Luxembourg · Grand Dukes Henri and Adolphe

Grand Duke Adolphe was initially Duke of Nassau. This duchy was annexed by Prussia in 1866 after the Austro-Prussian War (Deutscher Krieg), as Adolphe had sided with Austria. His rule in Luxembourg began in 1890 after the death of the Dutch king and Luxembourg Grand Duke Wilhelm III. Until then, the Netherlands and Luxembourg had been linked by a personal union: both states had the same monarch but remained legally independent.

The personal union ended because of different succession rules. In the Netherlands, Wilhelmina, the daughter of Wilhelm III, was able to assume the throne. In Luxembourg, however, the Nassauischer Erbverein applied, under which the crown at that time passed to a male member of the House of Nassau. Adolphe thus became Grand Duke. With him began the Luxembourg ruling line of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, which continues to this day. During his reign, he largely left the ongoing affairs of government to Luxembourg’s political institutions.

Henri is a great-great-grandson of Adolphe. He succeeded his father, Grand Duke Jean, to the throne after his abdication in 2000. Luxembourg is a parliamentary monarchy. The Grand Duke is the head of state, while political responsibility lies with the elected Chamber of Deputies and the government. His duties primarily include representing the state, as well as constitutionally defined functions in the formation of the government and the legislative process.

The depiction of both rulers together links the present-day monarchy with the transition from the Dutch-Luxembourgish personal union to Luxembourg’s own dynasty. Adolphe thus represents the dynastic new beginning of 1890, while Henri represents the continuation of this line today. The temporal overlap of several personal and national anniversaries provided the immediate occasion for depicting both of them together on one coin. At the same time, the portrait of the ruler follows the Luxembourg tradition of depicting the head of state on the national sides of euro coins.