William I was a Prince of Orange, the King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
He was the son of the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. After an agreement with Napoleon, he became the ruler of the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda from 1803 until 1806, when he was deposed by Napoleon. In November 1813, after the Defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig, he was asked to become the Sovereign Prince of the United Netherlands. He proclaimed himself King of the Netherlands on 16 March 1815. On 9 June of the same year, William I also became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and in 1839 he became the Duke of Limburg. After his abdication in 1840, he styled himself King William Frederick, Count of Nassau.