List of monarchs of the Netherlands facts for kids

The official Coat of arms of the Netherlands for the Dutch monarchy.

The Netherlands is a country in Europe with a long and interesting history. Today, it is a monarchy, which means it has a king or queen as its head of state. This list will introduce you to the people who have led the Netherlands. It starts with early leaders called "stadtholders" and continues to the kings and queens of today.

The idea of a Dutch monarch began with the "stadtholders" from the House of Orange-Nassau. A stadtholder was like a governor or a chief officer in the Dutch Republic. They were chosen by the different provinces. Even though they weren't kings, they were very important leaders. From William IV onwards, their family line eventually became the royal family when the monarchy was officially created in 1813.

The Dutch Republic (1581–1795)

The story of the Dutch monarchy really begins with William I, Prince of Orange. He was first appointed as a stadtholder in 1559 by Philip II of Spain. However, William soon became the leader of the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule.

In 1572, the States-General (which was like the government) chose William to be the stadtholder for the rebelling provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Most Dutch provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1581. This led to the creation of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Even though they were now a republic, the role of stadtholder continued. All the stadtholders after William I came from his family or his brother's family.

In 1795, the French Republic took over the Dutch Republic, creating the Batavian Republic. Later, in 1806, Napoleon made his brother, Louis, the King of Holland. But in 1810, Napoleon took over the Netherlands completely and made it part of France.

When the French were finally driven out in 1813, the Dutch people invited William Frederick back. He was the son of the last stadtholder. He became the "sovereign prince." In 1815, he made the Netherlands a kingdom and became King William I. The kingdom also included what is now Belgium and Luxembourg for a while.

Stadtholders from the House of Orange-Nassau

These are the stadtholders who came from the House of Orange-Nassau. They were important leaders during the time of the Dutch Republic.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William I the Silent Willem I	(1533-04-24)24 April 1533 – 10 July 1584(1584-07-10) (aged 51)	26 July 1581	10 July 1584	Stadtholder, son of William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen and Juliana of Stolberg	Orange-Nassau
Maurice Maurits	(1567-11-14)14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625(1625-04-23) (aged 57)	14 November 1585	23 April 1625	Stadtholder, son of William I and Anna of Saxony	Orange-Nassau
Frederick Henry Frederik Hendrik	(1584-01-29)29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647(1647-03-14) (aged 63)	23 April 1625	14 March 1647	Stadtholder, son of William I and Louise de Coligny	Orange-Nassau
William II Willem II	(1626-05-27)27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650(1650-11-06) (aged 24)	14 March 1647	6 November 1650	Stadtholder, son of Frederick Henry and Amalia of Solms-Braunfels	Orange-Nassau
William III Willem III	(1650-11-04)4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702(1702-03-08) (aged 51)	4 July 1672	8 March 1702	Stadtholder, son of William II and Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange also King of England, Scotland and Ireland	Orange-Nassau
William IV Willem IV	(1711-09-01)1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751(1751-10-22) (aged 40)	4 May 1747	22 October 1751	First formally hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands, son of John William Friso and Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel	Orange-Nassau
William V Willem V	(1748-03-08)8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806(1806-04-09) (aged 58)	22 October 1751	19 January 1795	Hereditary Stadtholder of the United Netherlands, son of William IV and Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, removed from power by the Batavian Revolution	Orange-Nassau

When William III died without children, the direct male line of the Orange-Nassau family ended. However, other provinces like Friesland and Groningen had stadtholders from the House of Nassau. This family was related to the Orange-Nassau family through John VI, who was William the Silent's brother.

