You’ve probably seen them, those Dutch sports fans wearing orange. The color is so vivid that the fans stand out everywhere, from the Olympic Games to soccer’s World Cup.
Understandably, they dress as they do. After all, the royal House of Orange has ruled the Netherlands for centuries.
But did you know this is thanks to a town in southern France?
A New Principality
Way back in the 12 th century, the Holy Roman Emperor created the Principality of Orange, made up of the town of Orange and the territory around it. It wasn’t very big, just a bit over 100 square miles, and it wasn’t very secure, as it was surrounded by the French papal state of Comtat Venaissin. But it was a fief of a powerful empire and stood its ground.
In the 16 th century, this principality was inherited by William the Silent, count of Nassau, who owned large parts of what is today the Netherlands. This inheritance created the House of Orange. William was effectively the ruler of the Netherlands, then controlled by Spain, and led the battle for Dutch independence.
So this explains how the word “Orange” became associated with the Netherlands, but what about the color?
A Fruit Appears
The town of Orange was originally called Aurasio, the name of a Celtic water god. The Romans latinized this to Arausio, which over time morphed into Arausicae, then Aurengia, then Orenga, and finally Orange.
Then, in the 15 th century, oranges were introduced to Europe. They were typically called by their Persian and Arabic names: nārang / nāranj. Many were transported via the Mediterranean Sea and then up the Rhône River, passing by the town of Orange.
The name of the fruit and the name of the town were similar, and the two became conflated. People thought that the town was named after the fruit, or the color, or both.
Eventually, the House of Orange adopted orange as its color, and the rest is history.
Were you aware of this before? Let me know in the comments.
Image Credits:
All images courtesy of Pixabay royalty-free images
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