Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Jean of Luxembourg" redirects here. For his son, see Prince Jean of Luxembourg.

Jean
Regent of Luxembourg
Regency4 May 1961 – 12 November 1964
MonarchCharlotte
Born(1921-01-05)5 January 1921
Berg Castle, Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg
Died23 April 2019(2019-04-23) (aged 98)
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Burial4 May 2019
Notre-Dame Cathedral
, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1953; died 2005)​
Issue
Names
Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano
Catholicism
SignatureJean's signature

Jean (Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano; 5 January 1921 – 23 April 2019) was the

agnatic
descent.

Jean was the eldest son of

Colonel of the Regiment
of the Irish Guards.

On 9 April 1953, Jean married

Grand Duke Henri
.

Early life

Birth and family

See also: House of Bourbon-Parma and House of Nassau-Weilburg
Jean's parents, Charlotte and Felix, in 1919.

Jean was born on 5 January 1921

First World War.[2] As the eldest child of the reigning Grand Duchess, he was heir apparent from birth. Among his godparents was Pope Benedict XV, who gave him his second name.[3]

Childhood and education

Prince Jean was raised with his five siblings, and grew up primarily at his parents' residence, Berg Castle, in the town of Colmar-Berg.[4] The young prince attended primary school in Luxembourg, where he continued the initial stage of secondary education. From 1934 to 1938, he completed secondary school at Ampleforth College, a Roman Catholic boarding school in the United Kingdom.[4] Upon reaching maturity, on 5 January 1939 he was styled 'Hereditary Grand Duke', recognising his status as heir apparent.[5]

Hereditary Grand Duke

Second World War

See also:
German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II
German troops cross the border to Luxembourg on 10 May 1940.

Just a few months later,

government of Luxembourg
.

At first, they sought refuge in Paris, before fleeing France only weeks later, after receiving transit visas to Portugal from the Portuguese consul

Princess Alix, the nanny Justine Reinard and the chauffeur Eugène Niclou, along with his wife Joséphine, boarded the S.S. Trenton headed for New York City,[6][7] where they sought refuge in the United States, renting an estate in Brookville, New York.[4] The grand duchess travelled from Portugal to London, where a government in exile was set up, before joining her family in North America.[6] Jean studied Law and Political Science at Université Laval, Quebec City.[8]

Prince Jean, together with his father Prince Félix at the liberation of Luxembourg City in 1944.

He joined the

Queen Elizabeth II during the Trooping the Colour.[11]

Marriage

Medal struck at the occasion of the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium in 1953.

In October 1952, Jean was officially engaged to

King Leopold III of the Belgians and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden. There had been speculation that the marriage was arranged to improve relations between Luxembourg and Belgium but it soon became apparent that a love match was blooming between two longtime friends.[12]

They were married in Luxembourg on 9 April 1953, first in the Hall of Ceremonies at the Grand Ducal Palace, later in Luxembourg's Notre-Dame Cathedral.[13] The marriage put an end to the tensions between Luxembourg and Belgium which arose from 1918 to 1920 when there had been a threat of annexation.[14]

The newlyweds were given Betzdorf Castle in Betzdorf in the eastern part of the grand duchy as their residence.[4] The couple had five children, 22 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.[15]

Together with his wife, his parents and his sister Elisabeth, Jean took part in the ship tour organized by Queen Frederica and her husband King Paul of Greece in 1954, which became known as the “Cruise of the Kings” and was attended by over 100 royals from all over Europe.

Reign

Grand Duke Jean taking his constitutional oath before the Chamber of Deputies on 12 November 1964.

Jean was named Lieutenant-Representative of the Grand Duchess on 28 April 1961.

