William
Duke of Nassau
William (French: Guillaume Alexandre; 22 April 1852 – 25 February 1912) reigned as the Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 17 November 1905 until his death. He succeeded his father, Adolphe. Like his father, William mostly stayed out of politics despite being vested with considerable power on paper by the Constitution. William was a Protestant, the religion of the House of Nassau. He married Princess Marie Anne of Portugal, believing that a Roman Catholic country ought to have a Roman Catholic monarch. Thus his heirs have been Catholic. At the death of his uncle, Prince Nikolaus-Wilhelm in 1905, the only other legitimate male in the House of Nassau-Weilburg was William's cousin, Georg Nikolaus, Count of Merenberg, the product of a morganatic marriage. So in 1907, William declared the Counts of Merenberg non-dynastic, naming his own eldest daughter Marie-Adélaïde (1894–1924) as heir presumptive to the grand ducal throne. She became Luxembourg's first reigning grand duchess upon her father's death in 1912, and upon her own abdication in 1919, was succeeded by her younger sister Charlotte (1896–1985). Charlotte's descendants reign until the present day. To date, William is the last monarch of Luxembourg to die on the throne.
The Hussar Regiment “Kaiser” No. 1 was set up as an Austrian-Habsburg cavalry unit. The unit then existed in the Austro-Hungarian Land Forces until it was dissolved in 1918. In 1756, Emperor Franz I used his own resources to set up a hussar regiment on his estates in Holitsch in Neutra County, which was initially called the “Emperor's Newly Established Hollitscher Hussar Regiment”. After the start of the Seven Years' War, the regiment was inspected by the emperor before its march to Bohemia in 1757 and was awarded its standard. From then on the unit was called “Kaiser-Hussars” When a cavalry ranking was drawn up in 1769, the unit was assigned the name Cavalry Regiment No. 2. With the highest order of November 30, 1898, the regiment was awarded a gold anniversary medal. This was to be attached to a silver trumpet of honor. On the front, the medal shows the portrait of Emperor Franz Joseph I in the bearer's uniform, the inscription "Franz Joseph I." and the coat of arms with crown. The back contained the dedication: “The owner of his Hussar Regiment No. 1, 1848 to 1898”. The trumpet of honor was equipped with gilded relief decorations and an embroidered gold fabric hanging.
The House of Nassau-Weilburg, a branch of the House of Nassau, ruled a division of the County of Nassau, which was a state in what is now Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1344 to 1806. On 17 July 1806, upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the principalities of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg both joined the Confederation of the Rhine. Under pressure from Napoleon, both principalities merged to become the Duchy of Nassau on 30 August 1806, under the joint rule of Prince Frederick August of Nassau-Usingen and his younger cousin, Prince Frederick William of Nassau-Weilburg. As Frederick August had no heirs, he agreed that Frederick William should become the sole ruler after his death. However, Frederick William died from a fall on the stairs at Schloss Weilburg on 9 January 1816 and it was his son William who later became duke of a unified Nassau. The sovereigns of this house afterwards governed the Duchy of Nassau until 1866. Since 1890, they have reigned over the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Awards: Insignia, star and sash of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, Stars of the Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau and the Order of the Oak Crown.
