Notable Characters

William of Orange; the 'Father of the Fatherland'. That his name was associated with Delft and the Nieuwe Kerk is purely coincidental. After his sudden death in the Prinsenhof in Delft, the family tomb in Breda was inaccessible.

It was around the year 1800 in the Low Countries. The era of stadholders was over, and Napoleon Bonaparte was advancing from the south. Then William I Frederick became the first king of the Netherlands and secured the dynasty of the Oranges.

William George Frederick of Orange-Nassau was the youngest son of the last stadholder William V and the brother of the first King of the Netherlands; William I Frederick. He was an inspiring army commander who, despite a nasty shoulder wound, fought courageously against the French.

Wilhelmina was queen for almost fifty-eight years; the longest reign since the creation of the Dutch constitutional monarchy in 1815. During that time, she led the country through two world wars as well as reconstruction.

Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg - or Prince Claus for short - married Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1966, Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 - 2013. Not everyone was happy with this prince of German origin. Later, however, his popularity only increased.

Queen Juliana was one of three members of the Royal Family who died in fairly quick succession and were buried in the Nieuwe Kerk. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Prince Claus. Husband Prince Bernhard followed Juliana the same year.

Prince Bernhard was the prince consort of Queen Juliana and the father of Princess Beatrix. He was born in the German grand duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach.

Hugo de Groot is considered one of the greatest jurists ever. With famous works such as De jure belli ac pacis and Mare Liberum, he laid the foundations for today's Western legal system. However, his influence was not appreciated by all.