The royal family of the Netherlands. The
title is derived from the small principality
of Orange, in S France, held by the family
from the 8th century to 1713. They held
considerable possessions in the Netherlands,
to which, after 1530, was added the German
county of Nassau. From the time of William
the Silent (1533-1585) the family dominated
Dutch history, bearing the title of
stadholder (magistrate) for the greater part
of the 17th and 18th centuries. The son of
Stadholder William V became King William I in
1815.