Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Adolphe

Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Reign	23 November 1890 – 17 November 1905
Predecessor	William III
Successor	William IV
Prime Minister	Paul Eyschen
Duke of Nassau
Reign	20 August 1839 – 20 September 1866
Predecessor	William
Successor	Nassau annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia

Born	(1817-07-24)24 July 1817 Biebrich Palace, Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau
Died	17 November 1905(1905-11-17) (aged 88) Schloss Hohenburg, Lenggries, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Burial	Schlosskirche of Schloss Weilburg (since 1953)
Spouse	Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia (m. 1844; died 1845) Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau (m. 1851)
Issue	Stillborn daughter William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Hilda, Grand Duchess of Baden
House	Nassau-Weilburg
Father	Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau
Mother	Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Signature

Adolphe (born July 24, 1817 – died November 17, 1905) was an important ruler. He became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890 and ruled until he passed away in 1905. He was the first Grand Duke from the House of Nassau-Weilburg. He took over from William III of the Netherlands, which meant the Netherlands and Luxembourg were no longer ruled by the same person. This is called a personal union, where two separate countries share the same ruler.

Before that, Adolphe was the Duke of Nassau from 1839 until 1866. His duchy was then taken over by the Kingdom of Prussia.

From 1815 to 1839, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was ruled by the kings of the Netherlands. After the Treaty of London (1839), Luxembourg became independent. But it still shared a ruler with the Netherlands.

King William III of the Netherlands had no sons to take his place. In the Netherlands, a daughter could become queen. But in Luxembourg, a special rule called Salic law meant only men could inherit the throne. So, when King William III died, his daughter Wilhelmina became Queen of the Netherlands. Adolphe became Grand Duke of Luxembourg because of the Nassau Family Pact, which set out who would rule if there were no male heirs. Adolphe died in 1905, and his son, William IV, became the next Grand Duke.

Biography
Adelsverein
Arms
See also

Biography

Adolphe was the son of William, Duke of Nassau (1792–1839) and his first wife, Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Adolphe's half-sister, Sophia of Nassau, married Oscar II of Sweden.

Duke of Nassau

Adolphe of Nassau when he was Duke of Nassau in 1860

Adolphe became the Duke of Nassau in August 1839 when he was 22 years old, after his father died. The city of Wiesbaden became the capital of the Duchy. Adolphe moved into the new Stadtschloss palace in 1841.

In 1848, he agreed to some demands from the people of Nassau. However, a few years later, he changed his mind and became more traditional and strict. Even so, people generally saw him as a good ruler. He supported the Austrian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. After Austria lost the war, Nassau was taken over by the Kingdom of Prussia. Adolphe lost his throne on September 20, 1866.

Grand Duke of Luxembourg

In 1879, Adolphe's niece, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, married William III, who was both King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In 1890, William III died without any surviving sons. His only daughter, Wilhelmina, became Queen of the Netherlands.

However, because of Salic law, Wilhelmina could not become Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. So, the Grand Duchy, which had been linked to the Netherlands since 1815, passed to Adolphe. This was according to the Nassau Family Pact. Adolphe was already 73 years old when he became Grand Duke. He didn't know much about Luxembourg's politics.

He let the prime minister, Paul Eyschen, handle the daily running of the country. Paul Eyschen had been in office since 1888. This started a tradition where the ruler stayed out of everyday politics. In 1902, Adolphe appointed his son William as his representative. Adolphe died in 1905 at his summer home, Schloss Hohenburg in Lenggries. In 1953, he was buried in the church crypt of Schloss Weilburg.

Marriage and family

On January 31, 1844, Adolphe first married Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia in St. Petersburg. She was the niece of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. She died less than a year later while giving birth to a stillborn daughter. Adolphe built the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth between 1847 and 1855 as her burial church.

On April 23, 1851, he married again to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to be adults:

William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1852–1912)
Princess Hilda Charlotte Wilhelmine (1864–1952), who married Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden.

In 1892, Grand Duke Adolphe gave a special title to his Swedish nephew, Oscar. Oscar had lost his Swedish titles because he married without his father's permission. Adolphe gave him the title of Prince Bernadotte and the hereditary title of Count of Wisborg. Wisborg is the name of old castle ruins in Sweden.

Adelsverein

On April 20, 1842, a group called the Adelsverein was formed. Its full name was the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas. This group was started at the Grand Duke's castle in Biebrich. Adolphe was named the Protector of this organization.

The Adelsverein was responsible for many Germans moving to Texas in the 1800s. On January 9, 1843, the group set up a large farm called the Nassau Plantation in Fayette County, Texas. They named it after the Grand Duke.