Category Archives: Dutch Royals

Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia (Friederike Sophie Wilhelmina) in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on August 7, 1751, she was the only daughter and the third of the four children of Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia and Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Wilhelmina’s father was the second surviving son of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, the daughter of King George I of Great Britain. August Wilhelm’s elder brother was King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia and an elder sister was Louisa Ulrika, wife of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden. Wilhelmina’s uncle Friedrich II of Prussia married her mother’s sister Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Their marriage was childless and Friedrich II was succeeded by Wilhelmina’s eldest brother.

Wilhelmina had three brothers:

At a very young age, Wilhelmina was separated from her parents and raised by her paternal grandmother Queen Dowager Sophia Dorothea. After her grandmother died in 1757, Wilhelmina was raised by her maternal aunt, Queen Elisabeth Christine, the wife of her paternal uncle King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia, who lived apart from her husband. When Wilhelmina was seven-years-old, her 35-year-old father died from a brain tumor.

On October 4, 1767, in Berlin, 16-year-old Wilhelmina married 19-year-old Willem V, Prince of Orange, son of Willem IV, Prince of Orange and Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain. The marriage was negotiated at the request of her uncle King Friedrich II.

Willem and Wilhelmina had five children, but only three survived infancy:

Willem and Wilhelmina with their three children (left to right) Friedrich, Wilhelm, and Louise by Pieter le Sage, 1779; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina was a proud and politically ambitious person. She was King Friedrich II of Prussia’s favorite niece and the two conducted a long-lasting correspondence containing political content. Because of her uncle’s advice, Wilhelmina tried to gain political influence in the Dutch Republic. Wilhelmina dominated her husband and exerted influence in the politics of the Dutch Republic.

In 1783, after the signing of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War, there was growing restlessness in the Dutch Republic. A group of revolutionaries called Patriots was challenging Willem V’s authority. In September of 1787, the Patriots were defeated by a Prussian army and many of the Patriots fled to France. In 1793, after the French Revolution, Willem V joined the First Coalition which fought against revolutionary France in 1793. The next year, the Dutch Republic was threatened by invading French armies. In 1795, the revolutionary Patriots, now supported by the French Army, returned and replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic which remained in power until 1806.

Wilhelmina in 1789; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem V and his family fled to England where they lived in exile until 1802 in London in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem’s first cousin King George III. In 1802, the family went to Germany where they lived in Nassau and Brunswick. Willem spent the rest of his life in exile. During his exile, Willem was viewed quite negatively in both England and the Netherlands. On April 9, 1806, Willem V died at the age of 58 in Brunswick (Germany) and was buried there. On April 29, 1958, after more than 150 years of lying in peace in Brunswick, he was reinterred at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

In 1806, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French created the Kingdom of Holland for his brother Louis and the Batavian Republic came to an end. Aware of the discontent of the Dutch under French rule, Willem V’s son, also named Willem met with Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia to appeal for help in restoring him to rule in the Netherlands. Alexander agreed to help, and following Napoleon’s defeat at Leipzig in 1813, the Dutch provisional government agreed to accept Willem as the first King of the Netherlands.

Wilhelmina’s son King Willem I of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina survived long enough to see her son become King Willem I of the Netherlands, and she returned to live in the Netherlands in 1814.  She died on June 9, 1820, at the age of 68 at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn where she was buried. In 1831, Wilhelmina was reinterred at the new crypt of the House of Orange at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

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Willem IV, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Willem IV, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem IV, Prince of Orange (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso) was the only son and the second of the two children of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen,  two of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic, and Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel. He was born on September 1, 1711, in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Dutch Republic. Six weeks before Willem’s birth, his 23-year-old father drowned when the ferry he was traveling on across a wide river capsized.

Willem had one elder sister:

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

From the day of his birth, Willem was Prince of Orange. He also succeeded to his father’s elective offices as Stadtholder of Friesland and as Stadtholder of Groningen under the regency of his mother Marie Luise until he reached his majority in 1731. In 1722, he was elected Stadtholder of Guelders, and Marie Luise also served as regent of Guelders. Willem received an excellent education. He studied at the University of Franeker in Friesland and Utrecht University. Willem IV spoke several languages and was interested in history. According to his history professor, Willem showed a particular interest in the mistakes of his ancestors.

