Eyschen Ministry

The Eyschen Ministry was in office in Luxembourg for 27 years, from 22 September 1888 to 12 October 1915, when Paul Eyschen died.

As soon as he became head of government, Eyschen faced the problem of the succession to the throne.William III's state of health had been growing worse since January 1889, which implied there would soon be a change of dynasty. Due to the Nassau Family Pact concluded in 1783 between the lines of the House of Nassau, and confirmed by the treaties of Vienna and London and adopted in the Constitution of Luxembourg, if there was no male descendant in the Orange-Nassau branch, the crown of the Grand Duchy would go to the descendants of the other branch of the House of Nassau, the Nassau-Weilburg branch. William III's only child was a daughter, Wilhelmina, who did indeed succeed him on the throne of the Netherlands. For the Grand Duchy, however, the legitimate heir was Adolphe, the Duke of Nassau.

Eyschen's predecessor, Félix de Blochausen, had been in favour of maintaining the personal union with the Netherlands, even after the death of William III. Eyschen on the other hand had Adolphe appointed regent as soon as William III could no longer perform his duties due to illness. Eyschen was seeking to pave the way for a change in dynasties, and avoid a "Luxembourg question" from cropping up when the king died.

Adolphe exercised the regency on two occasions, from 11 April to 3 May 1889, and from 4 to 23 November 1890, the day of William III's death. On 9 December, he took his oath on the Constitution as the Grand Duke. The first Nassau-Weilburg rulers hardly intervened in the government of the country at all, and mostly resided outside of Luxembourg. Adolphe was 73 years old when he became Grand Duke; William IV, who succeeded him in 1905, was bedridden due to illness. William had six girls and no sons, which caused the issue of succession to raise its head again. In 1907, Eyschen put a law through the legislature declaring William's eldest daughter Princess Marie-Adélaïde the rightful successor. The new ruling family's restraint contrasted with the autocratic regime of the house of Orange-Nassau, and allowed the Eyschen government a large amount of discretion. The fact that Luxembourg now had a national dynasty was another step towards the country's political emancipation on the international stage. From now on, foreign diplomats were accredited to the Grand Ducal court and its government in Luxembourg.

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