| Wilhelmine of Prussia | |||||
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 Portrait byFriedrich Bury, 1815 | |||||
| Queen consort of the Netherlands Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg | |||||
| Tenure | 16 March 1815 – 12 October 1837 | ||||
| Born | (1774-11-18)18 November 1774 Potsdam,Prussia | ||||
| Died | 12 October 1837(1837-10-12) (aged 62) Noordeinde Palace,The Hague,Netherlands | ||||
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| House | Hohenzollern | ||||
| Father | Frederick William II of Prussia | ||||
| Mother | Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt | ||||
| Prussian Royalty |
| House of Hohenzollern |
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| Frederick William II |
Wilhelmine of Prussia (Friederike Luise Wilhelmine; 18 November 1774 – 12 October 1837) was the firstQueen of the Netherlands as the first wife of KingWilliam I of the Netherlands. She had a modest public role but acted as apatron of the arts.
Princess Wilhelmine was born inPotsdam. She was the fourth child of eight born toKing Frederick William II of Prussia andQueen Frederica Louisa. Her upbringing was dominated by the strict regime of her great-uncle,Frederick the Great, but in general very little is known about her youth. She was given a conventional education for a girl of her time and tutored in needlework and the arts, and described as pretty and sweet.[1]
On 1 October 1791, she married her cousinWilliam of the Netherlands, son ofStadtholderWilliam V, Prince of Orange andPrincess Wilhelmina of Prussia, inBerlin. The marriage was arranged as a part of an alliance between the House of Orange and Prussia, but it was also, in fact, a love match and became a happy one.[1] The young couple went to live atNoordeinde Palace inThe Hague.
In 1795, theFrench invaded theDutch Republic, and the princely family went into exile. They first stayed inEngland, and from 1796 in Berlin. In Berlin, the couple lived with her birth family in royal state in the "Niederländischen Palais" ('Dutch Palace').[1] In 1806, Wilhelmine was again forced to flee from the French army, and settled under difficult economic circumstances inSilesia.
Wilhelmine returned to The Hague at the beginning of 1814.
Wilhelmine became Queen of the Netherlands in 1815. At the time, the Netherlands included the present-day country of Belgium. The court divided their time between the two and divided their winters between The Hague and Brussels, and their summers between Het Loo and Laeken.[1] Wilhelmine personally visited Berlin once a year until her death, where she continued to live in the "Niederländischen Palast" during her visit. She participated in royal representation during her stay in Berlin, as well as attending to her estates in Silesia.[1]
Queen Wilhelmine was modest and stayed in the background, and she did not play any dominant role as queen.[1] She was beloved by her family but was not a popular queen, and was criticized in The Netherlands for isolating the royal family, and later Belgium for her German fashion. Beginning in 1820, her health worsened, and after 1829, she was rarely seen in public, though she continued her trips to Berlin and visiting relatives.[1]
She was interested in painting, attended exhibitions, and helped to protect museums and support artists.[1] She was herself a student of art and regarded as a talented dilettante, ultimately being inducted as an honorary member to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam.[1] She was a student ofFriedrich Bury, financed an Italian study trip forBonaventura Genelli, and supported the renovation of the royal museum.[1]
She died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague in 1837, aged 62, and is entombed in theNew Church inDelft.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| King William II of the Netherlands | 6 December 1792 | 17 March 1849 | married, 1816,Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia; had issue |
| Stillborn son | 18 August 1795 | 18 August 1795 | |
| Prince Frederick of the Netherlands | 28 February 1797 | 8 September 1881 | married, 1825,Princess Louise of Prussia; had issue |
| Princess Pauline of Orange-Nassau | 1 March 1800 | 22 December 1806 | |
| Stillborn son | 30 August 1806 | 30 August 1806 | |
| Princess Marianne of the Netherlands | 9 May 1810 | 29 May 1883 | married, 1830,Prince Albert of Prussia; had issue |
Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands Born: 18 November 1774 Died: 12 October 1837 | ||
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| Vacant Title last held by Hortense de Beauharnaisas Queen of Holland | Queen consort of the Netherlands Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg 1815–1837 | Vacant Title next held by Anna Pavlovna of Russia |
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