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William I of the Netherlands

The Hague, 24 Aug 1772 – Berlin, 12 Dec 1843

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born24 Aug 1772, The Haguenot verified1 source
  • MarriedWilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlandsnot verified1 source
  • MarriedHenrietta d'Oultremontnot verified1 source
  • TitleKing of the Netherlands, 1815–1840or Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1815–1840not verified1 source
  • TitleGrand Duke of Luxembourg, 1815–1840or King of the Netherlands, 1815–1840not verified1 source
  • Died12 Dec 1843, Berlinnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 24 Aug 1772

    Born in The Hague

  2. 1792–1810

    5 children are born

  3. 1815–1840

    King of the Netherlands

  4. 1815–1840

    Grand Duke of Luxembourg

  5. 12 Dec 1843

    Dies in Berlin, aged 71

Family

See the tree

Partners

Children · 5

During his lifetime

He lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around The Hague.

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

The 1770s · William I is born in The Hague

In the news1770–1771

Migration during the 1770-71 famine

During the great famines of 1770–71, peasants from other parts of Germany migrated to Prussia where food supplies were more accessible.

Getting around

Trekschuit provided reliable, scheduled intercity travel

The trekschuit (horse-drawn barge) was the primary mode of public transport, running on fixed hourly schedules and connecting major towns with great reliability. Passengers could choose between the comfortable, cushioned 'roef' (first class) or the darker, cheaper 'ruim' (second class).

In Europe1772–1795

Poland is partitioned

Russia, Prussia and Austria divided Poland among themselves in three steps until, in 1795, it vanished from the map for 123 years.

Daily life

Stoven: wooden foot-warmers for winter

Women and children used wooden foot-warmers called stoven, which contained a small stone pot of glowing coals, to stay warm during winter mornings and evenings.

What people wore

Men's Japanese-style robes

For day-to-day use, men often wore a Japonse rok, or Japanese-style robe, both indoors and even when going out to the street.

Music

The challenging Egg Dance

In the tradition of the Egg Dance, performers danced among eggs spread on the ground, attempting to break as few as possible. Another challenging variation required the dancer to flip a bowl over an egg using only their feet.

At the table

Beer was the common everyday drink

Beer was safer to drink than local water, which could be contaminated, so it was consumed by both adults and children; this small beer had a low alcohol content of 0.5 to 1.5 percent.