William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1905 to 1912 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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William IV (French: Guillaume Alexandre; 22 April 1852 – 25 February 1912) was Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 17 November 1905 until his death in 1912. He succeeded his father, Adolphe. Like his father, William mostly stayed out of politics despite being vested with considerable power on paper by the Constitution.
William IV | |
---|---|
Grand Duke of Luxembourg | |
Reign | 17 November 1905 – 25 February 1912 |
Predecessor | Adolphe |
Successor | Marie-Adélaïde |
Regent | Grand Duchess Maria Anna (1908–1912) |
Prime Minister | Paul Eyschen |
Born | (1852-04-22)22 April 1852 Biebrich Palace, Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau |
Died | 25 February 1912(1912-02-25) (aged 59) Berg Castle, Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg |
Burial | |
Spouse | Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal (m. 1893) |
Issue | Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Hilda, Princess of Schwarzenberg Antonia, Crown Princess of Bavaria Elisabeth, Princess Ludwig Philipp of Thurn and Taxis Sophie, Princess Ernst Heinrich of Saxony |
House | Nassau-Weilburg |
Father | Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg |
Mother | Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau |
Religion | Protestantism |
William was a Protestant, the religion of the House of Nassau. He married Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal, believing that a Roman Catholic country ought to have a Roman Catholic monarch. Thus his heirs have been Catholic.
At the death of his uncle, Prince Nikolaus-Wilhelm in 1905, the only other legitimate male in the House of Nassau-Weilburg was William's cousin, Georg Nikolaus, Count of Merenberg, the product of a morganatic marriage. So in 1907, William declared the Counts of Merenberg non-dynastic, naming his own eldest daughter Marie-Adélaïde (1894–1924) as heiress presumptive to the grand ducal throne. She became Luxembourg's first reigning grand duchess upon her father's death in 1912, and upon her own abdication in 1919, was succeeded by her younger sister Charlotte (1896–1985). Charlotte's descendants reign until the present day.
To date, William is the last monarch of Luxembourg to die on the throne.