Armed Forces of Luxembourg.[4]

From the beginning of his reign, Grand Duke Jean's priorities included the well-being of his people and the completion of European unity. In the words of President Georges Pompidou of France, "If Europe had to choose a hereditary president, it would certainly be the Grand Duke of Luxembourg". Indeed, during his reign Grand Duke Jean saw Luxembourg transformed from a minor industrial contributor into an international financial centre.[17][18] In 1986, he was honoured with the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen for his efforts towards European integration.[18]

The Grand Duke's reign was one of the most prosperous periods in the history of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The degree of stability in the country's politics, economy and social life was without precedent, thanks in part to the influence of the Grand Duke and his wife.

abdicated on 7 October 2000, and was succeeded on the throne by his son Henri.[4]

Luxembourg's museum of modern art

Mudam was officially named "Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean" to commemorate his reign which lasted 36 years.[20] It was inaugurated in his presence in July 2006.[14]

Later life

Retirement

Jean at the wedding of his grandson Prince Louis in 2006

In the summer of 2002, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte took up residence at Fischbach Castle. After his wife died in January 2005, the Grand Duke continued to live there alone.[21] On 27 December 2016, Grand Duke Jean was hospitalized due to bronchitis and was discharged from hospital on 4 January 2017, a day before he celebrated his 96th birthday.[22]

Death

Surrounded by his family, Grand Duke Jean died at 00.25 CEST on 23 April 2019 at the age of 98 after he had been hospitalized for a pulmonary infection.[23][24] He had become the world's oldest living monarch or former monarch by the time of his death.[25]

His funeral was held on Saturday, 4 May at the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg[26] after a period of mourning of 12 days.[27]

Tributes

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, described Jean's death as "a great loss for the Grand Duchy and for Europe". He added, "Like all the people of Luxembourg, I had great esteem for this man of commitment, kindness and courage."[26]

Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, alluded to his service in the Second World War: "Grand Duke Jean fought for our freedom, for our independence and for the unity of our country and we will always be grateful. A family man left us today. A great statesman, a hero, an example – and a very beloved and gracious man."[26]

Tributes followed from the

Belgian royal family, commenting "His courage, his dignity and his high sense of duty will remain as an example... The whole of Belgium shares the grief of the Luxembourg people."[28]

In their tribute, the

Dutch royal family mentioned "the friendship and warmth he radiated", adding "With his thoughtfulness and humanity, he added to calm and confidence in his country and Europe."[28]

In their tribute, the British royal family said that the Grand Duke will be "missed, both inside and outside Luxembourg".[29]

In the tribute from the

Queen Anne who was a paternal first cousin of his) as well as "a lifetime of friendship"; the head of the family, Crown Princess Margareta, sent a letter of condolences to her cousin, Grand Duke Henri.[30]

The president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach paid tribute to Grand Duke Jean who had joined the IOC in 1946 and had been an honorary member since 1998. "He was always a very calm and well-balanced person who was highly respected by the entire Olympic Movement because of his integrity... The IOC will always hold him in the highest honour and with the greatest respect."[31]

Issue

The Grand Ducal couple with their children (July 1971)

Titles, styles, honours and awards

Titles and styles

Jean renounced the titles of the House of Bourbon-Parma for himself and his family in 1986.[34] This decree was however repealed by another decree on 21 September 1995.[35]

The Arrêté Grand-Ducal (Grand Ducal decree) of 21 September 1995 established that the title of Prince/Princesse de Luxembourg is reserved for the children of the sovereign and the heir to the throne. It also stated that the descendants in male lineage of the sovereign should be styled as Royal Highnesses and titled Prince/Princess of Nassau and that the descendants of unapproved marriages should be styled as Count/Countess of Nassau.[35][36]

Honours

National

Foreign

Other honours

Academic

Honorary military appointments

Organizations

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

Patrilineal descent

Patrilineal descent
is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Grand Duke Jean were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house.

Jean is a member of the

House of Bourbon-Spain, itself originally a branch of the House of Bourbon, and thus of the Capetian dynasty and of the Robertians
.

