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Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Noordeinde Palace, 31 Aug 1880 – Het Loo Palace, 28 Nov 1962

10 facts3 sources

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About Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands: A 58-Year Reign

AI-assisted · edited

The collection records Wilhelmina’s birth in 1880 at Noordeinde Palace. She was the daughter of King William III of the Netherlands and Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who served as regent during her minority. 1234

Wilhelmina was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. Her nearly 58-year reign made her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history. 564

Her recorded union was with Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her reign encompassed the First World War, the Dutch economic crisis of 1933, and the Second World War, placing a long period of European upheaval at the center of her monarchy. 74

Drafted with AI and edited against the collection. Open a citation to see the record, its sources and how certain it is.

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 31 Aug 1880

    Born in Noordeinde Palace

  2. 1890–1948

    King of the Netherlands

  3. 30 Apr 1909

    A daughter is born

  4. 28 Nov 1962

    Dies in Het Loo Palace, aged 82

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 1

During her lifetime

She lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Noordeinde Palace.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1880s · Wilhelmina is born in Noordeinde Palace

What people wore

Complex waistband took 90 minutes

Peasant women in Hindeloopen spent an hour and a half just arranging their complex black waistband sash.

Getting around

Horse-drawn trams offered smoother urban travel

In the late 19th century, horse-drawn trams were common for city and regional travel, with rails providing a smoother ride than the bumpy cobblestones. The number of tram passengers surged from 14.5 million in 1880 to over 170 million by 1910.

At the table

Potatoes were the staple food

For ordinary families, potatoes were the main staple, often eaten in one-pot meals, while meat was a rare luxury usually reserved for Sundays.

Electric light. Edison’s light bulb and his first power stations, in New York and London, began to light cities with electricity.Around the world · 1879–1882

Electric light. Edison’s light bulb and his first power stations, in New York and London, began to light cities with electricity.

KMJ, alpha masking by Edokter · CC BY-SA 3.0

Music

Street singers and tragic story cloths

Street singers performed songs about tragic events and local gossip while accompanying themselves on small organs, often using a 'smartlap'—a cloth banner illustrating the song's story—to guide their performance.

Daily life

Children and work at age twelve

Children from lower-class families left school at age twelve, as allowed by law, to begin working in factories for up to twelve hours a day.

What it cost

Weekly wages of an ordinary worker

Workers earned roughly 5 to 10 guilders per week, though many struggled on 6 guilders or less. Employment was often irregular, and laborers frequently relied on charity or bread support during winters.