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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

Large garnet jewelry and hidden ears

In some hamlets, peasant families possessed garnet necklaces with stones as large as a swallow's egg. Gold earrings were also common, often worn fastened to the cap while the ears themselves remained hidden.

Getting around

Steam trains revolutionised travel between towns

With the arrival of the steam train in the late 19th century, travel between provinces became much faster, for example allowing travel between Apeldoorn and Amsterdam within two hours. Companies even offered promotional tickets for one guilder to attract passengers.

At the table

Food consumed half of wages

In the late 19th century, more than 50 percent of a worker's weekly wage was often spent on rent and food.

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

Church singing and organ accompaniment

Protestant church services often featured congregational singing accompanied by four-part choral music or organ playing.

Daily life

One-room living and cooking

Ordinary families often lived in a single-room home where cooking, living, and sleeping occurred, with a hearth serving as the sole source of heat and cooking.

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.