Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Grand Duchess Stéphanie are in France this Wednesday July 1 where they will meet Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron. This visit to the Élysée is a first for the Grand Duke since he acceded to the throne of Luxembourg on October 3, following the abdication of his father Henri. Aged 70, the latter gave way to his eldest son, aged 43, after spending a quarter of a century at the head of this small European monarchy, whose status is still an exception.
Luxembourg is in fact the only country in the world where the head of state bears the title of grand duke. Raised to the rank of grand duchy in 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, this territory of 2,500 square kilometers became an independent state while initially remaining attached to the crown of the Netherlands. Having since severed this link, the country has retained its status and evolved into a parliamentary monarchy. The Grand Duke only has symbolic powers. A look back at the history of this state like no other.
A grand duchy attached to the Netherlands in 1815
First a county, then a duchy, Luxembourg successively belonged to the Holy Roman Empire then to the Dukes of Burgundy in the Middle Ages, before passing into the hands of the Spanish Netherlands under the Habsburg dynasty (1512-1713), then the Austrian Netherlands (from 1713). In 1795, the territory was annexed by Napoleon I, who made it a French department.
In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, the great European powers, who had defeated Napoleon, redrew the borders of Europe. Luxembourg is then detached from France and must become a buffer state between the Netherlands, Prussia and France. Home to one of the largest fortresses on the continent, the former duchy nicknamed “Gibraltar of the North”, is considered a highly strategic territory and must be prevented at all costs from falling back into the fold of a great power. A diplomatic compromise was therefore found.
Luxembourg is granted the status of grand duchy, a rank higher than a duchy or principality, but lower than a kingdom. He is entrusted in “personal union” to the King of the Netherlands. This means that it becomes an independent state – with its own laws and institutions – but remains ruled by the monarch of the Netherlands. At this time, the King of the Netherlands, William I of Orange-Nassau, also became the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
Independence in 1890
Even though Luxembourg is independent on paper, the King of the Netherlands treats it like a province, which causes some discontent among Luxembourgers. In 1830, a large part of the population joined the Belgian revolution and the territory was subsequently split in two: the French-speaking half became Belgian, while the other half retained the status of a grand duchy.
In 1848, under popular pressure, the grand duchy obtained its first constitution and a parliament. In 1868, the Prussian garrison withdrew. In 1890, on the death of William III, King of the Netherlands, his daughter inherited the throne. However, the Salic law of Luxembourg prohibits having a sovereign. The grand duchy therefore passed to another member of the House of Nassau: Adolphe of Nassau-Weilbourg. Luxembourg therefore becomes independent from the Dutch crown.
The democratic turning point of 1919
After the First World War, Luxembourgers were asked to vote in a referendum on maintaining the monarchy. A grand duchess is then at the head of the country, a female reign authorized by a reform of 1907.
The country is going through a political crisis, having emerged very weakened from the Great War and accused of having been under German influence. Its very existence finds itself threatened for a time. Finally, Luxembourgers express through this referendum their attachment to independence and their desire to maintain a sovereign (78% are in favor).
Luxembourg therefore remains an independent parliamentary monarchy. A constitutional revision strengthens national sovereignty and the power of parliament. The Grand Duke can no longer govern alone and his role becomes more representative.
The end-of-life law crisis in 2008
If the real power in Luxembourg is in the hands of the government and parliament, until the 2000s the Grand Duke had to sign the laws for them to come into force.
However, in 2008, Grand Duke Henri, a fervent Catholic, refused to validate a law on euthanasia, citing his freedom of conscience. This unprecedented gesture plunges the country into a constitutional crisis. The Prime Minister at the time, Jean-Claude Juncker, then had the constitution modified, in just ten days, so that the Grand Duke no longer had the power to “sanction” laws, but only to promulgate them.
As head of state, the Grand Duke has essentially symbolic prerogatives. Guillaume should not upset this practice of power. His prerogatives remain limited: he will be responsible for appointing the prime minister and ministers (based on electoral results), promulgating the laws passed and representing his country abroad.
