The designation of King-Grand Duke was held by the three monarchs of the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau ( Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherland ...

that ruled

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...

, between 1815 and 1890. These monarchs thus held the titles of

King of the Netherlands King of The Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Koning der Nederlanden'') is the title of the Dutch head of state. The king serves as the head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which includes the constituent nations of the Netherlands, Curaçao, A ...

and

Grand Duke of Luxembourg The Grand Duke of Luxembourg ( lb, Groussherzog vu Lëtzebuerg, french: Grand-duc de Luxembourg, german: Großherzog von Luxemburg) is the monarchical head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it ...

concurrently, and, although not strictly a title in its own right, that of 'King-Grand Duke' was used in legislation and official documents in Luxembourg throughout the period. The three King-Grand Dukes were: *

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

(15 March 1815 – 7 October 1840) * William II (7 October 1840 – 17 March 1849) * William III (17 March 1849 – 23 November 1890) The titles separated in 1890. Under the Nassau Family Pact of 1783, all 'German' lands, including the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, were to be inherited by

Salic law The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old D ...

, whereas all non-German lands were unaffected. Thus, when Wilhelmina inherited the Dutch crown on the death of her father, William III, she was precluded from inheriting the crown of Luxembourg. Hence, it was inherited by

Adolphe ''Adolphe'' is a classic French novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1816. It tells the story of an alienated young man, Adolphe, who falls in love with an older woman, Ellénore, the Polish mistress of the Comte de P***. Their illicit ...

, formerly

Duke of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what is now the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine and later of the G ...

, parting the titles and ending the period of the King-Grand Dukes.

See also