List of monarchs of Luxembourg facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The land of Luxembourg has a long history, ruled by different leaders over time. First, there were counts, then dukes, and finally, grand dukes. For a long time, it was part of the medieval Kingdom of Germany and later the Holy Roman Empire. In 1815, Luxembourg became its own independent country.

Counts of Luxembourg
Dukes of Luxembourg
Grand Dukes of Luxembourg
See also

Counts of Luxembourg

For many years, Luxembourg was a "county," meaning it was ruled by a leader called a count. These counts came from different important families, or "houses."

House of Ardenne–Luxembourg

The first counts of Luxembourg were from the House of Ardenne–Luxembourg. They helped shape the early history of the region.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Siegfried	922	28 October 998	963 – 28 October 998
Henry I	964	27 February 1026	28 October 998 – 27 February 1026	his son
Henry II	1007	16 October 1047	27 February 1026 – 16 October 1047	his nephew
Giselbert	1007	14 August 1059	16 October 1047 – 14 August 1059	his brother
Conrad I	1040	8 August 1086	14 August 1059 – 8 August 1086	his son
Henry III	1070	1096	8 August 1086 – 1096	his son
William I	1081	1131	1096 – 1131	his brother
Conrad II	1106	1136	1131 – 1136	his son
Ermesinde I	1080	1143	1136 – 1136	his aunt

House of Luxembourg–Namur

Another family, the House of Luxembourg–Namur, took over the rule of the county.

Image	Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
	Henry IV the Blind	1112	14 August 1196	1136 – 14 August 1196	her son

House of Hohenstaufen

For a short time, a ruler from the House of Hohenstaufen held the title of Count.

Image	Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
	Otto	June/July 1170	13 January 1200	1196 – 1197	his third-cousin once removed

House of Luxembourg–Namur

The House of Luxembourg–Namur returned to power, with Ermesinde II becoming a very important countess.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Ermesinde II	July 1186	12 February 1247	1197 – 12 February 1247	Henry IV's only daughter and Otto's fourth cousin
Theobald I	1158	13 February 1214	1197 – 13 February 1214	her first husband and co-ruler
Waleran	1180	2 July 1226	May 1214 – 2 July 1226	her second husband and co-ruler

House of Luxembourg–Limburg

This family continued the line of counts, with several important rulers.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Henry V the Blond	1216	24 December 1281	12 February 1247 – 24 December 1281	their son
Henry VI the Condemned	1240	5 June 1288	24 December 1281 – 5 June 1288	his son
Henry VII	1275/1270	24 August 1313	5 June 1288 – 24 August 1313
John the Blind	10 August 1296	26 August 1346	24 August 1313 – 26 August 1346
Charles IV	14 May 1316	29 November 1378	26 August 1346 – 1353
Wenceslaus I	25 February 1337	7 December 1383	1353 – 13 March 1354	his brother

Dukes of Luxembourg

In 1354, something big happened: the county of Luxembourg was made into a "duchy." This meant it was a more important territory, ruled by a "duke."

House of Luxembourg-Limburg

The House of Luxembourg-Limburg continued to rule, but now as dukes.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Wenceslaus I	25 February 1337	7 December 1383	13 March 1354 – 7 December 1383	himself as count
Wenceslas II the Lazy	26 February 1361	16 August 1419	7 December 1383 – 1388	his nephew
Jobst	December 1351	18 January 1411	1388 – 18 January 1411	his cousin
Elisabeth I	November 1390	2 August 1451	18 January 1411 – 1443	his heiress & first cousin once removed
Anthony	August 1384	25 October 1415	18 January 1411 – 25 October 1415	her first husband and co-ruler
John II the Pitiless	1374	6 January 1425	10 March 1418 – 6 January 1425	her second husband and co-ruler

Elisabeth I had no children who lived. She decided to sell Luxembourg to Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1441. Philip took control of the city of Luxembourg in 1443. However, he didn't immediately become the Duke because other people, like Anne of Austria, also claimed the title.

