Luxembourg · 175th anniversary of the death of Grand Duke Guillaume I

Guillaume I., Willem I. in Dutch, descended from the House of Orange-Nassau. After the end of Napoleonic rule, he initially became sovereign prince of the Netherlands in 1813. The Congress of Vienna subsequently reorganised the region: in 1815, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was established, encompassing approximately the present-day Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Guillaume became king of this state and, at the same time, the first sovereign Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

Luxembourg was not an ordinary part of the Dutch kingdom. It existed as a separate grand duchy in personal union with the Netherlands: both countries had the same ruler but remained legally separate from one another. Luxembourg was also a member of the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund). The Fortress of Luxembourg was secured as a federal fortress by a predominantly Prussian garrison. These multiple ties shaped the country’s political position in nineteenth-century Europe.

Guillaume’s reign was characterised by the attempt to integrate the northern and southern parts of his kingdom more closely. However, differences in religion, language, political representation and economic policy led to conflicts. In the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the southern provinces broke away from Dutch rule. The final settlement took place in 1839: the western, predominantly French-speaking part of Luxembourg became part of the newly established Belgium and today forms its province of Luxembourg. The remaining territory continued as a grand duchy under Guillaume. Luxembourg thus acquired essentially its present-day territorial shape.

In 1840, Guillaume abdicated in favour of his son Guillaume II. The personal union with the Netherlands continued until 1890; thereafter, the two monarchies went their separate ways because of different succession laws.

The choice of commemorative occasion thus refers to the formative period of the modern grand duchy. Guillaume I. represents Luxembourg’s elevation to a grand duchy, its international integration following the Congress of Vienna, and the territorial reorganisation of 1839. The juxtaposition with the present head of state places this early period within Luxembourg’s enduring monarchical institution.