''Wien Neêrlands bloed'' (''Those in whom Dutch blood'') was the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

between 1815 and 1932.

History

At the foundation of the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

in 1815, it was decided that a national anthem was needed. The song "

Het Wilhelmus "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", usually known just as "Wilhelmus" ( nl, Het Wilhelmus, italic=no; ; English translation: "The William"), is the national anthem of both the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It dates back to at least 1572 ...

" – which is the national anthem today – was already well known in the time of the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiograph ...

. At that time, however, it was more of a party or faction hymn than a national one, being associated with and glorifying the

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

– which in the politics of the 17th and 18th century Netherlands had enthusiastic supporters but also bitter foes. In particular, the Wilhelmus was unpopular with the anti-Orangist Patriot party, which dominated the country (under French tutelage) for a considerable time. Following the fall of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

, with the

attaining the status of monarchs, which they lacked before, they desired to make a fresh start and adopt a politically neutral hymn rather than what had been their factional song. Moreover, a new song might also be acceptable to the Catholic inhabitants of the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

with which the Dutch were united in 1815 to form the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

; the ''Wilhelmus'' might be interpreted as expressing Calvinist sentiments. A competition was accordingly organized by Admiral Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen which was won by the Dutch poet

Hendrik Tollens Henricus Franciscus Caroluszoon (Hendrik) Tollens (24 September 1780 – 21 October 1856) was a Dutch poet best known for ''Wien Neêrlands Bloed ''Wien Neêrlands bloed'' (''Those in whom Dutch blood'') was the national anthem of the Netherlan ...

(1780–1856) with his poem ''Wien Neerlandsch bloed ...'', which, after some failed attempts by less gifted composers, was set to music by

Johann Wilhelm Wilms Johann Wilhelm Wilms (March 30, 1772 (baptized) – July 19, 1847) was a Dutch-German composer, best known for setting the poem ''Wien Neêrlands Bloed'' to music, which served as the Dutch national anthem from 1815 to 1932. Biography Wilms was ...

(1772–1847), a Dutch-German expatriate living in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. There were two versions: the original, and a changed version created for the reign of Queen Wilhelmina. The latter modernized the language, adapted the text to the fact there was now a queen instead of a king and also replaced the controversial second line ''van vreemde smetten vrij'' ("free from foreign taint"). Despite the adoption of the new anthem, ''Het Wilhelmus'' remained popular and was played at the

investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian k ...

Queen Wilhelmina Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

in 1898. ''Wien Neêrlands bloed'' was officially replaced by ''Het Wilhelmus'' on 10 May 1932, although it remained in use by the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

until 1939. The replacement had much to do with the fact the "new" 1815 anthem had become even more controversial than the ''Wilhelmus'' had been, with Socialists refusing to sing it.

Lyrics

Original version

The changed version

Official Versions

The national anthem had two official versions. The original version which was in use from 1815 to 1898 was written to honor a king. The second version which was in use from 1898 to 1932 was rewritten and used to honor

Version used from 1815 to 1898

Version used from 1898 to 1932

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wien Neerlands Bloed Historical national anthems Dutch anthems European anthems National anthem compositions in A major