Anne, Princess of Orange, Princess Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

Over in Great Britain, Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II, was bored with life at her father’s court.  Anne did not want to be a spinster and was anxious to marry. However, she had been disfigured by smallpox and was not considered attractive. Among the few Protestant possibilities, was Willem IV, Prince of Orange. Willem had a spinal deformity, which affected his appearance, but Anne was so anxious to marry, and said she would marry him even “if he were a baboon.” Anne and Willem were betrothed in 1733. On March 25, 1734, Anne and Willem married at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London, England.

When Anne and Willem arrived in the Netherlands, they took up residence at the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden, the provincial capital and seat of the States of Friesland (now in the Netherlands).  After enduring two miscarriages and two stillbirths, Anne and Willem had three children, but only two survived to adulthood. Through their son, they are ancestors of the Dutch Royal Family.

Willem IV, Anne, Princess of Orange, and their two children Carolina and Willem; Credit – Wikipedia

In April 1747, the French army threatened the Dutch Republic, which was weakened by internal division. The Dutch decided their country needed a single strong executive and turned to the House of Orange. On May 4, 1747, the States-General of the Netherlands named Willem IV, Prince of Orange, General Stadtholder of all seven of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and made the position hereditary for the first time.

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

Willem IV’s reign lasted only four years. He died at age 40 from a stroke on October 22, 1751, at Huis ten Bosch in The Hague and was buried in the crypt of the House of Orange in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft. His three-year-old son succeeded him as Willem V, Prince of Orange with his mother Anne serving as Regent.

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Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Until September 8, 2022, Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel and her husband Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange 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 second of the four daughters and ninth of the fourteen children of Karl I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and his wife and cousin Maria Amalia of Courland, Marie Luise was born on February 7, 1688, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse, now in Hesse, Germany.

Marie Luise had thirteen siblings:

Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

When she was 21-years-old, Marie Luise’s marriage was arranged by her future mother-in-law Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau who was concerned that her son Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange had been almost killed twice in battle and had no 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. They were married on April 26, 1709, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in the German state of Hesse.

Marie Luise and Johan Willem Friso had two children:

Marie Luise and her children; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple made their home at the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden in Friesland one of the two of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic where Johan Willem Friso was Stadtholder. However, Johan Willem Friso was often away at war. Sadly, their marriage lasted only two years. 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. 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. His body was found floating in the river eight days later. At the time of her husband’s death, 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.

Willem V succeeded his father as Stadtholder of Friesland and as Stadtholder of Groningen under the regency of his mother until he reached his majority in 1731. In 1722, he was elected Stadtholder of Guelders and Marie Luise also served as regent of Guelders. She put much effort into ensuring her children received a proper education. Marie Luise was loved and admired by the Dutch people who called her Marijke Meu (Aunt Mary). In 1731, Marie Luise’s role as regent was over. She purchased the Princessehof in Leeuwarden, moved in, and started a collection of ceramics. Today her former home is the Princessehof Ceramics Museum and her collection forms part of the museum’s collection.

On March 25, 1734, Marie Luise’s son Willem IV, Prince of Orange married Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London. It was the third time in less than 100 years that a British princess had married a Prince of Orange. Willem IV and Anne had two children including the future Willem V, Prince of Orange born in 1748. However, William IV died at age 40 from a stroke on October 22, 1751, and was succeeded by his three-year-old son as Willem V, Prince of Orange with his mother Anne serving as regent. Anne acted as regent until her death from dropsy in 1759 at age 49. As Willem V was still underage, his paternal grandmother 70-year-old Marie Luise became regent.

Marie Luise; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Luise’s health had been deteriorating and she often had to travel from her home in Leeuwarden to The Hague for government business which exhausted her. She suffered a slight stroke that caused her to lose some functioning on the right side of her body. On Palm Sunday in 1765, Marie Luise was present at the Grote of Jacobijnerkerk in Leeuwarden greeting as many churchgoers as possible. The day before Easter, Marie Luise became ill and she was upset that her absence in church on Easter would disappoint the people. Two days after Easter, on April 9, 1765, Marie Luise died at the age of 77. She had survived her husband Johan Willem Friso by 54 years. Marie Luise was buried with her husband 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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Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange; 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, 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, the Prince of Orange became the title for the heir apparent to the throne. The Netherlands has had absolute primogeniture since 1983, meaning 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. Within a week, Johan Willem Friso became engaged 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

Willem II, Prince of Orange; 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 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 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.

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

Mary and Willem had one child:

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, 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 would 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

Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, Princess of Orange; 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, referring 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 granted 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 several illegitimate children. In 1625, while on his deathbed, Maurits threatened to legitimize his illegitimate sons, threatening Frederik Hendrik’s succession. 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

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 married 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

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.

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

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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. He 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 King 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 several 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

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.

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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