Stadtholders from the House of Nassau

These stadtholders came from the House of Nassau. They were important leaders in some of the northern provinces of the Dutch Republic.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
John VI the Elder Jan VI	(1536-11-22)22 November 1536 – 8 October 1606(1606-10-08) (aged 69)	1578	1581	Stadtholder, son of William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen and Juliana of Stolberg, brother of William I	Nassau
William Louis Our Father Willem Lodewijk	(1560-03-13)13 March 1560 – 31 May 1620(1620-05-31) (aged 60)	1584	1620	Stadtholder, son of John VI and Countess Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg	Nassau
Ernest Casimir I Ernst Casimir I	(1573-12-22)22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632(1632-06-02) (aged 58)	1620	1632	Stadtholder, son of John VI and Countess Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg	Nassau
Henry Casimir I Hendrik Casimir I	(1612-01-21)21 January 1612 – 13 July 1640(1640-07-13) (aged 28)	1632	1640	Stadtholder, son of Ernest Casimir I and Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg	Nassau
William Frederick Willem Frederik	(1613-08-07)7 August 1613 – 31 October 1664(1664-10-31) (aged 51)	1640	1664	Stadtholder, son of Ernest Casimir I and Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg	Nassau
Henry Casimir II Hendrik Casimir II	(1657-01-18)18 January 1657 – 25 March 1696(1696-03-25) (aged 39)	18 January 1664	25 March 1696	Hereditary Stadtholder, son of William Frederick and Albertine Agnes of Nassau, grandson of Frederick Henry	Nassau
John William Friso Johan Willem Friso	(1687-08-04)4 August 1687 – 14 July 1711(1711-07-14) (aged 23)	25 March 1696	14 July 1711	Hereditary Stadtholder, son of Henry Casimir II and Princess Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau. His son, William IV, became the first hereditary Stadtholder of all United Netherlands.	Nassau

Kingdom of Holland (1806–1810)

This was a short period when the Netherlands was a kingdom ruled by Napoleon's family.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Louis I the Good Lodewijk I	(1778-09-02)2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846(1846-07-25) (aged 67)	5 June 1806	1 July 1810	Brother of Napoleon	Bonaparte
Louis II Lodewijk II	(1804-10-11)11 October 1804 – 17 March 1831(1831-03-17) (aged 26)	1 July 1810	9 July 1810	Son of Louis I	Bonaparte

Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands (1813–1815)

After the French left, the Netherlands became a "sovereign principality" for a short time. This was a step towards becoming a full kingdom.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William Frederick Willem Frederik	(1772-08-24)24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843(1843-12-12) (aged 71)	6 December 1813	16 March 1815	Son of the last Stadtholder William V. He made the Netherlands a Kingdom in 1815.	Orange-Nassau

Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–present)

Since 1815, the Netherlands has been a kingdom with a king or queen as its head of state. All monarchs have been from the House of Orange-Nassau.

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
William I Willem I	(1772-08-24)24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843(1843-12-12) (aged 71)	16 March 1815	7 October 1840	Son of the last Stadtholder William V. He later abdicated (gave up his throne).	Orange-Nassau
William II Willem II	(1792-12-06)6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849(1849-03-17) (aged 56)	7 October 1840	17 March 1849	Son of William I	Orange-Nassau
William III Willem III	(1817-02-19)19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890(1890-11-23) (aged 73)	17 March 1849	23 November 1890	Son of William II	Orange-Nassau
Wilhelmina	(1880-08-31)31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962(1962-11-28) (aged 82)	23 November 1890	4 September 1948	Daughter of William III. She later abdicated.	Orange-Nassau
Juliana	(1909-04-30)30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004(2004-03-20) (aged 94)	4 September 1948	30 April 1980	Daughter of Wilhelmina. She later abdicated.	Orange-Nassau
Beatrix	(1938-01-31) 31 January 1938 (age 87)	30 April 1980	30 April 2013	Daughter of Juliana. She later abdicated.	Orange-Nassau
William-Alexander Willem-Alexander	(1967-04-27) 27 April 1967 (age 58)	30 April 2013	Incumbent	Son of Beatrix. He is the current King of the Netherlands.	Orange-Nassau

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
• List of Dutch royal consorts