General Notes

William I, b. Aug. 24, 1772, d. Dec. 12, 1843, prince of Orange-Nassau and
first king of the Netherlands, renounced the throne when he was forced to
accept a constitutional monarchy. He was the son of stadholder William V
Commander of the Dutch army during the French Revolutionary
Wars, he went into exile after the downfall of the Dutch Republic in 1795.
After briefly coming to terms with Napoleon I in 1802, he was captured in
Germany (1806) while leading Prussian troops against the French emperor. He
was paroled and joined the Austrian service in 1809.

Returning to the Netherlands as sovereign prince in 1813, he accepted a mildly
liberal constitution the following year, and with the assent of the Congress
of Vienna, became (1815) king of a United Netherlands, including Belgium and
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. He governed with a strong hand, encouraging
economic growth by attempting to spur the expansion of industry and trade. His
policies in the provinces, offending both the Roman Catholic church and
liberals, led to the Belgian Revolution of 1830. When revision of the
constitution became necessary after the recognition of Belgian independence in
1839, he had to accept biennial budgets and ministerial responsibility. He
abdicated on Oct. 7, 1840, in favor of his son William II.