William II of the Netherlands

Born in 1792, William was the son of William I and Wilhelmine of Prussia. When his father declared himself king in 1815, William became Prince of Orange, heir to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. He waited twenty-five years. His father abdicated on 7 October 1840, and William II took the throne. Within eight years, the country adopted the constitution of 1848, establishing parliamentary democracy. He was married to Anna Pavlovna of Russia; they had five children. He died on 17 March 1849, the shortest-reigning Dutch monarch on record, succeeded by his son William III.