Dutch nobility is regulated by act of law in the Wet op de adeldom (Law Regarding Nobility, passed into law on May 10, 1994) and is overseen by the (High Council of Nobility), an official state institution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Before 1814, the history of nobility was separate for each of the Dutch provinces. In the Early Middle Ages, there were, in each province, a number of feudal lords who often were just as powerful, and sometimes more so, than the rulers themselves. In old times, no title other than knight existed.
In the middle of the fourteenth century, quarrels between the feudal lords reduced many families and castles to ruins, contributing to the Dukes of Burgundys' acquisition by conquest or inheritance of many of the provinces forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In 1581, representatives of the Seven Provinces abjured Philip II of Spain, heir of the Dukes of Burgundy. This left a great part of the executive and legislative power to the Ridderschap (knightly estate) of each province, which consisted of the representatives of those families of the old feudal nobility.
In 1795, the Batavian Revolution did away with their power, and it was not before 1813, when William I became King of the Netherlands, that they were again given power in another form. Still, by the time of the constitution of 1848, they had no influence in government affairs.
In 1813, if no higher title was recognised, the men only were to bear the hereditary predicate of Jonkheer. Some old feudal families obtained or assumed the title of Baron or Baroness for all their descendants.
Older nobility, having been granted their titles by either the Holy Roman Emperors or French Kings long before 1813, held their pre-existent titles, some of which were confirmed in the new Kingdom of the Netherlands (such as the families Bentinck, Limburg Stirum and Van Rechteren). In some of these families it is more usual that only the oldest male descendant bears the family title while other descendants bear the predicate of Jonkheer (m) or Jonkvrouw (f).
Princes/Princesses Van Oranje-Nassau; members of the royal house are Prince of the Netherlands and/or Prince of Orange-Nassau De Bourbon de Parme; some members of the royal family (descendants of Princess Irene of the Netherlands) are Prince of Bourbon de Parme De Riquet de Caraman; the head of the family is the Prince of Chimay Wellesley; the Duke of Wellington in the peerage of the United Kingdom also holds the Dutch & Belgian title Prince of Waterloo Following the House of Lords Act 1999, the current Prince has sat in the British House of Lords as a representative hereditary peer under his British title since 2015. See https://members.parliament.uk/member/4541/career
Dukes/Duchesses The title Duke/Duchess (Hertog in Dutch) is no longer in existence in noble families of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in this day and age.
Marquises/Marquesses Le Poer Trench; the Earl of Clancarty in the peerage of Ireland is the Marquis of Heusden, Following the House of Lords Act 1999, the current (and presumed last) Marquis has sat in the British House of Lords as a representative hereditary peer under his British title since 2010. See https://members.parliament.uk/member/3391/career D'Auxy Van Hoensbroeck (this family left the Netherlands in the 19th century. Known in Germany as Graf von und zu Hoensbroech, the head of this family bears the titles of Marquis and Count von und zu Hoensbroech)
Counts/Countesses Bijl D'Auxy Bentinck-Aldenburg Van den Bosch Van den Bergh Van Bylandt Dumonceau Van der Duyn Van Bruggen Festetics de Tolna De Ficquelmont / De Ficquelmont de Vijle De Geloes Van der Goltz Van Heerdt Van Heiden De Hochepied Van Hoensbroeck Van Hogendorp Van Limburg Stirum Van Lynden De Marchant et d'Ansembourg Van Mijnsheerenland; The title (Dutch: Graaf) belongs to the family of the Marquise van Eeden, and is bestowed upon the eldest male heir. They also bear the titles of Viscount (Burggraaf) van Binnenmaas and in Belgium Baron van Moerkerken-Damme. De Norman et d'Audenhove Von Oberndorff Van Oijen Van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg; members of this family are Count of Oranje-Nassau as well Jonkheer van Amsberg De Perponcher Sedlnitsky Von Quadt Van Randwijck Von Ranzow Van Rechteren / Van Rechteren Limpurg van Renesse (extinct since 1855) De Riquet de Caraman Schimmelpenninck Zu Stolberg-Stolberg Van Wassenaer Wolff Metternich Van Zuylen van Nijevelt De Spangen
Viscounts/Viscountesses Van Binnenmaas; The title (Dutch: Burggraaf) belongs to the family of the Marquess van Eeden, and is bestowed upon the eldest male heir. They also bear the titles of Count (Dutch: Graaf) van Mijnsheerenland and in Belgium Baron van Moerkerken-Damme. (Viscount of Nieuport) Du Bus Roest van Alkemade
Barons/Baronesses
d'Ablaing van Giessenburg (extinct in the Netherlands)(Now prominent in the US) Van Aerssen Beijeren van Voshol Van Asbeck d'Aulnis de Bourouill Bijl Baud Bentinck van Blommestein Van Boetzelaer Van der Borch van Verwolde Van der Borch tot Verwolde Van der Borch tot Verwolde van Vorden Van der Borch genaamd van Rouwenoort Brantsen Bijl Van Dalen Van Breugel Calkoen Van der Capellen Van Coeverden Collot d'Escury Constant de Rebecque Creutz Van Dedem Driehuis Dibbets Van Doorn Van Dorth tot Medler Du Bus (extinct since 1976) Van Eck Van der Feltz Van Geen De Geer Gericke Gevers De Girard de Mielet van Coehoorn Groeninx van Zoelen Van Haersolte Van Haersolte van Haerst Van Hangest d'Yvoy Van Hardenbroek Van Harinxma thoe Slooten Van Heeckeren Van Heemstra Van Heerdt Van Hemert tot Dingshof De Heusch De Raad Van der Heyden Van der Heyden van Doornenburg Van der Tuuk Van Hogendorp Van Hövell / Van Hövell tot Westerflier / Van Hövell van Wezeveld en Westerflier Huyssen van Kattendijke Van Imhoff Van Isselmuden Van Ittersum De Keverberg (extinct since 1928) Van Knobelsdorff De Kock Krayenhoff Lampsins Van Lamsweerde Van Lawick Van Loo Van Pabst Lewe van Aduard De Loë Van Lynden Mackay of Ophemert and ZennewijnenFollowing the House of Lords Act 1999, the current Baron has sat in the British House of Lords as a representative hereditary peer under his Scottish title since 2019. See https://members.parliament.uk/member/4713/career (see Lord Reay, Baronet of Strathnaver, and Chief of Clan Mackay) Melvill van Carnbee Michiels Mollerus Van Nagell Nahuys Van Oldeneel tot Oldenzeel D'Olne (extinct since ca. 1890) Van Pallandt Prisse Rasmijn Van Raders Van Reede Rengers, van Welderen Van Rijckevorsel Röell Sandberg Schimmelpenninck van der Oije Thoe Schwartzenberg en Hohenlansberg Sirtema van Grovestins Six Van Slingelandt Sloet / Sloet van Oldruitenborgh / Sloet tot Everlo / Sloet tot Lindenhorst De Smeth Snouckaert van Schauburg Speyart van Woerden Steengracht Van Strating / Straten / Straaten Stratenus Sweerts de Landas Van Sytzama Taets van Amerongen / Taets van Amerongen van Renswoude Van Till Van Tuyll van Serooskerken Van Verschuer Van Voorst tot Voorst De Vos van Steenwijk Van Vredenburch Van Wassenaer / Van Wassenaer van Catwijck Van Watervliet (extinct in The Netherlands, extant in North America) De Weichs de Wenne De Wijkerslooth de Weerdesteijn Van Wijnbergen Wittert Van Zuylen van Nijevelt
Hereditary knights/Jonkvrouwen Bijl De Behr (extinct 1954) De Bye (also: Van der Does de Bye) Van Citters Von Devivere Du Bus (extinct 1976) Van der Heim (extinct 1898) Huyssen van Kattendijke Van Lockhorst (extinct 1921) De Maurissens Pauw De Plevits
