County of Nassau

Last updated
(Princely) County of Nassau
Principalities of Nassau
(Gefürsteter) Grafschaft Nassau (German)
Fürstentümer Nassau (German)
1125–1806
Arms of Nassau.svg
Coat of arms
Nassau1547.jpg
County of Nassau in 1547
Status County
Capital Nassau
Common languagesGerman (Rhine Franconian dialects, Moselle Franconian dialects)
Religion
Roman Catholic
Historical era Middle Ages
  City founded
915
  Rupert I claims title of count
1125
 Comital title acknowledged
1159
 Partitioned multiple times
1255–1806
 Remaining parts unified to form duchy
1806
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Armoiries Eveche de Worms.svg Bishopric of Worms
Duchy of Nassau Flagge Herzogtum Nassau (1806-1866).svg
Today part of Germany
Nassau Castle NassauBurg.jpg
Nassau Castle

The County of Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire and later part of the German Confederation. Its ruling dynasty, the male line of which is now extinct, was the House of Nassau.

Contents

Origins

Nassau, originally a county, developed on the lower Lahn river in what is known today as Rhineland-Palatinate. The town of Nassau was founded in 915. [1] Dudo of Laurenburg held Nassau as a fiefdom as granted by the Bishopric of Worms. His son, Rupert, built the Nassau Castle there around 1125, declaring himself "Count of Nassau". This title was not officially acknowledged by the Bishop of Worms until 1159 under the rule of Rupert's son, Walram. By 1159, the County of Nassau effectively claimed rights of taxation, toll collection, and justice, at which point it can be considered to become a state. [1]

The Nassauers held the territory between the Taunus and the Westerwald at the lower and middle Lahn. By 1128, they acquired the bailiwick of the Bishopric of Worms, which had numerous rights in the area, and thus created a link between their heritage at the lower Lahn and their possessions near Siegen. In the middle of the 12th century, this relationship was strengthened by the acquisition of parts of the Hesse-Thüringen feudal kingdom, namely the Herborner Mark, the Kalenberger Zent and the Court of Heimau (Löhnberg). Closely linked to this was the "Lordship of Westerwald", also in Nassau's possession at the time. At the end of the 12th century, the House acquired the Reichshof Wiesbaden, an important base in the southwest.

In 1255, after the Counts of Nassau acquired the estates of Weilburg, the sons of Count Henry II divided Nassau for the first time. Walram II received the county of Nassau-Weilburg. From 1328 on, his younger brother, Otto I, held the estates north of the Lahn river, namely the County of Nassau-Siegen and Nassau-Dillenburg. The boundary line was essentially the Lahn, with Otto receiving the northern part of the county with the cities of Siegen, Dillenburg, Herborn and Haiger and Walram retaining the section south of the river, including the cities of Weilburg and Idstein.

County of Nassau-Weilburg

Walram's son Adolf became King of Germany in 1292. His son Count Gerlach abdicated in 1344 and the county was divided under his sons in 1355

     fell back to Nassau-Weilburg in 1605

In 1605, all parts of Nassau-Weilburg were again unified under Count Louis II; however, after his death in 1627, his sons divided the county again

After Nassau-Usingen had inherited Nassau-Ottweiler with former Nassau-Idstein and Nassau-Saarbrücken, it was reunified with Nassau-Weilburg and raised to the Duchy of Nassau in 1806.

County of Nassau-Dillenburg

After the death of Count Otto I, his county was divided between his sons in 1303:

In 1504, Henry III of Nassau-Dillenburg inherited the county's estates at Breda in the Duchy of Brabant, while his younger brother William became Count of Nassau-Dillenburg in 1516. After the son of Henry III, René of Châlon died in 1544, Count William's eldest son William the Silent became Prince of Orange and Lord of Breda, Stadtholder in the Low Countries from 1559 on. His younger brother, John VI, again reunited all Nassau-Dillenburg possessions in 1561, though the county was again divided after his death in 1606.

The Counts of Nassau-Dietz, descendants of William Frederick were stadtholders of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe and Princes of Orange from 1702 on. When they lost their Dutch possessions during the Napoleonic Wars, they were compensated with the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda. Though they lost their German possessions in 1806, the House of Orange-Nassau, through female succession, was the reigning house of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg until 1890 and is still the royal house of the Netherlands.

