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After Lodewijk II's death, the chosen Royal Family of Holland and Granducal Family of Berg was accepted by the Staats-General, and went on to be incoronated...to a lukewarm response of the Dutch people at best. While the House of Orange-Nassau had historical ties to the country and the Bonapartes brought great advancements in territorial expansion and civil rights, the Wittelsbachs were absolutely aliens in their own kingdom. It didn't help that an arrivist like Queen Mathilde was a Bonaparte, as neither her, nor her husband, spoke Dutch. The inaugural speech was made in German and French, to the chagrin of many. However, the new couple was very appreciated in the Grand Duchy of Berg, and was perceived as an old acquaintance given that Max Joseph's father was briefly Grand Duke of Berg. Their religion was also an issue: even if the Dutch State was aconfessional, the Catholicism of the Wittelsbachs rubbed off many. All in all, reactions ranged from indifference to ill-hidden hostility.

Needless to say, many felt nostalgic of the House of Orange, while some were hoping for the brother of the late king, now Napoleon III, would remain. A minoritary current even advocated for Lodewijk I, the abdicated King, would return. All of these proposed switches never happened, as both Austria and France gave support to the newly enthroned Wittelsbach-Holland dynasty. However, there were some technicalities to solve. A document establishing succession laws in the House of Bonaparte, valid for every line of the family, stated that adoption was a viable choice for inheritance within the family. The 1840 Question opened. If the late king Lodewijk had formally adopted Mathilde as his heir, the throne of Berg would break away due to Salic Law. Proponents of this view cited a clause in the will of Lodewijk, stating that the throne would be left to one of Jerome's sons or daughters, formally adopting one of them and having the act finalized by the Staats-General. The opposite view was that the Staats-General chose the new dynasty, even though it was chosen on the basis of ties with other Bonaparte monarchies. Therefore, there was no need to split the United Crowns apart. The debate endured for most of the year, requiring the intervention of Napoleon III to settle the issue.

The Queen of Holland would be Mathilde I, as stated in Lodewijk II's will, but the Grand Duchy of Berg would be ruled by Maximilian Joseph I as his own right. Mathilde would not gain the title of Grand Duchess of Berg, rather Princess-Consort, and the same would happen to Maximilian Joseph. After either's death or abdication, the United Crowns would be separated, the lands of Berg and Cleves would be given to a son of the Royal House of Bavaria, while the Dutch lands were to be inherited with absolute primogeniture from Mathilde. This deal satisfied many in the Staats-General, as most Dutch nobles viewed the Bergian lands as an useless liabilty, better off being independent or ceded.
To many's delight, succession problems would never again be an issue, as Mathilde took her duties as Queen and Princess-Consort very seriously. She and her husband had ten children, all of them receiving the title of Prince and Princess Royal of Holland.

Description
After Lodewijk II's death, the chosen Royal Family of Holland and Granducal Family of Berg was accepted by the Staats-General, and went on to be incoronated...to a lukewarm response of the Dutch people at best. While the House of Orange-Nassau had historical ties to the country and the Bonapartes brought great advancements in territorial expansion and civil rights, the Wittelsbachs were absolutely aliens in their own kingdom. It didn't help that an arrivist like Queen Mathilde was a Bonaparte, as neither her, nor her husband, spoke Dutch. The inaugural speech was made in German and French, to the chagrin of many. However, the new couple was very appreciated in the Grand Duchy of Berg, and was perceived as an old acquaintance given that Max Joseph's father was briefly Grand Duke of Berg. Their religion was also an issue: even if the Dutch State was aconfessional, the Catholicism of the Wittelsbachs rubbed off many. All in all, reactions ranged from indifference to ill-hidden hostility.

Needless to say, many felt nostalgic of the House of Orange, while some were hoping for the brother of the late king, now Napoleon III, would remain. A minoritary current even advocated for Lodewijk I, the abdicated King, would return. All of these proposed switches never happened, as both Austria and France gave support to the newly enthroned Wittelsbach-Holland dynasty. However, there were some technicalities to solve. A document establishing succession laws in the House of Bonaparte, valid for every line of the family, stated that adoption was a viable choice for inheritance within the family. The 1840 Question opened. If the late king Lodewijk had formally adopted Mathilde as his heir, the throne of Berg would break away due to Salic Law. Proponents of this view cited a clause in the will of Lodewijk, stating that the throne would be left to one of Jerome's sons or daughters, formally adopting one of them and having the act finalized by the Staats-General. The opposite view was that the Staats-General chose the new dynasty, even though it was chosen on the basis of ties with other Bonaparte monarchies. Therefore, there was no need to split the United Crowns apart. The debate endured for most of the year, requiring the intervention of Napoleon III to settle the issue.

The Queen of Holland would be Mathilde I, as stated in Lodewijk II's will, but the Grand Duchy of Berg would be ruled by Maximilian Joseph I as his own right. Mathilde would not gain the title of Grand Duchess of Berg, rather Princess-Consort, and the same would happen to Maximilian Joseph. After either's death or abdication, the United Crowns would be separated, the lands of Berg and Cleves would be given to a son of the Royal House of Bavaria, while the Dutch lands were to be inherited with absolute primogeniture from Mathilde. This deal satisfied many in the Staats-General, as most Dutch nobles viewed the Bergian lands as an useless liabilty, better off being independent or ceded.
To many's delight, succession problems would never again be an issue, as Mathilde took her duties as Queen and Princess-Consort very seriously. She and her husband had ten children, all of them receiving the title of Prince and Princess Royal of Holland.