Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Encyclopedia
William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (22 April 1852 - 25 February 1912) reigned as the sovereign Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Grand Duke of Luxembourg
The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the sovereign monarch and head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was elevated from a duchy when placed in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
from 17 November 1905 until his death. He succeeded his father, Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Biography:...
. He also held the titular title of Duke of Nassau.
William IV was a Protestant, the religion of the House of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
. He married Marie Anne of Portugal, believing that a Roman Catholic country ought to have a Roman Catholic monarch. Thus since William IV all other Grand Dukes 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
Count of Merenberg
Count of Merenberg is the title bestowed in 1868 by the reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, George Victor, upon the morganatic wife and male-line descendants of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau , who married Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina , former wife of Russian General Mikhail Leontievich...
, 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 heir to the grand ducal throne. She became Luxembourg's first reigning female monarch 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 have reigned until the present day.
He was the last monarch of Luxembourg to die in office.
Family
On 21 June 1893 in Fischhorn Castle, Zell am SeeZell am See
Zell am See is the capital city of the Zell am See district in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The city has about 10,000 inhabitants.Zell am See is a tourist destination and a transportation hub for the region...
, he married Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal, daughter of the deposed king Miguel I of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg was the wife of King Miguel of Portugal but only following his deposition. As a widow, she secured advantageous marriages for their six daughters.-Family:...
. The couple had six daughters, but no sons:
- Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (1894–1924) who remained unmarried and childless
- Charlotte, Grand Duchess of LuxembourgCharlotte, Grand Duchess of LuxembourgCharlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964.-Early life and life as Grand Duchess:...
(1896–1985) who married her first cousin Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, a son of Marie Anne's younger sister. - Princess Hilda Sophie Marie Adélaïde Wilhelmine (Berg CastleBerg CastleBerg Castle , also called Colmar-Berg, is the principal residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It is situated in the town of Colmar-Berg, in central Luxembourg, near the confluence of the Alzette and the Attert, two of Luxembourg's most important rivers.-History:The estate at Colmar-Berg first...
, 15 February 1897 - Berg CastleBerg CastleBerg Castle , also called Colmar-Berg, is the principal residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It is situated in the town of Colmar-Berg, in central Luxembourg, near the confluence of the Alzette and the Attert, two of Luxembourg's most important rivers.-History:The estate at Colmar-Berg first...
, 8 September 1979), married in Berg CastleBerg CastleBerg Castle , also called Colmar-Berg, is the principal residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It is situated in the town of Colmar-Berg, in central Luxembourg, near the confluence of the Alzette and the Attert, two of Luxembourg's most important rivers.-History:The estate at Colmar-Berg first...
on 29 October 1930 Adolf 10th Prince of SchwarzenbergAdolph SchwarzenbergAdolph Schwarzenberg was a notable landowner, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was the eldest son of Johann and Therese Schwarzenberg, née Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg...
(FrauenbergHluboká nad VltavouHluboká nad Vltavou ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, near České Budějovice. This town was a favourite of Charles IV, who often visited when residing in České Budějovice...
, 18 August 1890 - BordigheraBordigheraBordighera is a town and comune in the Province of Imperia, Liguria .-History:The city was founded around the 4th century BC by the Ligures....
, 27 February 1950), without issue - Princess Antonia (1899–1954), who married Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria as his second wife
- Princess ElisabethPrincess Elisabeth of Luxembourg (1901–1950)Princess Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine of Luxembourg, full French name: Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine de Nassau-Weilburg, Princesse de Luxembourg was a member of the House of Nassau-Weilburg and a Princess of Luxembourg by birth and a member of the House of Thurn...
(LuxembourgLuxembourg (city)The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
, 7 March 1901 - Schloss Hohenburg, 2 August 1950), married in Schloss Hohenburg on 14 November 1922 Prince Ludwig Philipp of Thurn and TaxisPrince Ludwig Philipp of Thurn and TaxisPrince Ludwig Philipp Maria Friedrich Joseph Maximilian Antonius Ignatius Lamoral of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Ludwig Philipp Maria Friedrich Joseph Maximilian Antonius Ignatius Lamoral, Prinz von Thurn und Taxis, also Louis Philippe was a...
(RegensburgRegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, 2 February 1901 - Schloss Niederaichbach, 22 April 1933), son of Albert I, Prince of Thurn and TaxisAlbert I, Prince of Thurn and TaxisAlbert Maria Joseph Maximilian Lamoral, Prince of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Albert Maria Joseph Maximilian Lamoral Fürst von Thurn und Taxis was the eighth Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 2 June 1885 until his death on 22...
, and had issue - Princess SophiePrincess Sophie of LuxembourgPrincess Sophie of Luxembourg was a Princess of Luxembourg by birth and a Princess of Saxony by marriage. Sophie was the sixth and youngest daughter of William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and his wife Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal...
(Berg CastleBerg CastleBerg Castle , also called Colmar-Berg, is the principal residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It is situated in the town of Colmar-Berg, in central Luxembourg, near the confluence of the Alzette and the Attert, two of Luxembourg's most important rivers.-History:The estate at Colmar-Berg first...
, 14 February 1902 - MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 24 May 1941), married at Schloss Hohenburg on 12 April 1921 Prince Ernst Heinrich of SaxonyPrince Ernst Heinrich of SaxonyPrince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony, Duke of Saxony was a member of the Saxon Royal Family. Ernst Heinrich was the youngest son of the last Saxon monarch Frederick Augustus III and his wife Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany...
(DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, 9 December 1896 - Coolamber, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, 14 June 1971), youngest son of king Frederick Augustus III of SaxonyFrederick Augustus III of SaxonyThis article is about King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony. For the elector Frederick Augustus III, see Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.Frederick Augustus III was the last King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin.Born in Dresden, Frederick Augustus was the son of King George of Saxony...
, and had issue
Titles an styles
- 22 April 1852 – 20 September 1866: His Highness The Hereditary Prince of Nassau
- 20 September 1866 – 23 November 1890: His Highness Prince Wilhelm Alexander of Nassau-Weilburg
- 23 November 1890 – 17 November 1905: His Royal Highness The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg
- 17 November 1905 – 25 February 1912: His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Luxembourg