Rulers

House of Nassau

Partitions of Nassau under House of Nassau rule

County of Laurenburg/ Nassau
(1093-1255)
Otto Nassau wapen.svg
County of
Northern Nassau

(Ottonian Line)
(1255-1303)
Walram Nassau wapen.svg
County of
Southern Nassau

(Walramian Line)
(1255-1355)
County of
Dillenburg

(1st creation)
(1303-1328)
       County of
Hadamar

(1st creation)
(1303-1394)
      
County of
Beilstein

(1343-1561)
      
      County of
Sonnenberg

(1355-1404)
      
      
       Blason Nassau-Weilbourg.svg
County of
Weilburg

(1355-1806)
County of
Siegen

(1303-1652/64)
Arms Nassau Breda with coronet and golden fleece.svg
Barony of
Breda

(1403-1544)
Renamed as:
Prince of Orange proper.svg

Principality of
Orange-Nassau

(1st creation,
Siegen-Breda line)

(1544-1702) [2]
      County of
Wiesbaden-Idstein

(1st creation)
(1355-1605)
(divided 1370-86; 1480-1509; 1554-56; 1564-66)
       Arms of the house of Nassau-Saarbrucken.svg
County of
Saarbrücken

(1st creation)
(1429-1574)
            
      
      
County of
Hadamar

(2nd creation)
(1620-1650)
Raised to: Wapen Frans Alexander van Nassau-Hadamar 1674-1711.svg
Principality of
Hadamar

(1650-1711)
(In 1623 divided in Catholic and Protestant ruling lines)

Both lines raised to:
Catholic Principality
of Siegen

(1652-1743)
and
Achievement of Nassau Siegen Princes, protestant branch.svg
Protestant Principality
of Siegen

(1664-1734)
      
      
                  County of
Idstein

(2nd creation)
(1627-1688)

Raised to:
Principality of
Idstein

(1688-1721)
            County of
Ottweiler

(1659-1721)
      
                        
Achievement of Nassau Dillenburg Princely Counts.svg
County of
Dillenburg

(2nd creation)
(1606-1654)

Raised to:
Achievement of Nassau Dillenburg Princes 1559-1739.svg
Principality of
Dillenburg

(1654-1739)
                  
Achievement of Nassau Dietz Princely Counts.svg
County of
Dietz

(1606-1654)
Raised to:
Achievement of Nassau Dietz Princes.svg
Principality of
Dietz

(1654-1702)
       Arms of the house of Nassau-Saarbrucken.svg
County of
Saarbrücken

(2nd creation)
(1627-1728)
                  
Renamed as:
Furstentum Nassau-Oranien wappen 1702-1815.svg
Principality of
Orange-Nassau

(2nd creation, Dietz line)
(1702-1806)
County of Usingen
(1659-1688)
Raised to:
Principality of Usingen
(1688-1806)
      
      
             Principality of
Saarbrücken

(1741-1797)
            Annexed by France
      
Furstentum Nassau-Oranien wappen 1702-1815.svg
Principality of Orange-Nassau
(2nd creation, Dietz line)
(1813-1815)
Duchy of Nassau
(1806-1866)
      
Annexed by Prussia

Table of rulers

Nassau's successor states

Kings and Queens of the Netherlands (from the House of Orange-Nassau-Dietz)

Royal Palace of Amsterdam Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam.jpg
Royal Palace of Amsterdam

Following defunct German laws that no longer have relevance due to the end of German nobility, the House of Orange-Nassau(-Dietz) has been extinct since the death of Wilhelmina (1962). Dutch laws and the Dutch nation do not consider it extinct.

Grand Dukes of Luxembourg (from the House of Nassau-Weilburg)

Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg Luxembourg Grand Ducal Palace 01.jpg
Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg

See also

Related Research Articles

Adolf of Nassau may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diez, Germany</span> Town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Diez an der Lahn is a town in Germany's Rhein-Lahn district in Rhineland-Palatinate, on the borders of Hesse. Diez is the administrative seat of the municipality of Diez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Nassau</span> Diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe

The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With the fall of the Hohenstaufen in the first half of the 13th century royal power within Franconia evaporated and the former stem duchy fragmented into separate independent states. Nassau emerged as one of those independent states as part of the Holy Roman Empire. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count of Nassau", subject only to the Emperor, and then elevated to the princely class as "Princely Counts". Early on they divided into two main branches: the elder (Walramian) branch, that gave rise to the German king Adolf, and the younger (Ottonian) branch, that gave rise to the Princes of Orange and the monarchs of the Netherlands.

Walram II of Nassau was Count of Nassau and is the ancestor of the Walramian branch of the House of Nassau.

