Wilhelmine of Prussia (1774-1837)
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at a young age
Queen Wilhelmine of the Netherlands, born Princess of Prussia (full names in Dutch: Frederica Louisa Wilhelmina; full names in German: Friederike Luise Wilhelmine) (Potsdam, 18 November 1774 - The Hague, 12 October 1837), was the first wife of King William I of the Netherlands and so the first Queen of the Netherlands.
[edit] Biography
Princess Wilhelmine was born in Potsdam. She was the fourth child (out of eight) of King Frederick William II of Prussia and Queen Frederica Louisa. Her upbringing was dominated by the strict regime of her great-uncle Frederick the Great. Very little is known about her youth.
On 1 October 1791 she married her cousin William, son of Stadtholder William V, Prince of Orange in Berlin. The young couple went to live at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. In 1795 the French invaded the Dutch Republic. The princely family went into exile. First they stayed in England and later in Berlin. The Princess returned to The Hague in the beginning of 1814.
Princess Wilhelmine became Queen of the Netherlands in 1815. Queen Wilhelmine was modest and stayed at the background. She died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague in 1837, aged 62. She is entombed in the New Church in Delft.
[edit] Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| King William II of the Netherlands | 6 December 1792 | 17 March 1840 | married, 1816, Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia; had issue |
| Prince Frederick of the Netherlands | 28 February 1797 | 8 September 1881 | married, 1825, Princess Louise of Prussia; had issue |
| Princess Paulina of the Netherlands | 1 March 1800 | 22 December 1806 | |
| Princess Marianne of the Netherlands | 9 May 1810 | 29 May 1883 | married, 1830, Prince Albert of Prussia; had issue |
