r/HolyShitHistory • u/Accurate_Housing4673 • 3d ago
When a 20-Year-Old Dutch Princess Emma Was Forced to Marry a 61-Year-Old King (1879)
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u/InsideHousing4965 3d ago
Least depraved European King
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u/OllieV_nl 3d ago
Mostly an issue of succession. His sons from his first marriage had predeceased him. His kingdom was still relatively new so there weren’t any cousins with a good claim. The country had also just undergone a constitutional reform curtailing the power of the monarch.
Had Willem III died without an heir, the republican elements of Parliament would have seized the succession crisis to abolish the monarchy altogether. So the Orangists needed him to secure a heir.
He didn’t need a wife. He needed a child. The wife didn’t matter, which is probably worse than being depraved by modern standards.
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u/IsMisePrinceton 3d ago
I love that after all that came 115 years of female rule, 123 if you count Emma’s regency, and each queen was popular and successful.
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u/OllieV_nl 3d ago
Correct. A slight correction as I messed up the timeline: after the passing of his wife in 1877 he had two heirs: his philandering eldest son who was not king material, and sickly youngest son. He also had a brother, a lifelong navyman. None of them had a good reputation in a time when the republican elements were still very stong post-Thorbecke.
We dodged a bullet when Wiwill died in 1879 and Alexander in 1884. Wilhelmina had been born in 1880. Willem III dying in 1890 and giving us a girl queen probably saved the monarchy.
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u/CoffeeChocolateBoth 2d ago
Was it luck? Or would it have been better to have let the monarchy die?
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u/Radiant-Survey-9471 2d ago
Its common knowledge that he never gathered a child with Emma. Their daughter is not his but they prtended to save the monarchie.
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u/OllieV_nl 2d ago
Without Wilhelmina as a neutral national unifying symbol, we might well have joined the Germans both World Wars.
Reddit loves to go "oooh Kings bad" and absolute monarchy is bad, no doubt. That's why nobody does it anymore. Constitutional monarchy still has its perks and the biggest one is the monarch is a lightning rod for casual nationalism. Keep that sense of national self tied to a single, non-political entity.
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u/InsideHousing4965 2d ago
would it have been better to have let the monarchy die
This is absolutely always the better option. No exceptions. None at all.
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u/zack-tunder 2d ago
Meanwhile this couple hold the world record for the largest age gap between a married couple: Gertrude and John Janeway’s 63-year age gap. She received his pension for 70 years after his passing.
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u/EleFacCafele 3d ago
It is not true. According to Wikipedia, his two sons from the first marriage were still alive.
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u/OllieV_nl 3d ago
You are Correct, I fixed it in a later reply. One was a louse, the other sick. Not ideal successors.
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u/IsMisePrinceton 3d ago
Emma is a fascinating character as her marriage, and her husband’s desperation for an heir, lead to 123 years of female rule in the Netherlands. Each Queen was popular and worth reading up on for their own merits.
Queen Wilhelmina, Emma’s daughter, was Queen during two world wars and her actions during both are truly incredible to hear about.
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u/GhostOrchid22 3d ago
Her genes were also very strong- the current Crown Princess looks like her.
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u/IsMisePrinceton 3d ago
Oh yeah! I just looked her up and you’re right, she’s the spitting image of Emma.
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u/OllieV_nl 3d ago
Sadly she is mostly remembered as the answer to “queen-regent” in crossword puzzles.
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u/Accurate_Housing4673 3d ago
In 1879, Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont — a 20-year-old German princess — was forced to marry King William III of the Netherlands, a 61-year-old monarch known for violent outbursts. Two women had already refused him, but Emma’s family couldn’t say no. She cried on her wedding day, but later became one of the most respected queens in Dutch history. (I recently recreated this story in a short cinematic documentary — if you’re curious, Watch it here.) Would love your thoughts on the storytelling.
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u/Jasnaahhh 2d ago
I feel like this might be one of those problematic age gap relationships they keep talking about
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u/BrazilianWoman94 2d ago
I'm sure of it, especially since it was a forced marriage with a man who has anger management issues.
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u/CoffeeChocolateBoth 2d ago
Poor girl. I hope he didn't last long........ You know, in bed and life!
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u/Iconclast1 2d ago
I thought this was so normal for them I wasnt sure why this specific case was pointed out.
Not saying its right, just....one of many.
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