William III of the Netherlands
William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis of Orange-Nassau ( Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk ) ( born February 19, 1817 in Brussels, † November 23, 1890 in Het Loo ) was from 1849 until his death King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg and of 1849-1867 Duke of Limburg. Also he had the title: Prince of Orange-Nassau and Prince of the Netherlands. From 7 October 1840 to 17 March 1849, he wore the crown prince the title of Prince of Orange.
Life
William was born as the son of Prince Wilhelm Friedrich Georg Ludwig of Orange- Nassau, the later King William II and his wife Anna Pavlovna, a subsidiary of the Russian Tsar Paul I. He received a military education and was married on June 18, 1839 his cousin Sophie of Württemberg, a daughter of King William I of Württemberg. They had a very unhappy marriage, and Sophie spent a lot of time with her family in Stuttgart. Sophie's family tried even in 1851, to obtain a divorce. While no divorce could be achieved, but after this experiment, the spouses were separated. The queen retired to the Hague Palace Huis ten Bosch. The couple had three sons, but all died before their father:
- William Nicholas Alexander Friedrich Karl Heinrich (1840-1879)
- Wilhelm Friedrich Heinrich Karl Moritz Alexander (1843-1850)
- Wilhelm Alexander Karl Heinrich Friedrich (1851-1884)
William III. was also of other children:
- Hendricus Bonnekamp (1836-1883)
- Mathieu Wetteraouw (1839-1926)
- John Doncker (1843 -? )
- Matthijs van Gaalen (1852-1890)
- John ramps (1852-1919)
- Dirk van der Ende (1853-1929)
- Steven Gerrit van der Kreeft (1855-1924)
- Paul van Hoynck Papendrecht (1857-1920)
- Arnold van Papendrecht Hoynck (1860 -? )
- Wilhelmina Dulfen (1863 -? )
- Ernestine (1874 -? ).
The liberal constitutional reform of 1848, which limited the power of the king massively enraged the Crown Prince so that he wanted to renounce in favor of his son on the throne. Wilhelm II forbade it, however, and when he died in 1849, the crown prince succeeded him as William III. in the after King and Grand Duke dignity. He was a reactionary conservative prince felt in 1849, however, forced to invoke the Liberals Johan Rudolf Thorbecke the Interior. During his first years as king, he was still trying to regain his power. Later, however, he lost his interest in politics and mingled hardly a State in matters. However, the slightest encroachment on his rights was very upset him. A new liberal constitutional reform he knew to move to 1887.
King William led a morally unassailable life and also King Gorilla was named. He fathered many illegitimate children, and it was in 1875 fined in Switzerland even because of exhibitionism. After the death of Sophie ( 1877) he married on 7 January 1879, almost 62 years still the only 20 - year-old Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, daughter of Prince Georg Viktor of Waldeck and Pyrmont. The princess was in 1880 a daughter: Wilhelmina.
William died on 23 November 1890. On the Dutch throne Wilhelmina followed him under regency of her mother. However, due to the Salic Law in force in Luxembourg, the Grand Duke dignity was transferred to another branch of the House of Nassau: there followed the former Nassau Duke Adolf I as Grand Duke.