William III of the Netherlands

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William III
King of the Netherlands
Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Duke of Limburg
William III of the Netherlands.jpg
Reign 1849-1890
Born February 17 1817(1817-02-17)
Brussels
Died November 23 1890 (aged 73)
Het Loo, near Apeldoorn
Buried Nieuwe Kerk, Delft
Predecessor William II of the Netherlands
Successor Wilhelmina in the Netherlands
Adolphe in Luxembourg
Consort i) Sophie of Württemberg
ii) Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Issue William
Maurice
Alexander
Wilhelmina
Royal House House of Orange-Nassau
Royal anthem Wilhelmus
Father William II of the Netherlands
Mother Anna Pavlovna of Russia

William III (Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk van Oranje-Nassau, anglicised: William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis of Orange-Nassau) (February 19, 1817 – November 23, 1890) was from 1849 King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg until his death and the Duke of Limburg until the abolition of the Duchy in 1866.

Early life

William was born in Brussels as son of William II of the Netherlands and Queen Anna Paulowna, daughter of Tsar Paul I of all the Russians and Empress Maria Fyodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg). In his early years, he served in the military.

He married his first cousin, Sophie, daughter of King William I of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, in 1839. This marriage was unhappy and was characterized by struggles about their children. Sophie was a liberal intellectual, hating everything leaning toward dictatorship, such as the army. William was simpler, more conservative, and loved the military. He prohibited intellectual exercise at home, for which action Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who corresponded with Sophie, called him an uneducated farmer. (His extramarital enthusiasms, however, led the New York Times to call him "the greatest debauchee of the age".) Another cause of marital tension (and later political tension) was his capriciousness; he could rage against someone one day, and be extremely polite the next.

William loathed the 1848 constitutional changes initiated by his father (William II) and Johan Rudolf Thorbecke. William II and Sophie saw them as key to the monarchy's survival in changing times. William himself saw them as useless limitations of royal power, and wished to govern like his grandfather, William I.

He tried to relinquish his right to the throne to his younger brother Henry. His mother convinced him to cancel this action. One year later (1849) William became King upon the death of his father.

Reign

King William III repeatedly contemplated abdicating as soon as his eldest son William, Prince of Orange turned eighteen. This occurred in 1858, but as William was uncomfortable making a decision he remained King. His first act was the inauguration of the parliamentary cabinet of Thorbecke, the liberal designer of the 1848 constitution, whom William loathed.

Silver 2½ Guilder Coin of William III, struck in 1857. The obverse Dutch inscription is WILLEM III KONING DER NED[ERLANDEN] G[ROOT] H[ERTOG] V[AN] LUXEMBURG or in English, "William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg." The reverse Dutch inscription is MUNT VAN HET KONINGRYK DER NEDERLANDEN, or in English, "Currency of the Kingdom of the Netherlands."

When the Roman Catholic hierarchy of bishops was restored in 1853 he found a reason to dismiss his rival. In the first two decades of his reign, he dismissed several cabinets and disbanded the States-General several times, installing royal cabinets which ruled briefly as there was no support in elected parliament.

Dutch Royalty
House of Orange-Nassau

NL - COA.png

William I
Children
   William II
   Prince Frederick
   Princess Paulina
   Marianne, Princess Albert of Prussia
Grandchildren
   Louise, Queen of Sweden and Norway
   Prince William
   Prince Frederick
   Marie, Princess of Wied
William II
Children
   William III
   Prince Alexander
   Prince Henry
   Prince Ernest Casimir
   Sophie, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
William III
Children
   William, Prince of Orange
   Prince Maurice
   Alexander, Prince of Orange
   Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina
Children
   Juliana
Juliana
Children
   Beatrix
   Princess Irene
   Princess Margriet
   Princess Christina
Beatrix
Children
   Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
   Prince Friso
   Prince Constantijn
Grandchildren
   Princess Catharina-Amalia
   Princess Alexia
   Princess Ariane
   Countess Luana
   Countess Zaria
   Countess Eloise
   Count Claus-Casimir
   Countess Leonore

He tried to sell the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1867. The attempt nearly caused a war between Prussia and France, and helped make Luxembourg a fully-independent country.

The King was popular with the ordinary people, presenting himself as a cordial man.

In 1877, Queen Sophie died and years of war in the palace came to an end. In 1879, King William decided to marry Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, a small German principality. Some politicians were quite angry, as she was 41 years the king's junior. Emma showed herself, however, as a cordial woman; and when William asked permission from parliament, this was easily granted and the couple were quickly married. She was not his first choice. He had previously been rejected by her sister, Princess Pauline of Waldeck and Pyrmont, as well as Princess Thyra of Denmark, a sister of England's Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra) and of Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.

Emma had a relieving influence on William's capricious personality and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade was without any doubt the best of his reign. In 1880, Wilhelmina was born. She became heiress in 1884 after the death of the last remaining son from William's first marriage. Many potential heirs had died between 1878 and 1884.

King William became seriously ill in 1887. He died in 1890. Because Wilhelmina had not yet reached adulthood, Emma became Queen-Regent for her daughter. She would remain Queen-Regent until Wilhelmina's eighteenth birthday in 1898. Because the Luxembourg Grand Duchy could only be inherited through the male line at the time, under Salic law, it went to Adolphe, the former Duke of Nassau.

Ancestry

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. William IV, Prince of Orange
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. William V, Prince of Orange
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Anne, Princess Royal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. William I of the Netherlands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Prince Augustus William of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Wilhelmina of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. William II of the Netherlands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Prince Augustus William of Prussia (= 18)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Frederick William II of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (= 19)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Wilhelmine of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23. Caroline of Zweibrücken
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. William III of the Netherlands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Peter III of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25. Anna Petrovna of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Paul I of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Catherine II of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27. Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Anna Pavlovna of Russia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28. Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29. Maria Augusta Anna of Thurn and Taxis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30. Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31. Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
 
 
 
 
 
 

Children

Template:Infobox Monarch styles

Of William III's children, only three reached adulthood, two sons from his marriage to Queen Sophie and one daughter from his marriage to Queen Emma:

See also

  • Dutch monarchs family tree
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


House of Orange-Nassau
Born: 17 February 1817; Died: 23 November 1890


Preceded by:
William II
King of the Netherlands
1849-1890
Succeeded by: Wilhelmina
Grand Duke of Luxembourg
1849-1890
Succeeded by: Adolphe
Duke of Limburg
1849-1866
Abolished
Dutch royalty
Preceded by:
William, Prince of Orange
later became King William II
Prince of Orange
1840–1849
Succeeded by: William, Prince of Orange
Heir to the Dutch throne
as heir apparent
1840–1849

Template:Monarchs of the Netherlands Template:Luxembourg Grand Dukes

bg:Вилхелм III Холандски ca:Guillem III dels Països Baixos da:Vilhelm 3. af Nederlandene (1849-90) de:Wilhelm III. (Niederlande) et:Willem III es:Guillermo III de los Países Bajos fr:Guillaume III des Pays-Bas ko:네덜란드의 빌럼 3세 id:Willem III dari Belanda it:Guglielmo III dei Paesi Bassi la:Gulielmus III (rex Nederlandiae) lb:Wëllem III. vun Holland nl:Willem III der Nederlanden ja:ヴィレム3世 (オランダ王) pl:Wilhelm III Holenderski pt:Guilherme III dos Países Baixos ru:Виллем III fi:Vilhelm III (Alankomaat) sv:Vilhelm III av Nederländerna th:สมเด็จพระราชาธิบดีวิลเล็มที่ 3 แห่งเนเธอร์แลนด์

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