Claimants to the Duchy

These are the people who claimed to be the rightful Duke or Duchess of Luxembourg during this time.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Elisabeth I	November 1390	2 August 1451	1443 to 2 August 1451
Ladislaus the Posthumous	22 February 1440	23 November 1457	2 August 1451 to 23 November 1457	Her first cousin once removed
Anne	12 April 1432	13 November 1462	23 November 1457 to 13 November 1462	His sister
William the Brave	30 April 1425	17 September 1482	23 November 1457 to 13 November 1462	Her husband and co-pretender
Elisabeth II	1436	30 August 1505	13 November 1462 to 1467	Her sister
Casimir Jagiellon	30 November 1427	7 June 1492	13 November 1462 to 1467	Her husband and co-pretender
George of Poděbrady	23 April 1420	22 March 1471	1458 to 1471	Claimed title as king of Bohemia

House of Valois-Burgundy

In 1467, Elisabeth II of Austria gave up her claim to the title. This allowed Philip III's son, Charles, Duke of Burgundy, to become the Duke of Luxembourg. From then on, the Duke of Burgundy also held the title of Duke of Luxembourg.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Philip I "the Good"	31 July 1396	15 June 1467	1443 to 15 June 1467	Elisabeth I's second cousin once removed and "usurper"
Charles II "the Bold"	10 November 1433	5 January 1477	15 June 1467 to 5 January 1477	His son
Mary I "the Rich"	13 February 1457	27 March 1482	5 January 1477 to 27 March 1482	His daughter
Maximilian I "the Last Knight"	22 March 1459	12 January 1519	5 January 1477 to 27 March 1482	Her husband and co-ruler

House of Habsburg

In 1482, Luxembourg became part of the lands ruled by the House of Habsburg. Later, after Emperor Charles V stepped down, the Duchy of Luxembourg was passed to the Spanish part of the Habsburg family.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Philip II "the Handsome"	22 July 1478	25 September 1506	27 March 1482 to 25 September 1506	Their son
Charles III "the Golden"	24 February 1500	21 September 1558	25 September 1506 to 16 January 1556	His son
Philip III "the Prudent"	21 May 1527	13 September 1598	16 January 1556 to 6 May 1598	His son
Isabella Clara Eugenia	12 August 1566	1 December 1633	6 May 1598 to 13 July 1621	His daughter
Albert	15 November 1559	13 July 1621	6 May 1598 to 13 July 1621	His son-in-law
Philip IV "the Great"	8 April 1605	17 September 1665	13 July 1621 to 17 September 1665	Their nephew
Charles IV "the Bewitched"	6 November 1661	1 November 1700	17 September 1665 to 1 November 1700	His son

There was a big fight called the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714). During this war, different families wanted to control Luxembourg. In 1712, Luxembourg was given to Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. But after the war ended in 1713, Luxembourg went back to the Austrian part of the House of Habsburg.

House of Bourbon

For a short time, a ruler from the House of Bourbon claimed the title.

Image	Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
	Philip V Philippe de France	19 December 1683	9 July 1746	1 November 1700 – 1712	his grandnephew

House of Wittelsbach

Then, a ruler from the House of Wittelsbach held the title briefly.

Image	Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
	Maximilian II Maximilian Emanuel Ludwig Maria Joseph Kajetan Anton Nikolaus Franz Ignaz Felix	11 July 1662	26 February 1726	1712 – 11 April 1713	his uncle

House of Habsburg

The Habsburg family took control of Luxembourg again after the war.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Charles V Karl Franz Joseph Wenceslau Balthasar Johann Anton Ignatius	1 October 1685	20 October 1740	11 April 1713 – 20 October 1740	his second cousin
Maria II Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina	13 May 1717	29 November 1780	20 October 1740 – 29 November 1780	his daughter
Joseph Joseph Benedikt August Johannes Anton Michael Adam	13 March 1741	20 February 1790	29 November 1780 to 20 February 1790	her son
Leopold Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard	5 May 1747	1 March 1792	20 February 1790 to 1 March 1792	His brother
Francis II Francis Joseph Charles	12 February 1768	2 March 1835	1 March 1792 to 1794	His son

Between 1794 and 1813, French revolutionaries took over Luxembourg. At the Vienna Congress in 1815, Luxembourg was made into a "grand duchy." This meant it was an even more important territory. It was then given to William I of the Netherlands to rule.

