Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau

Princess Carolina was born in Leeuwarden.[1] In 1747, it was declared that the position of stadtholder could be inherited by females, thus making the young Princess Carolina the heir presumptive to the position of stadtholder. However, in 1748, a male heir, William, was born to her parents, thus displacing her and putting her second in line to the position.

Princess Carolina's father died in 1751, making her three-year-old brother William V of Orange. At that point, her mother was appointed regent. However, in 1759, her mother died, and William V was still just ten years old. Then, Princess Carolina's paternal grandmother, Princess Marie-Luise, was made regent. Marie-Luise was regent until 1765, when she died. William V was now seventeen, but that was still not old enough to rule on his own. So, Princess Carolina was made regent. She ruled until 1766, when William V turned eighteen.

She died 6 May 1787 in Kirchheimbolanden, aged 44.[2]

On 5 March 1760 in The Hague, during the regency of her grandmother Princess Marie Luise, Princess Carolina married Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg.[1] They had fifteen children, seven of whom survived to adulthood:

• Georg Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (The Hague, 18 December 1760 – Honselaarsdijk, 27 May 1762)
• Wilhelm Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (The Hague, 12 December 1761 – Kirchheim, 16 April/26 April 1770)
• Augusta Carolina Maria of Nassau-Weilburg (The Hague, 5 February 1764 – Weilburg, 25 January 1802). A nun in Quedlinburg and Herford.
• Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg, then of Nassau (The Hague, 28 September 1765 – Greiz, 10 October 1837), married in Kirchheim on 9 January 1786 Prince Reuss-Greiz (Greiz, 16 February 1747 – Greiz, 29 January 1817), and had issue:
  • Prince Heinrich XVIII (31 March 1787 – 31 March 1787)
  • Prince Heinrich XIX (1 March 1790 – 31 October 1836), married in 1822 to Princess Gasparine of Rohan-Rochefort, had issue.
  • Heinrich XX, Prince Reuss-Greiz (29 June 1794 – 8 November 1859), married firstly in 1834 to Princess Sophie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, no issue, Princess Sophie died in 1838; Married secondly in 1839 to Landgravine Karoline of Hesse-Homburg, had issue.
• Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (25 October 1768, The Hague – 9 January 1816).
• Karoline Luise Friederike of Nassau-Weilburg (Kirchheim, 14 February 1770 – Wiesbaden, 8 July 1828), married in Kirchheim on 4 September 1787 Karl Ludwig, Prince zu Wied (Dierdorf, 9 September 1763 – Dierdorf, 9 March 1824), without issue
• Karl Ludwig of Nassau-Weilburg (Kirchheim, 19 July 1772 – Kirchheim, 27 July 1772)
• Karl Wilhelm Friedrich of Nassau-Weilburg (Kirchheim, 1 May 1775 – Weilburg, 11 May 1807), unmarried and without issue
• Princess Amalie Charlotte of Nassau-Weilburg (Kirchheim, 7 August 1776 – Schaumburg, 19 February 1841), married firstly in Weilburg on 29 October 1793 Victor II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, and had issue, and married secondly in Schaumburg on 15 February 1813 Friedrich, Baron von Stein-Liebenstein zu Barchfeld (14 February 1777 – 4 December 1849), and had issue
• Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg (22 April 1780 – 2 January 1857). Married Duke Louis of Württemberg, second son of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg.
• Karl of Nassau-Weilburg (1784 – shortly thereafter)
• Four nameless, stillborn children (1767, 1778, 1779, 1785)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau.

• Carolina of Orange-Nassau - Ancestress of the Kings and Queens of Europe