Jean's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Dukes of Parma as well as the Kings of Spain, France, and Navarre. The line can be traced back more than 1,200 years from Robert of Hesbaye to the present day, through Kings of France & Navarre, Spain and Two-Sicilies, Dukes of Parma and Grand-Dukes of Luxembourg, Princes of Orléans and Emperors of Brazil. It is one of the oldest in Europe.

  1. Robert II of Worms and Rheingau (
    Robert of Hesbaye
    ), 770 - 807
  2. Robert III of Worms
    and Rheingau, 808 - 834
  3. Robert IV the Strong
    , 820 - 866
  4. Robert I of France, 866 - 923
  5. Hugh the Great, 895 - 956
  6. Hugh Capet, 941 - 996
  7. Robert II of France, 972 - 1031
  8. Henry I of France, 1008–1060
  9. Philip I of France, 1053–1108
  10. Louis VI of France, 1081–1137
  11. Louis VII of France, 1120–1180
  12. Philip II of France, 1165–1223
  13. Louis VIII of France, 1187–1226
  14. Saint Louis IX of France, 1215–1270
  15. Robert, Count of Clermont, 1256–1317
  16. Louis I, Duke of Bourbon, 1279–1342
  17. James I, Count of La Marche, 1319–1362
  18. John I, Count of La Marche
    , 1344–1393
  19. Louis, Count of Vendôme, 1376–1446
  20. Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme
    , 1428–1478
  21. François, Count of Vendôme
    , 1470–1495
  22. Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme
    , 1489–1537
  23. Antoine of Navarre, 1518–1562
  24. Henry IV of France, 1553–1610
  25. Louis XIII of France
    , 1601–1643
  26. Louis XIV of France
    , 1638–1715
  27. Louis, Dauphin of France (1661–1711)
    , 1661–1711
  28. Philip V of Spain, 1683–1746
  29. Philip, Duke of Parma, 1720–1765
  30. Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
    , 1751–1802
  31. Louis of Etruria
    , 1773–1803
  32. Charles II, Duke of Parma, 1799–1883
  33. Charles III, Duke of Parma, 1823–1854
  34. Robert I, Duke of Parma, 1848–1907
  35. Felix of Bourbon-Parma
    , 1893–1970
  36. Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1921–2019

