List of princes and princesses of Orange
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The title Prince of Orange was initially used upon the rulers of the Principality of Orange. Following the principality's dissolution and absorption by France, the title continued being used by members of the House of Orange-Nassau, until the formation of an independent Kingdom of the Netherlands. Since the kingdom's formation, the title of Prince of Orange is bestowed upon the Dutch heir apparent. The current holder of the title is Catharina-Amalia, eldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander.
When the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815, the monarchy initially followed Salic law.
In 1983, the Constitution of the Netherlands was amended to ensure absolute primogeniture, meaning that the sovereign is to be succeeded by their eldest child, regardless of sex.[1]
House of Baux
Until 1340, it was customary for all sons of the prince of Orange to inherit the title. Only the direct line of descent to Raimond V is shown here.
The house of Baux succeeded to the principality of Orange when Bertrand of Baux married the heiress of the last native count of Orange, Tiburge, daughter of William of Orange, Omelaz, and Montpellier.[clarification needed] Their son was William I of Baux-Orange. Bertrand was the son of Raymond of Baux and Stephanie of Gevaudan. Stephanie was the younger daughter of Gerberga, the heiress of the counts of Provence.[2] For a genealogical table, see the reference cited:[3]
| No | Name | Picture | Arms | Birth | Created Prince of Orange | Ceased to be Prince of Orange | Death | Other titles while Prince of Orange | Princess of Orange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Prince Bertrand I | 1110/1115 | 1173 After the death of his brother-in-law, Raimbaut, Count of Orange, the County of Orange was elevated to a principality in 1163 by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I.[clarification needed] |
April/October 1180 | Lord of Baux | Tibors de Sarenom | |||
Bertrand I used as Prince of Orange the coat of arms of the House of Baux: a 16-pointed white star placed on a field of gules. Later on, the Princes of Orange quartered the legendary bugle-horn as a heraldic figure into their coat of arms.
House of Baux-Orange
| No | Name | Arms | Birth | Became Prince of Orange | Ceased to be Prince of Orange | Death | Other titles while Prince of Orange | Princess of Orange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | Prince William I | 1155 | 31 October 1180 | bef. 30 July 1218 | Co-Prince (with brothers); Lord of Baux | 1. Ermengarde of Mévouillon 2. Alix | ||
| 3. | Prince William II | – | 31 October 1180 | bef. 1 November 1239 | Co-Prince (with his brother); Lord of Baux | Précieuse | ||
| 4. | Prince William III | – | aft. 1 November 1239 | 1257 | Co-Prince (with his uncle); Lord of Baux | Giburg | ||
| 5. | Prince Raymond I | – | bef. 30 July 1218 | 1282 | Co-Prince (with his brother and nephew) Lord of Baux | Malberjone of Aix | ||
| 6. | Prince Bertrand IV | – | 1282 | aft. 21 July 1314 | Lord of Baux | Eleanore of Geneva | ||
| 7. | Prince Raymond IV | – | aft. 21 July 1314 | 1340, aft. 9 September | Lord of Baux and Condorcet | Anne of Viennois | ||
| 8. | Prince Raymond V | – | aft. 9 September 1340 | 10 February 1393 | Lord of Baux | 1. Constance of Trian 2. Jeanne of Geneva | ||
| 9. | Princess Mary | – | 10 February 1393 | October 1417 | Lady of Arlay, Cuiseaux, and Vitteaux | Prince John I | ||
House of Chalon-Orange (also House of Ivrea of Anscarid dynasty)
The lords of Chalons and Arlay were a cadet branch of the ruling house of the county of Burgundy, the Anscarids or House of Ivrea. They married the heiress of Baux-Orange.
