Orangism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orangism is a monarchist political support for the House of Orange-Nassau as monarchy of the Netherlands. It played a significant role in the political history of the Netherlands since the Dutch revolt, as the state alternated between an oligarchic republic and a monarchy. Since the mid-19th century, the Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy.
Orangism is no longer in general use in the Netherlands. Supporters of the monarchy are referred to as such, opponents as 'republicans'. Queen Beatrix, the House of Orange, and the colour orange are national symbols without much other political significance.
Historically, Orangism also referred to the political current in present-day Belgium that supported its inclusion in the short-lived United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-1830). After the secession of Belgium in 1830, Orangist sentiment in Flanders for a time sought a restoration of the United Kingdom. Some of the most prominent Flemish Orangists were Jan Frans Willems and Hippolyte Metdepenningen. It was one inspiration for the later Greater Netherlands movement, although that movement was not all monarchist. At present there is no public support in Flanders, nor any evident public debate, on a restored United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In Northern Ireland, members of the Protestant Orange Institution also use the House of Orange as a symbol, see Glorious Revolution. They are often called Orangemen.
