History
The Dutch Royal House is the House of Orange-Nassau, whose fortunes have been closely tied to those of the Netherlands since the 15th century. Since that time, the Oranges have made a major contribution to the government as stadholders, kings and queens.
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Orange and Nassau
The links between the House of Nassau and the Netherlands date back to 1403, when Count Engelbrecht I of Nassau married Johanna van Polanen, the lady of Breda.
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William of Orange (1533-1584)
William of Nassau was the oldest son of Count Willem of Nassau and Juliana van Stolberg.
When his cousin René de Chalon (see Orange and Nassau) died in 1544, William was still living with his parents.
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Stadholders (16th and 17th centuries)
The stadholders of the 16th and 17th centuries were not sovereign rulers, though they did play an important role in the political life of the Dutch Republic.
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Stadholders (18th century)
In his will William III left all his estates and titles to his kinsman, Johan Willem Friso (1687-1711), of the Frisian branch of the family.
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Kings (19th century)
The Kingdom of the Netherlands came into being in the 19th century.
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Queens (20th and 21st centuries)
The 20th century became a century reigned by Queens.
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In memoriam