Albert of Nassau-Weilburg-Ottweiler (26 December 1537,
Weilburg – 11 November 1593,
Ottweiler
Ottweiler () is a municipality, former seat of the district of Neunkirchen, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approx. 7 km north of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken.
Culture
The town is notable f ...
), 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
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
.
Life
Albert was the only son of
Philip III of Nassau-Weilburg and his second wife Anna of Mansfield. His mother died in childbirth.
On 16 June 1559, Albert married
Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg
Countess Anne of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources she is called Anne of Nassau-Dillenburg. The County of Nassau-Siegen is erroneously called Nassau-Dillenburg in many sources. The county was not named after the small, unimportant city of Dillenburg ...
, a daughter of Count
William "the Rich" of Nassau-Siegen and sister of
William I of Orange. In the same year, on 4 October 1559, his father, Philip III died. Albert inherited part of the county of Nassau-Weilburg jointly with his younger half-brother,
Philip IV Philip IV may refer to:
* Philip IV of Macedon (died 297 BC)
* Philip IV of France (1268–1314), Avignon Papacy
* Philip IV of Burgundy or Philip I of Castile (1478–1506)
* Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1542–1602)
* Philip IV of Spain ...
. Albert initially ruled jointly with Philip IV. They had inherited a high debt, which hampered their ability to rule. They were however, able to slowly improve their financial position.
On 15 May 1561, the brothers split their territory for the first time. Albert was given
Schloss Weilburg
Schloss Weilburg (Weilburg Palace) is a Baroque '' schloss'' in Weilburg, Hesse, Germany. It is located on a spur above the river Lahn and occupies about half of the area of the Old Town of Weilburg. It contains the ''Hochschloss'' ("High Palace"), ...
and the district of Weilburg, Philip received castle and district of Neuweilnau. The largest part of the territory and their father's debts, however, remained the common property. Albert moved into the new Schloss Weilburg, which he continued to expand. In 1571, they split the rest of the territory. Apart from Weilburg, Albert received Gleiberg, Cleen, Wehen and Burgschwalbach. Albert and Philip concluded several treaties with
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
, in which they gradually divided their shared possessions.
Albert was a member of the
Wetterau Association of
Imperial Counts. He often travelled to the
Imperial Diet and to the Emperor
Maximilian II as a representative of the Wetterau Association, to discuss freedom of religion for the Calvinist princes. From 1583 to 1588, Albert fought in the
Cologne War
The Cologne War (german: Kölner Krieg, Kölnischer Krieg, Truchsessischer Krieg; 1583–88) was a conflict between Protestant and Catholic factions that devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy ...
on the side of the Wetterau Association.
When Count
John III of Nassau-Saarbrücken died in 1574 without a male heir, the Counties of
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...
,
Saarwerden
Sarrewerden (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
The localities of ''Bischtroff-sur-Sarre'' and ''Zollingen'' are incorporated in the commune since 1972.
See also
* Communes of the Bas-Rhin departm ...
and
Ottweiler
Ottweiler () is a municipality, former seat of the district of Neunkirchen, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approx. 7 km north of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken.
Culture
The town is notable f ...
passed to Albert and Philip. They divided them: Philip received Saarbrücken and Saarland; Albert received Ottweiler, the districts of
Homburg and
Kirchheim and the Lordships of
Lahr and
Mahlberg
Mahlberg ( gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Mohlburg) is a town in the Ortenaukreis, in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 8 km southwest of Lahr,
near the Europa-Park Rust. It is about north of Freiburg im Breisgau and south of ...
in the Black Forest. Albert built a new castle in Ottweiler, which became his residence. As the eldest member of the Walram line of the
House of Nassau, Albert took up guardianship of
John Louis of Nassau-Wiesbaden. As head of the house, he set guidelines for foreign policy.
The Saarbrücken inheritance was contested by various sides. Duke
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
of Lorraine claimed the county of Saarwerden. Albert, however, prevailed before the
Reichskammergericht. Elector Palatine
Frederick III also claimed some of the Nassau territories; Albert was able to settle this issue out of court. Albert and Frederick concluded several treaties, in which the exact rights and boundaries of the various territories were defined. After Frederick III died in 1576, Albert was the executor of his last will and testament.
