Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau


Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau was a Dutch regent. She was the daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, and Anne, Princess Royal. She was regent of the Netherlands from 1765 until 1766 during the minority of her brother.

Life

Princess Carolina was born in Leeuwarden. 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.

Marriage and children

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. They had fifteen children, seven of whom survived to adulthood: