Albert of Hanau-Münzenberg (12 November 1579 – 19 December 1635 in
Strasbourg) was the younger son of
Philip Louis I of Hanau-Münzenberg (1553-1580) and his wife, Countess
Magdalene of Waldeck-Wildungen (1558-1599). The only sons of his parents to reach adulthood were Albert and his elder brother
Philip Louis II. Albert's son
John Ernest
John Ernest (May 6, 1922 – July 21, 1994) was an American-born constructivist abstract artist. He was born in Philadelphia, in 1922. After living and working in Sweden and Paris from 1946 to 1951, he moved to London, England, where he lived and w ...
was the last male member of the Hanau-Münzenberg line of the House of Hanau.
Regency
When his father died in 1580, Albert and his brother were still minors and a regency was necessary. The regents were Counts
John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg (22 November 1536 – 8 October 1606) was the second son of William the Rich and the younger brother of William the Silent. He has a special place in the history of the Netherlands because he is the male-lin ...
(1536–1606),
Louis I, Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
(1568–1607) and
Philip IV, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Philipp IV of Hanau-Lichtenberg (20 September 1514, in Babenhausen – 19 February 1590, in Lichtenberg) was from 1538 to 1590 the reigning Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg. Before his accession he had already conducted government business on behalf o ...
(1514–1590), who was replaced in 1585 by his son, Count
Philip V of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Philipp V of Hanau-Lichtenberg (21 February 1541, Bouxwiller – 2 June 1599, Niederbronn) was Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1590 until his death.
Life
Philipp V was the eldest son, heir and successor of Count Philipp IV of Hanau-Lichten ...
(1541–1599).
Albert's mother Magdalena remarried in 1581 to
John VII, Count of Nassau-Siegen
Count John VII ‘the Middle’ of Nassau-Siegen (7 June 1561 – 27 September 1623), german: Johann VII. ‘der Mittlere’ Graf von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: ''Graf zu Nassau, Katzenelnbogen, Vianden und Diez, Herr zu ...
, the son of his guardian and regent. She and her sons from her first marriage then moved to the Nassau court in
Dillenburg
Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis.
The town lies on the German- Dutch holiday road ...
. At the time, this was a centre of
Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
in Germany. The court in Dillenburg maintained cordial relations with the Reformed court of the
Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
.
However, Philip IV of Hanau-Lichtenberg, Albert's
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
guardian, and later his son Philip V, vehemently resisted this Calvinist influence, though ultimately their resistance was in vain. Philip V tried to have the Lutheran Duke
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
of
Simmern-Sponheim, a younger brother of
Elector Palatine
The counts palatine of Lotharingia /counts palatine of the Rhine /electors of the Palatinate (german: Kurfürst von der Pfalz) ruled some part of Rhine area in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire from 915 to 1803. The title was a kind ...
Frederick III appointed as co-regent. He managed to obtain a mandate to this effect from the
Reichskammergericht
The ''Reichskammergericht'' (; ; la, Iudicium imperii) was one of the two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms. All legal ...
, however, the Calvinist prevented Richard's installation and prevented the people of Hanau-Münzenberg from paying tribute to Duke Richard. Instead, they installed Duke
John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern
John Casimir, Count Palatine of Simmern (German: ''Johann Casimir von Pfalz-Simmern'') (7 March 1543 – Brockhaus Geschichte Second Edition) was a German prince and a younger son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine. A firm Calvinist, he was a lead ...
as ''upper guardian'', an honorary position, which nevertheless strengthened the Calvinist hold on Hanau-Münzenberg.
The end of the guardianship is difficult to determine. In 1600, the guardians had a dispute with Philip Louis II and ended their guardianship over him. However, Albert was still a minor in 1600 (at the time, the age of majority was 25), and the guardians continued their guardianship over him at least until he came of age in 1604. The guardians did not file their final account until urged to do so by Elector Palatine
Frederick IV in 1608.
Youth
In 1585, Albert enrolled at the
Herborn Academy The Herborn Academy ( la, Academia Nassauensis) was a Calvinist institution of higher learning in Herborn from 1584 to 1817. The Academy was a centre of encyclopaedic Ramism and the birthplace of both covenant theology and pansophism. Its faculty ...
, where his brother also studied. In 1588, he enrolled in the of the , also in
Herborn. In 1591, he enrolled at the
university of Heidelberg
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
, where he was elected rector on 20 December 1591.
Reign
Albert spent most of his life in a violent dispute with his brother Philip Louis II, his cousin
Philip Maurice (1605-1638), and his cousin's regent, his sister-in-law
Catharina Belgica of Nassau. This dispute was fought partly in court, partly using military means. Albert demanded a
partition
Partition may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive
* Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job
Software
* Partition (database), the division of a ...
of the county. Philip Louis II, however, followed a decree from 1375, which prescribed
primogeniture in the House of Hanau. When Philip Louis II came of age, his guardians sided with Albert in this dispute, leading to violent clashes between Philip Louis II and his former guardians.
A compromise was reached, in which Albert received the districts of
Schwarzenfels
Schwarzenfels is a village in the German municipality of Sinntal in Main-Kinzig-Kreis in the state of Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. It ...
,
Ortenberg, the territories of the former monastery in Naumburg and Hanau's share of
Assenheim. Albert then moved into
Schwarzenfels Castle. However, the compromise did not end the dispute. Albert now demanded sovereignty, while Philip Louis II had only granted him economic use of the apanage.
Albert and his family were forced to leave Schwarzenfels Castle during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, probably in 1633. He fled to
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany
Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...
and later to
Strasbourg, where he suffered serious financial problems.
Death
Albert died on 19 December 1635, in exile in Strasbourg. The funeral sermon is preserved.
With Albert's death, the sovereignty dispute ended, his son and heir,
John Ernest
John Ernest (May 6, 1922 – July 21, 1994) was an American-born constructivist abstract artist. He was born in Philadelphia, in 1922. After living and working in Sweden and Paris from 1946 to 1951, he moved to London, England, where he lived and w ...
, did not claim sovereignty, at least not until he eventually inherited all of Hanau-Münzenberg.
Marriage and issue
On 16 August 1604, Albert married Countess
Ehrengard of Isenburg (1 October 1577 – 20 September 1637 in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
). Some sources say her given name was ''Irmgard''. They had the following children:
* Albert (1606-1614), buried in the
Schlüchtern Monastery. His grave was examined during archaeological excavations in 1938 and 1986 and he was then reburied.
* Maurice (b. 1606; died young)
*
Catherine Elizabeth (* on or before 14 September 1607 – 14 September 1647), married to Count William Otto of
Isenburg-Birstein
Isenburg-Birstein was the name of two German historical states centred on Birstein in southeastern Hesse, Germany. The first "Isenburg-Birstein" was a County and was created as a partition of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein in 1628. It was merged int ...
(1597-1667)
*
Johanna
Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ cou ...
(1610 – 13 September 1673 in
Delft), married:
*# in September 1637
[Anders Dek, p. 30 says it was on 1 February 1637] to Wild- and
Rhinegrave
(feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...
Wolfgang Frederick von
Salm
Salm may refer to
People
* Constance de Salm (1767–1845), poet and miscellaneous writer; through her second marriage, she became Princess of Salm-Dyck
* Salm ibn Ziyad, an Umayyad governor of Khurasan and Sijistan
* House of Salm, a European ...
(1589 – 24 December 1638). This marriage remained childless.
*# on 14 December 1646 to Prince
Manuel António of Portugal
Manuel António of Portugal (24 February 1600 in Delft – 27 October 1666 in Schagen) was a Portuguese nobleman.
Youth
He was born as son of Manuel of Portugal and Countess Emilia of Nassau who was a daughter of William the Silent. Manue ...
(1600-1666)
*
Magdalena Elisabeth (28 March 1611 – 26 February 1687), married to George Frederick Schenk of Limpurg (1596-1651)
*
John Ernest
John Ernest (May 6, 1922 – July 21, 1994) was an American-born constructivist abstract artist. He was born in Philadelphia, in 1922. After living and working in Sweden and Paris from 1946 to 1951, he moved to London, England, where he lived and w ...
(13 June 1613 – 12 January 1642), betrothed to Princess
Susanna Margarete of Anhalt-Dessau (25 August 1610 – 3 October 1663), the last reigning count of the Hanau-Münzenberg branch of the House of Hanau
* Christopher Louis (b. 1614; died shortly after baptism)
* Elisabeth (1615-1665)
*
Marie Juliane (15 January 1617 – 28 October 1643), married to Count John Louis of
Isenburg-Birstein
Isenburg-Birstein was the name of two German historical states centred on Birstein in southeastern Hesse, Germany. The first "Isenburg-Birstein" was a County and was created as a partition of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein in 1628. It was merged int ...
(1622-1685)
Ancestors
References
* A. W. E. Dek: ''Graf Johann der Mittlere von Nassau-Siegen und seine 25 Kinder'', Rijswijk, 1962
* Reinhard Dietrich: ''Die Landesverfassung in dem Hanauischen'', in the series ''Hanauer Geschichtsblätter'', vol. 34, Hanau, 1996,
* Ute Müller-Ludolph: ''Philipp Ludwig II. von Hanau-Münzenberg (1576-1612) – Eine politische Biographie'', in the series ''Quellen und Forschungen zur hessischen Geschichte'', vol. 83, Darmstadt, 1991,
* Reinhard Suchier: ''Genealogie des Hanauer Grafenhauses'', in: ''Festschrift des Hanauer Geschichtsvereins zu seiner fünfzigjährigen Jubelfeier am 27. August 1894'', Hanau, 1894
* Reinhard Suchier: ''Die Grabmonumente und Särge der in Hanau bestatteten Personen aus den Häusern Hanau und Hessen'', in: Programm des Königlichen Gymnasiums zu Hanau, Hanau, 1879. S. 1 - 56.
* Gustav Toepke: ''Die Matrikel der Universität Heidelberg von 1386 bis 1662'', Heidelberg, 1884, vol. 2
* K. Wolf: ''Die vormundschaftlichen Regierungen des Grafen Johann des Älteren von Nassau-Dillenburg in der Grafschaft Hanau-Münzenberg'', in: ''Hanauisches Magazin'', vol. 15, 1936, p. 81–94 and vol. 16, 1937, p. 1–14
* Ernst J. Zimmermann: ''Hanau Stadt und Land'', 3rd ed., Hanau, 1919, reprinted 1978
Footnotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert of Hanau-Munzenberg
Counts of Hanau
1579 births
1635 deaths
17th-century German people