Famous Dutch Historical Personalities

Beatrix of the Netherlands reigned as Queen of the Netherlands for 33 years. At the time of her abdication in favor of her son, she was the oldest-reigning monarch in the history of the monarchy of the Netherlands. As the queen, Beatrix had a huge impact on the Dutch people and continues to serve as a patron of several organizations.

Juliana of the Netherlands was the Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1980, during which she remained a popular member of the Dutch royal family. Her reign witnessed the decolonization and independence of Suriname and the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Several important places, including the Princess Juliana International Airport, are named after her.

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the only child of the King William III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, became queen at age 10. While she remained neutral during World War I, she went into exile to England during World War II. Her autobiography revealed her religious devotion.

William I of the Netherlands reigned as the king of the Netherlands from 1815 to 1840. Before declaring himself King of the Netherlands, William I had an influential career in the military. In 1790, he was made the Dutch States Army's general of infantry where he served under his father William V, who served as Captain-General. 

William III of the Netherlands was the king of the Netherlands for four decades from 1849 to 1890. The son of King William II and Anna Pavlovna of Russia, he ascended to the throne after the death of his father. The king’s behavior was often erratic, and it is speculated he suffered from a mental disorder.

William II took over as the king of the Netherlands after his father William I’s abdication. His reign witnessed the transformation of his country into a parliamentary democracy through the constitution of 1848. With F.A. van Hall as the finance minister, he helped his country attain a surplus.

William V, Prince of Orange served as the last stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1751 to 1795. He also ruled the Principality of Orange-Nassau from 1751 until his death on 9 April 1806. 

The queen consort of the Netherlands, Queen Máxima is the daughter of Argentine politician Jorge Zorreguieta. She initially worked in the sales departments of HSBC and Deutsche Bank. She apparently didn’t know she was meeting a prince when she met her future husband, King Willem-Alexander, at the Seville Spring Fair.

Henry VI of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was the Holy Roman Emperor in the 12th century. He was also the king of Germany and of Sicily, the latter through his marriage to Constance I. He failed in his attempt to make the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor a hereditary monarchy.

Born as the youngest daughter of Paul I of Russia, Anna Pavlovna was given in a political marriage to William II of the Netherlands, becoming the Queen Consort when her husband ascended the throne. Never at home in Netherlands, which was more egalitarian than Russia, she always identified herself as a Russian Grand Duchess rather than as a Dutch queen.

The daughter of Austria’s Archduke Charles II and Mary Anna of Bavaria, Margaret of Austria Queen of Spain, later became the queen of Spain and Portugal by virtue of her marriage to King Philip III of Spain, who was also Philip II of Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia.

John William Friso, the Prince of Orange, succeeded William III of Orange as the stadtholder of the provinces of Friesland and Groningen in the Dutch Republic and remained so until his death. Friso along with his wife, Marie Louise, is noted as the most recent common ancestors of all the currently reigning European monarchs.