House of Amsberg

House of Amsberg

Armorial of Amsberg
Country Saxony, Germany, Netherlands
Titles
  • Count of Orange-Nassau
  • Jonkheer van Amsberg
  • Herr von Amsberg
Founder Jürgen Amtsberg
Current head Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
Founding 1686
Cadet branches

House of Amsberg is the name of a noble family in the German lands (including the Netherlands). It is a corruption of Amtsberg a town in Germany and founded by Jürgen Amtsberg (d. 1686), master blacksmith in Schwichtenberg. There is also a place North Amsberg or Norr Amsberg in Sweden, named after the original one in Germany. The father of the current Crown Prince of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange was Claus von Amsberg (who died in 2002). When William-Alexander succeeds his mother Queen Beatrix, the House of Amsberg will become the de facto ruling House of the Netherlands in the agnatic line.

Heads of the House

This is a list of the Heads of the House of Amsberg, as well the patrilineal line of the current Dutch Royal Family:

  1. Jürgen Amtsberg, ca. 1640–1686
  2. Jürgen Amtsberg, 1680–1756
  3. Georg Amtsberg, 1717–1772
  4. August von Amsberg, 1747–1820
  5. Joachim von Amsberg, 1777–1842
  6. Gabriel von Amsberg, 1822–1899
  7. Wilhelm von Amsberg, 1856–1929
  8. Claus Felix von Amsberg, 1890–1953
  9. Prince Claus of the Netherlands, 1926–2002
  10. Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, b. 1967, his successor will be either one of his brothers, followed by his nephew, as long as he has no male descendants.