William III of the Netherlands

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William III
King of the Netherlands Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Reign	1849-1890
Born	February 17, 1817
	Brussels
Died	November 23, 1890
	Het Loo, near Apeldoorn
Buried	Nieuwe Kerk, Delft
Predecessor	William II of the Netherlands
Successor	Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Consort	Sophie of Württemberg Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Issue	William Maurice Alexander Wilhelmina
Royal House	House of Orange-Nassau
Father	William II of the Netherlands
Mother	Anna Pavlovna of Russia

William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg (William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis of Orange-Nassau) (Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk van Oranje-Nassau, Koning der Nederlanden en Groothertog van Luxemburg in Dutch) (February 19, 1817 – November 23, 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1849–1890).

[edit] Early life

William was born in Brussels as son of William II of the Netherlands and Queen Anna, daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia 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.

Dutch Royalty House of Nassau (Orange branch) 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 Johan-Friso    Prince Constantijn Grandchildren    Princess Catharina-Amalia    Princess Alexia    Countess Luana    Countess Zaria    Countess Eloise    Count Claus-Casimir    Countess Leonore

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.

[edit] Reign

William repeatedly contemplated abdicating as soon as his son 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 1854. 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 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.

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.

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

In 1877 Sophie died and years of war in the palace came to an end. In 1879 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).

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, and the tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft was never opened so many times in history.

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.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Children

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:

• Willem (1840-1879). Heir to the Throne from 1849 till his death.
• Willem Alexander (1851-1884). Heir to the Throne from 1879 till his death.
• Wilhelmina (1880 - 1962).