The Dutch royal family is exceptionally popular in Germany. This is not surprising, as the roots of the dynasty lie here. In 1403, Engelbrecht I of Nassau from Dillenburg in Hesse married the immensely wealthy Dutch heiress Johanna van Polanen. Since then, this branch of the House of Nassau has become one of the most important noble families in the Netherlands. Wilhelm of Orange, the leader in the Dutch War of Independence against Spain, was also born in 1533 as Count of Nassau in Dillenburg. Today's royal family is traditionally closely connected with the German nobility. No less than 35 of the members presented in this account married German aristocrats. Over the centuries, close family ties were established with the Hohenzollerns and various lines of the Saxon ruling house.