Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
| Adolphe | |
|---|---|
Photograph by Ludwig Angerer
|
|
| Grand Duke of Luxembourg | |
| Reign | 23 November 1890 – 17 November 1905 |
| Predecessor | William III |
| Successor | William IV |
| Duke of Nassau | |
| Reign | 20 August 1839 – 20 September 1866 |
| Predecessor | William |
| Born |
24 July 1817 Biebrich Palace, Wiesbaden |
| Died | 17 November 1905 (aged 88) Schloss Hohenburg, Lenggries |
| Burial | Schlosskirche ("Castle Church") in Weilburg since 1953 |
| Spouse |
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau |
| Issue |
William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Hilda, Grand Duchess of Baden |
| House | Nassau-Weilburg |
| Father | Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau |
| Mother | Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau (Adolf Wilhelm August Karl Friedrich) (24 July 1817 – 17 November 1905) was the first monarch of Luxembourg from the House of Nassau-Weilburg.
He was a son of William, Duke of Nassau (1792–1839) and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Adolphe's half-sister, Sophia of Nassau, was the wife of Oscar II of Sweden.
Adolphe became Duke of Nassau in August 1839, after the death of his father. Wiesbaden had by this time become the capital of the Duchy and Adolphe took up residence in the newly constructed Stadtschloss in 1841. On 4 March 1848 he consented to the population of Nassau's 9 "Demands of the Nassauers". A few years later, however, he revoked his liberal views and took a strongly conservative and reactionary course. In general, though, he was seen as a popular ruler. He supported the Austrian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. After Austria's defeat, Nassau was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia and he lost his throne on 20 September 1866.
In 1879, Adolphe's niece Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, the daughter of another of his half-sisters, married William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In 1890, their only daughter Wilhelmina succeeded on his death without surviving male issue to the Dutch throne, but was excluded from the succession to Luxembourg by Salic Law. The Grand Duchy, which had been linked to the Netherlands in personal union since 1815, passed to Adolphe in accordance with the Nassau Family Pact. Adolphe was King-Grand Duke William III's 17th cousin once removed through male line, which is the greatest distance over which a crown was inherited.
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