Princess Carolina
Princess consort of Nassau-Weilburg
Tenure5 March 1760 – 6 May 1787
Born(1743-02-28)28 February 1743
Leeuwarden
Died6 May 1787(1787-05-06) (aged 44)
Kirchheimbolanden
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1760)​
Issue
Detail		Georg Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Weilburg
Wilhelm Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Weilburg
Princess Maria
Wilhelmine Luise, Princess of Greiz
Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg
Karoline, Princess of Wied-Runkel
Prince Karl Ludwig
Prince Karl Wilhelm
Amalie, Princess of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
Henriette, Duchess of Württemberg
Prince Karl
HouseOrange-Nassau
FatherWilliam IV, Prince of Orange
MotherAnne, Princess Royal
ReligionDutch Reformed

Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau (Wilhelmine Carolina; 28 February 1743 – 6 May 1787)[1] was a Dutch regent. She was the daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, and Anne, Princess Royal. She was regent of the Netherlands from 1765 until 1766 during the minority of her brother, William V.

Life

Princess Carolina was born in Leeuwarden,[1] the eldest daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, and Anne, Princess Royal. In 1747, it was declared that the position of stadtholder could be inherited by females, thus making the young Princess Carolina the heir presumptive to the position of stadtholder. However, in 1748, a male heir, William, was born to her parents, thus displacing her and putting her second in line to the position. She was given a good education in music.

Princess Carolina's father died in 1751, making her three-year-old brother William V of Orange. At that point, her mother was appointed regent. Her marriage to Charles Christian of Nassau was discussed in 1758, but because of her position as the heir after her brother, her marriage was delayed by the government as well as by British monarch, who wished to discuss potential complications. In 1759, her mother died, and William V was still just ten years old. Then, Princess Carolina's paternal grandmother, Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel, was made regent. In 1760, Carolina finally married Charles Christian. Because of her position as the heir of her brother, the couple lived in The Hague at the Korte Voorhout and her spouse was appointed colonel in the Dutch army.

Her grandmother Marie Louise ruled until 1765, when she died. William V was now seventeen, but that was still not old enough to rule on his own, as he was legally a minor until his 18th birthday. So, Princess Carolina, being a legal adult, closest senior relative and the heir of the ruler, was therefore made regent. She ruled until 1766, when William V turned eighteen. Her rule was short and not remembered for much else than for the fact that she invited Mozart to perform in 1765.[2]

After her brother married and started to have children, Princess Carolina, now further and further away from the succession line, left for Germany. When her spouse served as the Dutch Governor of Maastricht in 1773-1784, she often lived with him there. Outside of her short regency, she never involved much in the political affairs of The Netherlands, and was occupied with constant child births.[2]

She died 6 May 1787 in Kirchheimbolanden, aged 44.[3]

Family

Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau and six of her children. From left to right: Princess Karoline, Princess Carolina holding Princess Amelia, Prince Karl Wilhelm, Princess Wilhelmine Luise, Princess Maria, and Prince Frederick William. Portrait by Anton Wilhelm Tischbein.

On 5 March 1760 in The Hague, during the regency of her grandmother Dowager Princess Marie Luise, Princess Carolina married Charles Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg. She was the only grandchild of George II of Great Britain who was married in his lifetime.[1] They had fifteen children, seven of whom survived to adulthood:

Ancestry

References

  1. 1 2 3 Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh, ed. (1977). Burke's Royal Families of the World, 1st edition. London: Burke's Peerage. p. 240. ISBN 0-85011-023-8.
  2. 1 2 Frans Willem Lantink, Carolina van Oranje-Nassau, in: Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland. URL: http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/CarolinaWilhelmina [19/08/2017]
  3. ↑ Bloks, Moniek (2019-01-25). Carolina of Orange-Nassau : ancestress of the royal houses of Europe. Winchester, UK. ISBN 9781785359156. OCLC 1085181371.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ↑ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 88.
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