Russia, Britain, and the House of Nassau: The Re-Establishment of the Orange Dynasty in the Netherlands, March-November 1813

On 15 March 1813, Tsar Alexander i, in pursuit of the retreating Grande Armée, passed through the Prussian city of Breslau. The Prince of Orange, William vi, who was residing in exile on his private estates nearby, seized the opportunity to meet the Tsar to request his assistance in retaking the Netherlands for the House of Orange. The Tsar was quick to pledge his support, and he accepted Orange into the anti-Napoleonic coalition that would defeat Napoleon in 1814.2 This anecdote raises several questions about the return of the House of Orange to the Netherlands. How could a stateless, destitu... Mehr ...