Otto I of Nassau was Count of Nassau and is the ancestor of the Ottonian branch of the House of Nassau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nassau-Siegen</span> State of the Holy Roman Empire (1303–1328; 1606–1743)

Nassau-Siegen was a principality within the Holy Roman Empire that existed between 1303 and 1328, and again from 1606 to 1743. From 1626 to 1734, it was subdivided into Catholic and Protestant parts. Its capital was the city of Siegen, founded in 1224 and initially a condominium jointly owned by the archbishopric of Cologne and Nassau. It was located some 50 km east of Cologne, and it contained the modern localities of Freudenberg, Hilchenbach, Kreuztal, Siegen, and Wilnsdorf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County of Nassau-Saarbrücken</span> State of the Holy Roman Empire (1381–1797)

The County of Saarbrücken was an Imperial State in the Upper Lorraine region, with its capital at Saarbrücken. From 1381 it belonged to the Walram branch of the Rhenish House of Nassau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County of Nassau-Usingen</span> State of the Holy Roman Empire (1659–1806)

Nassau-Usingen was a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the Upper Rhenish Circle that became a principality in 1688.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John IV, Count of Nassau-Siegen</span> German count (1410–1475)

Count John IV of Nassau-Siegen, German: Johann IV. Graf von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: Graf zu Nassau, Vianden und Diez, Herr zu Breda, was since 1442 Count of Nassau-Siegen, of Vianden and of half Diez, and Lord of Breda and of the Lek. He descended from the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John I, Count of Nassau-Siegen</span> German count (c. 1339–1416)

Count John I of Nassau-Siegen, German: Johann I. Graf von Nassau-Siegen, was since 1362 Count of Nassau-Siegen. He descended from the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto II, Count of Nassau-Siegen</span> German count (1305–1350/1351)

Count Otto II of Nassau-Siegen, German: Otto II. Graf von Nassau-Siegen, was since 1343 Count of Nassau-Siegen. He descended from the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Louis, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken</span>

William Louis of Nassau-Saarbrücken, was a Count of Saarbrücken.

Louis II of Nassau-Weilburg was a count of Nassau-Weilburg.

Albert of Nassau-Weilburg-Ottweiler, was a count of the House of Nassau. His territory included the areas around Weilburg, Ottweiler and Lahr in the Black Forest. Like his father, Philip III of Nassau-Weilburg he was an advocate of the Reformation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John, Count of Nassau-Idstein</span> 17th Century Count of Nassau-Idstein

Count John of Nassau-Idstein was Count of Nassau and Protestant Regent of Idstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg</span>

Philip IV of Nassau-Weilburg, also known as Philip III of Nassau-Saarbrücken was Count of Nassau-Weilburg from 1559 until his death and since 1574 also Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken. Both possessions belonged to the Walram line of the House of Nassau. In Weilburg, he was the fourth count named Philip, but only the third in Saarbrücken, because his father, Philip III of Nassau-Weilburg never held Nassau-Saarbrücken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles, Prince of Nassau-Usingen</span> Prince of Nassau-Usingen (1718-1775)

Charles, Prince of Nassau-Usingen, was Prince of Nassau-Usingen.

Christian, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg was the last ruler of Nassau-Dillenburg from the line that had started in 1606 with George, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Nassau-Hadamar</span>

Nassau-Hadamar is the name of two side lines of the Ottonian main line of the House of Nassau. The older line of the counts of Nassau-Hadamar existed from 1303 to 1394; the younger line existed from 1607 to 1711 and received the hereditary title of prince in 1652.

Prima Divisio is the term used by historians for the Family Treaty from 1255 containing the first division of the county of Nassau between the brothers Walram II and Otto I.

References

  1. 1 2 Abramson, Scott F. (2017-01-01). "The Economic Origins of the Territorial State". International Organization. 71 (1): 97–130. doi: 10.1017/S0020818316000308 . ISSN   0020-8183.
  2. Renaming came with the inheritance of the Principality of Orange by René of Nassau-Breda, heir of the Barony of Breda.
  3. Despite being one of the main Ottonian successors of the original County of Nassau, the County of Siegen restarts the counting of Henrys, which doesn't happen, for example, with the names Waleran or Rupert in the Walramian line, which see its counting continued in following divisions.
  4. Actually it is known that Adolph was a minor at the time of his succession, but it's not stated anywhere who was his regent
  5. (in German) RI XIII H. 5 n. 149 in: Regesta Imperii Online.
  6. Namely 1/3 of Nassau-Hadamar in 1711, Protestant Nassau-Siegen in 1734, and 1/2 of Nassau-Dillenburg in 1739. In 1732, Frederick William I of Prussia left him his Dutch properties, including Huis ten Bosch palace and Het Loo Palace. He also ceded his part of Hadamar to William Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen (1742), received the latter's part of Nassau-Dillenburg, and then succeeded him in his possessions (1743).
  7. Hay, Mark Edward (1 June 2016). "The House of Nassau between France and Independence, 1795–1814: Lesser Powers, Strategies of Conflict Resolution, Dynastic Networks". The International History Review. 38 (3): 482–504. doi:10.1080/07075332.2015.1046387. S2CID   155502574.