Luxembourg · 125 years of the Luxembourg Nassau Weilburg dynasty

Issue date15 Oct 2015

Total mintage511,500

EU maximum1,400,000

Editions4

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

Inscription1890 — Dynastie Nassau-Weilbourg / Luxemburg / 2015

DesignerHerbert Wähner

mintKoninklijke Nederlandse Munt, Utrecht

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 125th anniversary of the Nassau-Weilburg dynasty. The design features Grand Duke Henri as well as, in chronological order of their accession to the throne, the portraits of Grand Dukes Adolphe, Guillaume IV and Jean and Grand Duchesses Marie-Adélaïde and Charlotte. It is complemented by the inscription “1890 — Dynastie Nassau-Weilbourg” as well as “Luxemburg” and the year “2015”.

The design

On the left side of the coin is the portrait of His Royal Highness, Grand Duke Henri, and on the right side, in a circular arrangement and in chronological order of accession to the throne, the portraits of Their Royal Highnesses, Grand Dukes Adolphe and Guillaume IV, Grand Duchesses Marie-Adélaïde and Charlotte, and Grand Duke Jean. On the right side of the design, also arranged in a circle, is the inscription “1890 — Nassau-Weilbourg dynasty”. Vertically positioned in the centre of the coin design are the issuing country “Luxembourg” and the year “2015”.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Background on the topic

The dynastic reference point is the death of the Dutch king and Luxembourgish Grand Duke Wilhelm III in 1890. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Netherlands and Luxembourg had been linked by a personal union: both states had the same monarch, but remained legally separate. In the Netherlands, Wilhelmina, the daughter of Wilhelm III, was able to ascend the throne. In Luxembourg, however, the succession rules of the House of Nassau applied, according to which a male member of another line had precedence at that time.

The Luxembourgish crown therefore passed to Adolph, the former Duke of Nassau. His duchy had been annexed by Prussia after the Austro-Prussian War (Deutscher Krieg) of 1866. With his accession in Luxembourg, the personal union with the Netherlands came to an end. The year 1890 thus represents not only a change of ruling house, but also the beginning of an independent Luxembourgish succession to the throne.

Since Adolph’s son Wilhelm IV had no son, the house law was amended. This enabled his eldest daughter Marie-Adelheid to succeed him. Her reign coincided with the First World War, during which Luxembourg was occupied by German troops. Because of domestic political conflicts and criticism of her conduct during the occupation, she abdicated in 1919. Her sister Charlotte succeeded her to the throne. In the same year, a referendum confirmed the continuation of the monarchy.

During the German occupation in the Second World War, Charlotte went into exile with the government and addressed the Luxembourgish population in radio broadcasts. In 1964, she transferred her official duties to her son Jean. Under Jean and later Henri, the role of the Grand Duke continued to develop within the framework of the parliamentary and constitutional monarchy.

The anniversary provided an opportunity to depict the dynastic continuity that had existed since 1890 and, at the same time, the separation of the Luxembourgish crown from the Dutch crown. The succession of rulers also points to political turning points such as two world wars, abdications and changes to the succession rules.