List of monarchs of the Netherlands

Coat of arms of the Netherlands

This is a list of monarchs of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koningen der Nederlanden). By practical extension, the list includes the stadtholders of the House of Orange Nassau since 1556. However, they were voted into office by and were civil servants and generals of the semi-independent provinces of the Dutch Republic and cannot be seen as monarchs. From William IV they were the direct male line ancestors of later monarchs when the monarchy was established in 1813. First as a Sovereign Principality, but in 1815 as a Kingdom.

Dutch Republic (1581–1795)

The origin of the Dutch monarchy can be traced back to the appointment of William I, Prince of Orange as stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht in 1559 by Philip II of Spain. However, he was removed from office and became the leader of the Dutch Revolt. Consequently, the States-General appointed him as stadtholder of both rebelling provinces, Holland and Zeeland, in 1572. During the Dutch Revolt, most of the Dutch provinces declared their independence with the Act of Abjuration, signed on 26 July 1581 in The Hague in conformation with the decision made by the States-General. The representative function of the stadtholder became obsolete in the rebellious northern Netherlands – the feudal Lord himself having been abolished – but the office nevertheless continued in these provinces who now united themselves into the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. All stadtholders after William I were drawn from his descendants or the descendants of his brother, who were also the descendants of his granddaughter Albertina Agnes of Nassau-Orange.

In 1813, Allied forces drove out the French. The Dutch called back William Frederick, the son of the last stadtholder, to head the new government. He was proclaimed "sovereign prince". In 1815, he raised the Netherlands to the status of a kingdom and proclaimed himself King William I. The kingdom was enlarged with the Southern Netherlands, now Belgium and Luxembourg, soon after.

Stadtholderate under the House of Orange-Nassau

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William I the Silent Willem I	24 April 1533 – 10 July 1584 (aged 51)	26 July 1581	10 July 1584	Stadtholder[1]	Orange-Nassau
Maurice Maurits	14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625 (aged 57)	1585	23 April 1625	Stadtholder,[2] son of William I	Orange-Nassau
Frederick Henry Frederik Hendrik	29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647 (aged 63)	23 April 1625	14 March 1647	Stadtholder,[3] son of William I	Orange-Nassau
William II Willem II	27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650 (aged 24)	14 March 1647	6 November 1650	Stadtholder,[4] son of Frederick Henry	Orange-Nassau
William III Willem III	4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702 (aged 51)	4 July 1672	8 March 1702	Stadtholder,[5] son of William II also King of England, Scotland and Ireland	Orange-Nassau
William IV Willem IV	1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751 (aged 40)	1 September 1711	22 October 1751	First formally hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands,[6] son of John William Friso	Orange-Nassau
William V Willem V	8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806 (aged 58)	22 October 1751	19 January 1795	Hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands, son of William IV, deposed by the Batavian Revolution	Orange-Nassau

When William III died childless, the patrilineal ancestry of Orange-Nassau became extinct. In contrast to other provinces of the Dutch Republic, Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe had mostly drawn its stadtholders from the House of Nassau, that starting with John VI, the brother of William of Orange, and comprises in addition a matrilineal ancestry with the house of Orange-Nassau.

Stadtholderate under the House of Nassau

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
John VI the Elder Jan VI	22 November 1536 – 8 October 1606 (aged 69)	1578	1581	Stadtholder,[7] brother of William I	Nassau
William Louis Our Father Willem Lodewijk	13 March 1560 – 31 May 1620 (aged 60)	1584	1620	Stadtholder,[8] son of John VI	Nassau
Ernest Casimir I Ernst Casimir I	22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632 (aged 58)	1620	1632	Stadtholder,[9] son of John VI	Nassau
Henry Casimir I Hendrik Casimir I	21 January 1612 – 13 July 1640 (aged 28)	1632	1640	Stadtholder,[10] son of Ernest Casimir I	Nassau
William Frederick Willem Frederik	7 August 1613 – 31 October 1664 (aged 51)	1640	1664	Stadtholder,[11] son of Ernest Casimir I	Nassau
Henry Casimir II Hendrik Casimir II	18 January 1657 – 25 March 1696 (aged 39)	18 January 1664	25 March 1696	Hereditary Stadtholder,[12] son of William Frederick	Nassau
John William Friso Johan Willem Friso	4 August 1687 – 14 July 1711 (aged 23)	25 March 1696	14 July 1711	Hereditary Stadtholder,[13] son of Henry Casimir II, succeeded by his son William IV of Orange-Nassau, Hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands	Nassau

Kingdom of Holland (1806–1810)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Louis I the Good Lodewijk I	2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846 (aged 67)	5 June 1806	1 July 1810		Bonaparte
Louis II Lodewijk II	11 October 1804 – 17 March 1831 (aged 26)	1 July 1810	9 July 1810	Son of Louis I	Bonaparte

Principality of the Netherlands (1813–1815)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William Frederick Willem Frederik	24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843 (aged 71)	6 December 1813	16 March 1815	Son of the last Stadtholder William V, raised Netherlands to status of kingdom in 1815	Orange-Nassau

Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–present)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William I Willem I	24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843 (aged 71)	16 March 1815	7 October 1840	Son of the last Stadtholder William V	Orange-Nassau
William II Willem II	6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849 (aged 56)	7 October 1840	17 March 1849	Son of William I	Orange-Nassau
William III Willem III	19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890 (aged 73)	17 March 1849	23 November 1890	Son of William II	Orange-Nassau
Wilhelmina	31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962 (aged 82)	23 November 1890	4 September 1948	Daughter of William III	Orange-Nassau
Juliana	30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004 (aged 94)	4 September 1948	30 April 1980	Daughter of Wilhelmina	Orange-Nassau (Mecklenburg)
Beatrix	31 January 1938	30 April 1980	30 April 2013	Daughter of Juliana	Orange-Nassau (Lippe)
William-Alexander Willem-Alexander	27 April 1967	30 April 2013	Incumbent	Son of Beatrix	Orange-Nassau (Amsberg)

See also

• Style of the Dutch sovereign
• Regalia of the Netherlands
• Royal Standard of the Netherlands
• Line of succession to the Dutch throne
• List of heirs to the Dutch throne
• List of rulers of the Netherlands
• Inauguration of the Dutch monarch

References

1. Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht (1559–1584), Stadtholder of Friesland and Overijssel (1580–1584)
2. Stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland (1585–1625), Utrecht, Guelders and Overijssel (1590–1625), Groningen (1620–1625)
3. Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel (1620–1625), Groningen and Drenthe (1640–1647)
4. Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel
5. Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Overijssel (1672–1702), Guelders (1675–1702), Drenthe (1696–1702)
6. Hereditary Stadtholder of Friesland (1711–1747), Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Overijssel (April/May 1747 – November 1747), Stadtholder of Groningen (1718–1747), Guelders and Drenthe (1722–1747), was formally voted the first Hereditary Stadtholder of the United Provinces (1747–1751)
7. Stadtholder of Guelders (under Philip II), architect of the Union of Utrecht
8. Stadtholder of Friesland (1584–1620), Groningen (1594–1620) and Drenthe (1596–1620)
9. Stadtholder of Friesland (1620–1632), Groningen and Drenthe (1625–1632)
10. Stadtholder of Friesland (1632–1640), Groningen and Drenthe (1632–1640)
11. Stadtholder of Friesland (1640–1664), Groningen and Drenthe (1650–1664)
12. In 1675 the State of Friesland voted to make the Stadtholdership hereditary in the house of Nassau-Dietz
13. Hereditary Stadtholder of Friesland (1707–1711) and Groningen (1708–1711)