References

  1. ISBN 9780230271012
    – via Google Books.
  2. ISBN 0-85011-023-8
    .
  3. ^ "Grand Duke Jean at 95". Luxembourg Times. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "H.R.H. Grand Duke Jean". monarchie.lu. Cour grand-ducale. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  5. ^ Fourney, Anne (5 January 2017). "Cour grand-ducale: Le grand-duc Jean fête ses 96 ans". Luxemburger Wort (in French). Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  6. ^ a b de Magalhães Ramalho, Margarida (23 May 2019). "A fuga para a liberdade da família grã-ducal" [The flight to freedom of the grand ducal family]. Contacto (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ^ Exiles Memorial Center.
  8. ^ Bernier Arcand, Philippe (17 March 2024). "Les Bourbon-Parme dans les institutions d'enseignement du Québec" [The Bourbon-Parmas in the educational institutions of Quebec]. Histoire Québec (in French). 202 (1): 24–28.
  9. ^ "No. 36191". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 1 October 1943. p. 4352.
  10. ^ "No. 38206". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 13 February 1948. p. 1030.
  11. ^ "Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg". The Telegraph. 11 January 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Obituary: Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg". Royal Central. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  13. ^ "A military man, a dutiful statesman - the key moments of Grand Duke Jean's life". RTL. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  14. ^ a b Tasch, Olivier (5 January 2015). "Une vie au service de la nation". Le Jeudi (in French). Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  15. ^ "Grand Duke Jean has passed away at 98 - Luxembourg in mourning". RTL. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  16. ^ "HRH Grand Duke Jean". Service information et presse du gouvernement luxembourgeois. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  17. ^ "Obituary-Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg dies at 98". Thomas Reuters Foundation. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  18. ^ a b Michelland, Antoine; Delorme, Philippe (14 April 2017). "Grand-duc Jean de Luxembourg" (in French). Point de Vue. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Jean" (in French). Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  20. ^ "History". Mudam. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Fischbach Castle". www.luxembourg.public.lu.
  22. ^ Barger, Brittani (27 December 2016). "Grand Duke Jean hospitalised". Royal Central. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Grand Duke Jean passes away - Delano - Luxembourg in English". Delano. 23 April 2019.
  24. ^ ""Au revoir, Monseigneur": Reaktionen zum Tod von Großherzog Jean". Luxemburger Wort (in German). 23 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  25. ^ "98: world's oldest monarch, in Luxembourg - Delano - Luxembourg in English". Delano (in French). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  26. ^ a b c Starbuck, Lydia (23 April 2019). "Official mourning underway in Luxembourg following death of Grand Duke Jean". Royal Central. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  27. ^ Auxenfants, Marc (23 April 2019). "La commémoration en mémoire du grand-duc Jean, décrétée par le gouvernement mardi matin, prendra fin le samedi 4 mai à 18 heures. La date a été choisie "pour permettre à toutes les délégations du monde entier et aux Luxembourgeois de s'organiser", a expliqué Stéphane Bern à Wort.lu". Luxemburger Wort (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  28. ^ a b Brenton, Hannah: Lambert, Yannick (23 April 2019). "Tributes pour in for Grand Duke Jean". Luxembourg Times. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Foussianes, Chloe (25 April 2019). "Queen Elizabeth Wrote a Touching Letter Mourning the Grand Duke of Luxembourg's Death". Town and Country Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  30. ^ "Marele Duce Jean de Luxemburg, In Memoriam | Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania".
  31. ^ Morgan, Liam (23 April 2019). "Bach pays tribute to honorary IOC member Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg following death aged 98". Inside the games. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  32. ^ "Le Grand-Duc" (in French). Monarchie.lu: Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  33. ^ "Portrait : la princesse Margaretha de Luxembourg" (in French). L'Eventail. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  34. ^ Grand Ducal Decree, 28 July 1986
  35. ^ a b "Decree 21 September 1995 concerning royal titles in Luxembourg". hoelseth.com.
  36. ^ Bortrick, William. Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Count of Sayn | The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg, House of Nassau. Burke's Peerage. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "List of Military Medals". monarchie.lu.
  38. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 428. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  39. ^ Borger.dk Archived 7 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ "Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan suurristin ketjuineen ulkomaalaiset saajat". www.ritarikunnat.fi. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  41. ^ Icelandese Presidency Website Archived 3 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Jean ; stórhertogi ; Lúxemborg ; 1986-06-09  ; Stórkross með keðju (=Jean, Grand Duke, Luxembourg, 9 June 1986, Grand Cross with Collar)
  42. ^ "badraie.com". badraie.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  43. ^ "S.A.R. Jean Granduca di Lussemburgo - Decorato di Gran Cordone" (in Italian). Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  44. ^ "Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 19 kwietnia 1993 r. o nadaniu orderu". prawo.sejm.gov.pl. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  45. ^ "ENTIDADES ESTRANGEIRAS AGRACIADAS COM ORDENS PORTUGUESAS - Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas". www.ordens.presidencia.pt. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  46. ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF).
  47. ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF).
  48. ^ "BRITISH HONOURS AND ORDERS OF CHIVALRY HELD BY OVERSEAS HEADS OF STATE (Hansard, 14 March 1989)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  49. ^ a b "H.R.H. Grand Duke Jean". Monarchie.lu. Retrieved on May 27, 2023.

Media related to Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg at Wikimedia Commons

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Cadet branch of the House of Nassau
Born: 5 January 1921 Died: 23 April 2019
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Grand Duke of Luxembourg

1964–2000 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Colonel of the Irish Guards
1984–2000 		Succeeded by
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