The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-07

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria IS the
full name of the little" Queen OF Holland.
whose wedding 20 Duke Henry Of Meek
lenburg- Schwe-in was celebrated today at
The Hague. the capital of the Netherlands,
amid great pomp and royal splendor. She
was born August 81. 1881. and were she
born in this country would be almost of
age. Being of royal birth, however, and
queen, she was declared Of age at eight
cen. when she assumed the reign of the
Kingdom of dykes. windmiIIs. and thrifty
Dutchmen
Wilhelmina is the daughter of the ia.e
King Willem III and of his second wife.
Princess Emma, who is daughter of
Prince George Victor of Waldeck viii
helmina succeeded to the throne on the
death of her father, November %, 1899;
came Of age August 81 1888, and took the
oath of reigning Queen September 6. 1888
During her minority her mother, the
Queen DowageT, was Queen Regent.
The royal family OF the Netherlands,
known as the House Of Orange. according
to Dutch historians, is descendant from
Count WaIram. a German Of the eleventh
century. The family acquired the barony
of Breda and became thereby settled in
the Netherlands through the marriage Of
Count EngeIbrecht. of the branch OF Otto,
Count of Nassau with Jane of POianen,
which took place in 1404 The alliance
with another heiress, only sister of the
chiIdIess Prince OF Orange and Count Of
ChaIons. enriched the house with fine
province in the south of France and
third matrimonial union, that of Prince
Willem III of Orange with daughter OF
King James II. led to the transfer OF the
crown of Great Britain TO that prince.
Previous 20 this period. the members OF
the family had acquired great influence In
the Republic OF the Netherlands under the
name of Stockholders" or governors. The
dignity was formally declared to be hered-
itary in 1747. in Willem "; but his sue
cessor. Wiiiem V had 70 escape to Eng
land in 1875, when the French republican
army invaded the Netherlands The fam
lily did not return till November 1873.
when the fate of the republic, released
from French supremacy, was IN
der discussion at the Congress Of Vienna.
After various diplomatic negotiations, the
Belgian provinces, subject before the
French revolution TO the House Of Aus
tria were ordered by the congress 70 be
annexed to the territory Of the republic,
and the whole to be erected into king
dom with the son of the last stakeholder,
WilIem =. as hereditary sovereign In
consequence. the latter was proclaimed
King OF the Netherlands at L ne hague on
the 18th of March. 1916. and recognized as
sovereign by all the Powers Of Europe
The established union between the north
err and southern provinces of the Meth
erlands was dissolved by the Belgian rev.
olutfon of 1880. and their political rela-
lions were not readiusted until the sign
ing of the treaty of London. April 10, 1899,
which constituted Belgium as an independ-
ent Kingdom King Willem I abdicated
in 1870. and beQueathed the crown 20 his
son, WfIlem II, who, after reign of nine
years. left 1t to his heir. Wiilem III
This monarch reigned forty-one years,
and died in 1890 and there being no male
heirs. he was succeeded by his only daugh-
ter, WiIheImina. whose marriage to Duke
Heinrich. of Meel1ienburg-Sc hweFin, has
taken place today. The House of Orange
has given the following soTereigns to the
Netherlands since its reconstruction as
kingdom by the Congress of Vienna: VIII
lem I, 1915; WiIIem II, 1870; Wiliem III.
1888; Wilhelmina. 1890.
Wilhelmina has been carefully trained
and prepared for her high office by far