his youngest grandson, and she established the Goethe Society in Weimar. Four years later, she also inherited the works of Friedrich von Schiller from his descendants. She established the Goethe and Schiller Archive and had a large building constructed on the banks of the Ilm river to house and display the works.

Dowager Queen Emma and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, 1890. source: Wikipedia

When Sophie’s brother, King Willem III of the Netherlands, died in 1890, the Dutch throne passed to his young daughter, Queen Wilhelmina. As Wilhelmina was only ten years old and had no younger siblings, Grand Duchess Sophie was first in line to inherit the Dutch throne. She was very close to her niece Wilhelmina, and her sister-in-law, Queen Emma, and made regular visits to the Netherlands to see them. Both Wilhelmina and Emma viewed Sophie as one of their closest confidantes and advisors, and took comfort in knowing that the throne would pass to her should something happen to Wilhelmina. However, that sense of comfort did not extend to Sophie’s grandson, the future Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Following Sophie’s death, he became heir-presumptive until the birth of Wilhelmina’s daughter, Juliana in 1909.

Sophie and Karl Alexander on their 50th anniversary, 1892. source: Wikipedia

In a way, Sophie was also instrumental in the marriage of her niece. It was at Sophie and Karl Alexander’s 50th-anniversary celebrations in 1892 that Wilhelmina first met her future husband, Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His elder half-brother was married to Sophie’s daughter, Elisabeth. Wilhelmina and Heinrich went on to marry in 1901.

After the death of her son in 1894, Sophie’s health began to deteriorate. The Grand Duchess died in Weimar,  Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany, on March 23, 1897. She was buried in the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery in Weimar.

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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