A new Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Thanks to YouTube I managed to catch most of the ceremonial and celebrations that marked the abdication of Grand Duke Henri and the accession of Grand Duke Guillaume V in Luxembourg last Friday.

The smaller scale of the capital, with the Grand Ducal Palace and the Chamber of Deputies side by side. and the crowds right in front of these locations conveys the intimacy and intertwining of public life in the Grand Duchy alongside that of its citizens. I imagine this is similar to the world of the smaller German states and their ruling families between 1871 and 1918.

The constitutional position of the Luxembourg monarchy is set out by Wikipedia at Monarchy of Luxembourg

For those who want to know more about the emergence of Luxembourg as an independent Grand Duchy in the nineteenth century Wikipedia has a number of relevant interlinked articles including Partitions of Luxembourg, which is especially relevant to the events of 1831-39 and the Luxembourg Crisis of the later 1860s, which led to the final recognition ot the Grand Duchy as sovereign and independent.

There is a good map from Brilliantmaps.com showing the original extent of the old Duchy of Luxembourg and the various territorial losses it has suffered in partitions since 1659 at The Partitions of Luxembourg

At the public events to mark the succession members of the Grand Ducal family and their guests could be seen wearing the insignia of at least two of the Luxembourg orders of chivalry

Most prominent was the golden riband with blue selvedges of the Gold Lion of House of Nassau. Created in 1858 by King-Grand Duke Willem/Guillaume III it is still under the joint sovereignty of the Dutch and Luxembourg monarchs. However whilst it is not the pre-eminent Dutch Order it is in Luxembourg. Wikipedia has a description of it together with illustrations at Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau

More junior members of the Grand Ducal House could be seen wearing the riband of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau. This was founded for the Duchy of Nassau by the last reigning Duke Adolphe, and revived by him as an Order for Luxembourg when he inherited the Grand Duchy in 1890. It is named after the only member of the dynasty to be elected as King of the Romans, the eponymous thirteenth century Adolphe of Nassau. The insignia of the Order are described and illustrated at Order of Adolphe of Nassau

I did not observe anyone wearing the riband of the other two Grand Ducal Orders, those of the

Oak Crown - described and illustrated at Order of the Oak Crown - or the more modern Order of Merit, which is covered in Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Something of the earlier history of the House of Nassau and its territories can be gleaned from Wikipedia at Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate and at Nassau Castle for the town and castle of Nassau.

The history of the family and its branches, notably those of Weilburg and of Orange, can be seen at House of Nassau

The history of the comital and later ducal territory of Nassau down to 1866 can be seen at County of Nassau and at Duchy of Nassau

The castle at Weilburg is described and illustrated at Schloss Weilburg

With prayers and every good wish for a long and happy reign for Grand Duke Guillaume V and Grand Duchess Stéphanie.