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| William I | |
|---|---|
 William in ceremonial robes, by Joseph Paelinck, 1819 | |
| King of the Netherlands Grand Duke of Luxembourg | |
| Reign | 16 March 1815 – 7 October 1840 |
| Inauguration | 21 September 1815 |
| Predecessor | Louis II as King of Holland[1] |
| Successor | William II |
| Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands | |
| Reign | 20 November 1813 – 16 March 1815 |
| Successor | Himself as King |
| Prince of Orange | |
| Reign | 9 April – 12 July 1806, 19 October 1813 – 31 May 1815 |
| Predecessor | William V, Prince of Orange |
| Successor | Incorporated into Nassau |
| Prince of Nassau-Orange-Fulda | |
| Reign | 25 February 1803 – 27 October 1806 |
| Duke of Limburg | |
| Reign | 5 September 1839 – 7 October 1840 |
| Predecessor | Francis I |
| Successor | William II |
| King of Dutch East Indies | |
| Reign | 1816–1840 |
| Born | 24 August 1772 Huis ten Bosch, The Hague, Dutch Republic |
| Died | 12 December 1843 (aged 71) Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue | |
| House | Orange-Nassau |
| Father | William V, Prince of Orange |
| Mother | Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia |
| Religion | Dutch Reformed Church |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | |
William I (Willem Frederik; 24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1815 until his abdication in 1840.
Born as the son of William V, Prince of Orange, the last stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and Wilhelmina of Prussia, William experienced significant political upheavals early in life. He fought against the French invasion during the Flanders campaign, and after the Batavian Revolution in 1795, his family went into exile. He briefly ruled the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda before Napoleon's conquests forced him out of power. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1813, William returned to the Netherlands, where he was invited to assume the role of Sovereign Prince of the United Netherlands.
In 1815, William proclaimed himself king of the Netherlands and concurrently became the grand duke of Luxembourg. His reign saw the adoption of a new constitution, which granted him extensive powers, and he was a strong proponent of economic development, founding several universities and promoting trade. However, his efforts to impose the Reformed faith and the Dutch language in the southern provinces, combined with economic grievances, sparked the Belgian Revolution in 1830. Unable to suppress the rebellion, William ultimately accepted Belgian independence in 1839 under the Treaty of London.
William's later years were marked by dissatisfaction with constitutional changes and personal reasons, leading to his abdication in 1840 in favor of his son, King William II. He spent his final years in Berlin, where he died in 1843.
- ^ Foissy, M. (1830). La famille Bonaparte depuis 1264 (in French). Paris: Vergne. p. 101.