| No | Name | Picture | Arms | Birth | Became Prince of Orange | Ceased to be Prince of Orange | Death | Other titles while Prince of Orange | Princess of Orange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | Prince John I | none | – | 10 February 1393 | October 1417 | 2 September 1418 | Lord of Arlay, Cuiseaux and Vitteaux | Princess Mary | |
| 11. | Prince Louis I | none | 1390 | October 1417 | 3 December 1463 | Lord of Arlay, Arguel, Orbe, and Echelens | 1. Jeanne of Montbéliard 2. Eleanor d'Armagnac 3. Blanche of Gamaches | ||
| 12. | Prince William II | none | – | 3 December 1463 | 27 September 1475 | Lord of Arlay and Arguel | Catherine of Brittany | ||
| 13. | Prince John II | none | 1443 | 27 September 1475 | 15 April 1502 | Count of Tonnerre; Lord of Arlay, Arguel and Montfaucon; Admiral of Guyenne | 1. Jeanne de Bourbon 2. Philiberte of Luxembourg | ||
| 14. | Prince Philibert | 18 March 1502 | 15 April 1502 | 3 August 1530 | Viceroy of Naples; Prince of Melfi; Duke of Gravina; Count of Tonnerre, Charny, Penthièvre; Viscount of Besançon; Lord of Arlay, Nozeroy, Rougemont, Orgelet and Montfaucon, Lieutenant-General in the Imperial army. | no wife | |||
House of Chalon-Orange
Rene inherited the principality of Orange from his uncle Philbert on the condition that he bear the name and arms of the house of Chalon-Orange. Therefore, he is usually counted as one of the Chalon-Orange and history knows him as Rene of Chalon, rather than "of Nassau".[2]
| No | Name | Picture | Arms | Birth | Became Prince of Orange | Ceased to be Prince of Orange | Death | Other titles while Prince of Orange | Princess of Orange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | Prince René | 5 February 1519 | 3 August 1530 | 15 July 1544 | Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Guelders; Count of Nassau, and Vianden; Viscount of Antwerp; Baron of Breda, Diest, Herstal, Warneton, Beilstein, Arlay, and Nozeroy; Lord of Dasburg, Geertruidenberg, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, Klundert, Montfort, Naaldwijk, Niervaart, Polanen, Steenbergen, Bütgenbach, Sankt Vith, and Besançon. | Anna of Lorraine | |||
House of Orange-Nassau (first incarnation)
William of Nassau inherited the principality of Orange from his cousin René. Although William descended from no previous Prince of Orange, as René had no children or siblings, he exercised his right as sovereign prince to will Orange to his first cousin on his father's side, who actually had no Orange blood. This began the Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau.
Titular princes of Orange
| No. | Name | Picture | Arms | Birth | Became Prince of Orange | Ceased to be Prince of Orange | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John William Friso Johan Willem Friso |
14 August 1687 | 8 March 1702 | 14 July 1711 | |||
| 2 | William IV Willem Karel Hendrik Friso |
1 September 1711 | 14 July 1711 | 22 October 1751 | |||
| 3 | William V Willem Batavus |
8 March 1748 | 22 October 1751 | 9 April 1806 | |||
| 4 | William VI Willem Frederik |
24 August 1772 | 9 April 1806 | 16 March 1815 | 7 October 1840 | ||
Monarchy of the Netherlands
Heirs apparent
| Portrait | Name | Tenure | Life details | Monarch | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William (II) Willem Frederik George Lodewijk |
16 March 1815 – 7 October 1840 (25 years, 6 months and 21 days) |
6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849 (aged 56) XXX |
William I | ||
| William (III) Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk |
7 October 1840 – 17 March 1849 (8 years, 5 months and 10 days) |
19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890 (aged 73) XXX |
William II | ||
| William Willem Nicolaas Alexander Frederik Karel Hendrik |
17 March 1849 – 11 June 1879 (30 years, 2 months and 25 days) |
4 September 1840 – 11 June 1879 (aged 38) XXX |
William III | ||
| Alexander Willem Alexander Karel Hendrik Frederik |
11 June 1879 – 21 June 1884 (5 years and 10 days) |
25 August 1851 – 21 June 1884 (aged 38) XXX |
|||
| Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand |
30 April 1980 – 30 April 2013 (33 years) |
27 April 1967 (age 58) Eldest son of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, Willem-Alexander alexander became heir apparent following his mother's ascent to the throne. Following Beatrix's abdication, he assumed the position of King. |
Beatrix | [10] | |
| Catharina-Amalia Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria |
30 April 2013 – present (12 years, 11 months and 26 days) |
7 December 2003 (age 22) Eldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, Catharine-Amalia assumed the title Princess of Orange upon her father's ascent to the throne. A 1983 constitutional change altered the succession law to follow absolute primogeniture, ensuring the eldest child would be the heir apparent even if female. |
Willem-Alexander | [11][1] |
References
- 1 2 Hofverberg, Elin (October 7, 2022). "The Future Queen Regnants of Generation Z". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- 1 2
- ↑ Ross, Kelley L. Ph.D. "Princes of Orange, 1171–1584 AD". Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- 1 2 3 4
- ↑ Rowen, Herbert H. (1988). The princes of Orange: the stadholders in the Dutch Republic. Cambridge University Press. p. 29. ISBN 0-8063-4811-9.
- ↑ Rietstap, Johannes Baptist (1861). Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe: précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason. G.B. van Goor. p. 746.
Philip William used his father's original arms
- ↑ Rietstap, Johannes Baptist (1861). Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe: précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason. G.B. van Goor. p. 746.
a la exception de celebre prince Maurice qui portai les armes ...
- ↑ Haley, K(enneth) H(arold) D(obson) (1972). The Dutch in the Seventeenth Century. Thames and Hudson. p. 78. ISBN 0-15-518473-3.
- ↑ Anonymous. "Wapenbord van Prins Maurits met het devies van de Engelse orde van de Kouseband". Exhibit of a painted woodcut of Maurice's Arms encircled by the Order of the Garter in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ↑ Vanderwal Taylor, Jolanda (December 2, 2025). "Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Archived from the original on December 12, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "The Princess of Orange". Royal House of the Netherlands. Archived from the original on January 14, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.