Grand Dukes of Luxembourg

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg (or Grand Duchess if it's a woman) is the official leader of Luxembourg. Luxembourg is the only country in the world that is still a sovereign grand duchy. It got this special status in 1815 when it joined with the Netherlands under the House of Orange-Nassau.

The Luxembourg constitution explains the Grand Duke's job:

The grand duke is the head of state, symbol of its unity, and guarantor of national independence. He exercises executive power in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the country.

At first, the Grand Duke had a lot of power. But since 1890, when Luxembourg separated from the Netherlands, the Grand Duke mostly has a symbolic role. This means they represent the country and act on the advice of the government. In 1919, changes were made to the constitution to make this official.

House of Orange-Nassau

The first Grand Dukes of Luxembourg were from the House of Orange-Nassau, who also ruled the Netherlands.

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Reign	Relationship with predecessor
Willem I Willem Frederik (Prince William VI of Orange)	24 August 1772	12 December 1843	15 March 1815 to 7 October 1840	Francis' third cousin and Anne's direct descendant
Willem II Willem Frederik George Lodewijk	6 December 1792	17 March 1849	7 October 1840 to 17 March 1849	Son
Willem III Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk	17 February 1817	23 November 1890	17 March 1849 to 23 November 1890	Son

House of Nassau-Weilburg

In 1783, the Nassau family made an agreement about who would inherit their lands. This agreement, called the Nassau Family Pact, said that women could only inherit if there were no male family members left. When William III died, his only child was his daughter Wilhelmina. The Netherlands crown went to Wilhelmina because their rules were different.

However, the Luxembourg crown went to Adolphe. He was a male from another branch of the Nassau family, the Nassau-Weilburg branch.

Later, in 1907, Adolphe's son, William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, made a law. This law confirmed that his eldest daughter, Marie-Adélaïde, could become Grand Duchess. This was because there were no other male family members left in the Nassau family, as the old family pact allowed. Marie-Adélaïde became the first female ruler of Luxembourg in 1912. When she stepped down in 1919, her younger sister Charlotte took over. Charlotte married Felix of Bourbon-Parma, and their children have continued to rule Luxembourg as the Nassau dynasty.

Name and reign	Birth	Marriages	Death	Right of Succession
Adolphe 23 November 1890 – 17 November 1905	24 July 1817 Wiesbaden (Prussia)	(1) Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia 31 January 1844 [1 child (stillborn)] (2) Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau 23 April 1851 [5 children]	17 November 1905 Colmar-Berg	William III's 17th cousin once removed through male line 3rd cousin through William IV, Prince of Orange Anne's direct descendant
William IV 17 November 1905 – 25 February 1912	22 April 1852 Wiesbaden (Prussia)	Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal [6 children]	25 February 1912 Colmar-Berg	Eldest Child
Marie-Adélaïde 25 February 1912 – 14 January 1919 (abdicated)	14 June 1894 Colmar-Berg	Unmarried [childless]	24 January 1924 Lenggries (Germany)	Eldest Daughter
Charlotte 14 January 1919 – 12 November 1964 (abdicated)	23 January 1896 Colmar-Berg	Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma 6 November 1919 [6 children]	9 July 1985 Fischbach	Second Daughter
Jean 12 November 1964 – 7 October 2000 (abdicated)	5 January 1921 Colmar-Berg	Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium 9 April 1953 [5 children]	23 April 2019 Luxembourg City	Eldest Child
Henri 7 October 2000 – present	16 April 1955 Betzdorf	María Teresa Mestre y Batista 4 February/14 February 1981 [5 children]	living	Eldest Son, Second Child