In 1579, Albert extended his influence in
Rhenish Hesse by purchasing a share of
Jugenheim
Seeheim-Jugenheim is a municipality in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district in Hesse, Germany. It has a population of approximately 17,000.
Seeheim-Jugenheim consists of seven villages:
*Balkhausen (population 693)
*Jugenheim (population 4,448)
*Malch ...
.
Albert died on 11 November 1593 at his castle in Ottweiler. After his death, his three sons jointly ruled his territory. However, two of them died shortly after their father so that the surviving son of
Louis II ruled alone from 1602 onwards.
Reformation
In his childhood at
Neuweilnau Castle, he was educated in the Protestant faith by
Kasper Goltwurm. Through Goltwurm, Albert became acquainted with
Philipp Melanchthon
Philip Melanchthon. (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lu ...
, with whom he had lively correspondence.
Kasper Goltwurm was succeeded in 1560 by Jacob Charsisius, who worked in Nassau-Weilburg as Superintendent until his death. At the request of Charsisius, some Catholic customs, such a celebrating
carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
and lighting a
bonfire
A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration.
Etymology
The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...
on
St. John's Eve
Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26–37, 56–57) states that John was born six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of J ...
were made punishable offenses in the Nassau-Weilburg territories. Lorenz Stephani was appointed as superintendent in the areas administered jointly by Hesse and Nassau. He also succeeded as superintendent of Weilburg in 1572, and in Ottweiler in 1574. In Ottweiler, Albert and Lorenz Stephani took measures to enforce the Reformation. Catholic priests were converted to the new faith or removed from office; monasteries were dissolved; church property was confiscated; schools were set up and ''
jus patronatus'' was purchased.
In 1567 and 1568, Albert met his brother-in-law
William of Orange several times. Albert supported him in the
Dutch War of Independence
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
against the "Iron Duke"
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba. The invasion of the Netherlands in 1568, however failed. Albert vouched for the wages of the mercenaries William had hired.
Construction policy
Albert initiated several large construction projects. After the first division of the county, he began converting the castle at Weilburg into a palace. To this end, he commissioned the architect Ludwig Kempf. During this phase, the north wing and the ''Stadtpfeiferturm'' (City Piper Tower) were added. The joint coat of arms of Albert and Anna is still attached to the tower. Around this time, he also founded a game park in Weilburg, which still exists.
After he inherited Ottweiler, Albert commissioned the architect Christmann Strohmeyer to construct a
Renaissance style
Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
castle at Ottweiler. This castle was abandoned in 1753 due to disrepair. Albert probably also initiated the expansion of
Gleiberg Castle in the late 16th century, after it had fallen entirely to the House of Nassau.
Issue
Albert and Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg had the following children:
* Anna Amalia (1560–1635), married Count Otto of Solms-Sonnewalde
* Juliane (1562–1562)
* Catherine (1563–1613), died unmarried
*
Louis II (1565–1627); inherited Ottweiler
* George Philip (1567–1570)
* Albert (1569–1570)
* William (1570–1597); inherited Weilburg
* Elisabeth (1572–1607), married Count George II of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
* Juliane (born: 1574)
* John Casimir (1577–1602), married Elisabeth, a daughter of
George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
George I of Hesse-Darmstadt (10 September 1547 – 7 February 1596) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1567 to 1596.
Early life
Born on 10 September 1547 in Kassel, he was the fourth son of Philip I the Magnanimous of Hesse and his wife ...
; inherited Gleiberg
* Anna Ottilie (1582–1635), married Count William III of Sayn-Wittgenstein
* Anna Sibylla (born: 1575), married Baron Peter Ernest II of Krichingen-Püttlingen
* Magdalena (1580–1658), died unmarried
* Ernestina (1584–1665), married Louis Philip of Wied
References
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External links
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Coat of arms at Weilburg CastleAlbert of Nassau-Weilburg in the Saarland biographies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert, Count of Nassau Weilburg
Counts of Nassau
House of Nassau
1537 births
1593 deaths
16th-century German people