Van der Renne (extinct 1964) Van Rosenthal De van der Schueren De Stuers De Thier Van Westreenen van Tiellandt (extinct 1848)
Jonkheren/Jonkvrouwen Jonkheer/Jonkvrouw
Alberda van Ekenstein Van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg; members of this family are Count of Oranje-Nassau as well Jonkheer van Amsberg Van Andringa de Kempenaer Van Asch van Wijck Van Baerdt van Sminia Von Balluseck Barnaart Barnaart van Bergen Bijl De Beaufort Beelaerts van Blokland Van Beijma Van Beijma thoe Kingma Van Benthem van den Bergh / Van den Berch van Heemstede Van Beresteyn Van den Bergh Backer De Beaufort / Godin de Beaufort Den Beer Poortugael Bicker Bloys van Treslong Boddaert Boogaert / Van Adrichem Boogaert Boreel Van den Bosch Bosch van Drakestein De Bosch Kemper Von Bose Bowier :nl:Van den Brandeler De Brauw Von Chrismar Calkoen Changuion Van Citters Dedel Van der Does Van der Does de Willebois Van Doorn Elias Van den Eynde Van Eys Van Eysinga Feith Flugi van Aspermont Van Foreest Van Geen De Geer / Van Lintelo de Geer Von Geusau / Alting van Geusau / Valckenier von Geusau Gevaerts Gevers / Gevers Deynoot / Gevers van Endegeest / Gevers Leuven Von Ghycze De Girard de Mielet van Coehoorn Van der Goes / Van der Goes van Naters Goldman Graafland / Hooft Graafland / Hooft Graafland van Schotervlieland De Graeff Graswinckel Greven Le Grelle Groeninx van Zoelen Van Grotenhuis van Onstein Gülcher (noble branch extinct) Van Haeften Van Haersma de With Van Heemskerck van Beest Hesselt van Dinter Van Heurn Van der Hoeven Van Holthe / Van Holthe tot Echten Hooft Hooft van Woudenberg Van Humalda van Eysinga Huydecoper / Huydecoper van Nigtevecht Van Iddekinge Jankovich de Jeszenice De Jong van Beek en Donk De Jonge / De Jonge van Campens Nieuwland / De Jonge van Ellemeet / De Jonge van Zwijnsbergen Just de la Paisières Van Karnebeek van der Kelen Kenessey de Kenese Van Kinschot De Kock Kreutzwendedich von dem Borne De Kuyper De la Court De Lange Van Lawick Van Lawick van Pabst Leijssius Van Lennep Van Lidth de Jeude Van Loon Loudon Lycklama à Nijeholt Van der Maessen de Sombreff De Marees van Swinderen Martens van Sevenhoven Martini Buys Van der Meer de Walcheren Merkes van Gendt Meyer Michiels Van der Mieden / Van der Mieden van Opmeer Mock Mollerus Von Mühlen De Muralt Nahuys Van Nispen tot Pannerden /Van Nispen tot Sevenaer van Oordt Op ten Noort Van Panhuys De Pesters Ploos van Amstel Van de Poll Plompe van Meerdervoort Prins Prisse Quarles de Quarles / Quarles van Ufford Quintus Van Raab van Canstein De Ranitz Reigersman Rengers Hora Siccama Repelaer / Repelaer van Driel Rethaan Macaré Reuchlin Van Riemsdijk Van Rijckevorsel Röell De Rotte De Roy van Zuidewijn Rutgers van Rozenburg Sandberg / Sandberg van Boelens / Sandberg tot Essenburg Van Santen Van Staden Van Sasse van Ysselt De Savornin Lohman Schimmelpenninck Von Schmidt auf Altenstadt Schorer De Serière Serraris Sickinghe Six Van Sminia Smissaert Smits van Oyen Snoeck Snouck Hurgronje Speelman Spengler Van Spengler Stoop Storm van 's-Gravesande Stratenus Strick van Linschoten Van Suchtelen / Van Suchtelen van de Haare Teding van Berkhout Testa Van Tets Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer Des Tombe Trip / Laman Trip / Van Vierssen Trip Tulleken Vegelin van Claerbergen Verheyen Versélewel de Witt Hamer De Villeneuve Van Vliet Van Vredenburch Van Weede / Van Weede van Dijkveld Van Weme Wesselman van Helmond Wichers / Van Buttingha Wichers De Wijkerslooth de Weerdesteijn Wittert van Hoogland Wladimiroff Van der Wyck
See also Regenten List of Dutch patrician families
References
Sources Melville de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny, The Nobilities of Europe, Adamant Media Corporation, 2000
External links List of all noble families in the Netherlands from 1814 till present