List of rulers of the Netherlands

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Prinsenvlag , flag of the Netherlands 1579–1630
Flag of the Netherlands since 1630

Since the fall of Spain in the 16th century, the rulers of the Netherlands have been the governors from the House of Orange . In the Republic of the Seven United Provinces they shared power with the states , the estates. A descendant of these governors became the first king of the Netherlands in 1815 .

Republic of the Seven United Provinces

Governor

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
WilliamOfOrange1580.jpg William I of Orange, "the silent one" (de Zwijger)
(April 24, 1533 - July 10, 1584)
1559-1584 Governor From 1568 Wilhelm I was the leader of the Dutch War of Independence against Spain, also known as the Eighty Years War ; In 1584 he was shot by an assassin
Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt - Maurits van Nassau, prins van Oranje en Stadhouder.jpg Moritz of Orange
(November 13, 1567 - April 23, 1625)
1584-1625 Governor Son of Wilhelm I; he was able to drive the Spaniards out of the seven provinces within four years
Frederik Hendrik by Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt.jpg Friedrich Heinrich of Orange
(January 29, 1584 - March 14, 1647)
1625-1647 Governor Son of Wilhelm I; he conquered several fortified cities held by the Spaniards, including Herzogenbusch and Maastricht
Willem II Prins van Oranje.jpg William II of Orange
(May 27, 1626 - November 6, 1650)
1647-1650 Governor Son of Friedrich Heinrichs; the Peace of Westphalia sealed the independence of the Netherlands

States General

From 1650 to 1672 the stadtholder was suspended.

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
Johan de Witt.jpg Johan de Witt
(September 24, 1625 - August 20, 1672)
1650-1672 Council pensioner During his tenure there were two wars with England ; After both, de Witt was in charge of the peace agreements; In 1667 he abolished the office of governor; In 1672 war broke out again against England, France , Cologne and Munster ; de Witt resigned and was shortly afterwards murdered by supporters of the Orange

Governor

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
William III of England.jpg William III. of Orange-Nassau
(November 14, 1650 - March 19, 1702)
1672-1702 Governor Son of Wilhelm II, also King of England since 1689; after the overthrow of Johan de Witt, he was elected governor of the Netherlands; he was able to push back the invading forces of France and thus preserve the country's independence

Inheritance holder

From 1702 to 1747 the governorship was suspended. Under Wilhelm IV, who was appointed in 1747, the office became hereditary.

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
Guillaume IV d'Orange-Nassau.jpg William IV of Orange-Diez
(September 1, 1711 - October 22, 1751)
1747-1751 Inheritance holder Son of the Frisian governor Johann Wilhelm Friso von Nassau-Diez; after France invaded Flanders in 1747, the office of governor general of the Netherlands was reinstated
WillemV.png Wilhelm V of Oranien-Diez
(March 8, 1748 - April 9, 1806)
1751-1795 Inheritance holder Son of Wilhelm IV .; 1751–1759 under the tutelage of his mother and 1759–1768 by Duke Ludwig Ernst von Braunschweig ; In 1795 the French invaded the Netherlands and Wilhelm fled to England

Batavian Republic

The Batavian Republic, created in 1795, was entirely dependent on France. State power lay with a legislative assembly and a five-member board of directors. In 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte reintroduced the office of council pensioner.

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
Pierre-Paul Prud'hon 002.jpg Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck
(October 31, 1761 - February 15, 1825)
1805-1806 Council pensioner As a council pensioner he had almost unlimited power; after only one year he was deposed and the Netherlands converted into a monarchy

Kingdom of Holland

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
Gerard - Louis Bonaparte.png Ludwig Napoleon
(September 2, 1778 - July 25, 1846)
1806-1810 king Brother of Napoleon Bonaparte ; he reformed the law and implemented a new constitution, which u. a. made the Netherlands a centralized state; but since he did not succeed in repelling an English invasion, he had to cede all of the Dutch areas south of the Rhine to France; on July 2, 1810 he abdicated and went into exile in Austria
Napoléon Louis Bonaparte (1804-1831) .jpg Ludwig II
(October 11, 1804 - March 17, 1831)
1810 king Son of Louis Napoleon; the still underage Ludwig followed his father to the throne for only a few days; on July 13th he too abdicated, and Holland was completely annexed by France

French occupation

From 1810 to 1813 the Netherlands was part of the French Empire. Charles-François Lebrun was the governor general of the new departments .

interregnum

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
Willem I in kroningsmantel.jpg William VI. of Orange-Nassau
(August 24, 1772 - December 12, 1843)
1813-1815 Sovereign Prince Son of Wilhelm V .; after the French were expelled from the Netherlands in 1813, Wilhelm was elected sovereign and formed a provisional government

Kingdom of the Netherlands

image Name (life data) Reign title Remarks
Willem I in kroningsmantel.jpg Wilhelm I
(August 24, 1772 - December 12, 1843)
1815-1840 king on March 16, 1815, Wilhelm was elected King of the Netherlands; the new state initially included Belgium , which became independent in 1830; his insistence on retaking Belgium, the rejection of reforms and the relationship with a Catholic countess led to his abdication on October 7, 1840
WillemIINL3.jpg Wilhelm II
(December 6, 1792 - March 17, 1849)
1840-1849 king Son of Wilhelm I .; a constitutional amendment later enabled the implementation of the parliamentary system
Portrait of King Willem III of the Netherlands, Nicolaas Pieneman (1856) .jpg William III.
(February 19, 1817 - November 23, 1890)
1849-1890 king Son of Wilhelm II; rarely got involved in politics
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.jpg Wilhelmina
(August 31, 1880 - November 28, 1962)
Nov 23, 1890 -
Sep 6 1948 (coronation
Sep 6, 1898)
queen Daughter of Wilhelm III .; in her first eight years of reign until she came of age, she was under the reign of her mother Emma zu Waldeck and Pyrmont ; she was in exile in London during World War II ; In 1948 she abdicated in favor of her daughter Juliana
Juliana 1959.jpg Juliana
(April 30, 1909 - March 20, 2004)
6 Sep 1948 - April 30, 1980 queen Daughter of Wilhelmina; In 1949 she gave Indonesia independence; Since the beginning of her reign, Juliana tried to bring the royal house closer to the people; on April 30, 1980 she abdicated in favor of her daughter Beatrix
Queen Beatrix in Vries.jpg Beatrix
(born January 31, 1938)
April 30, 1980 - April 30, 2013 queen Daughter of Julianas; abdicated on April 30, 2013 in favor of her son Willem-Alexander
Willem-Alexander (Royal Wedding in Stockholm, 2010) cropped.jpg Willem-Alexander
(born April 27, 1967)
April 30, 2013 - Acting king Son of Beatrix '; Enthronement on April 30, 2013

See also

This version was added to the selection of informative lists and portals on July 7, 2007 .