Countess Adriana of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources she is called Adriana 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, which did not even have a church until 1491, but after the, for that time, large city of Siegen, the economic centre of the county and the counts’ main residence. See Lück (1981), ''passim''. It is also evident from the numbering of the reigning counts with the given name John. One John without regal number who ruled the County of Nassau-Dillenburg in the period 1303–1328, and eight counts by the name of John who ruled the County of Nassau-Siegen in the period 1362–1638. (7 February 1449 – 15 January 1477), german: Adriana Gräfin von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: ''Gräfin zu Nassau, Vianden und Diez, Frau zu Breda'', was a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

ess from the

House of Nassau-Siegen 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, founde ...

, a

cadet branch In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets— realm, title ...

of the Ottonian Line of the

House of Nassau 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. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count o ...

, and through marriage Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg.

Biography

Adriana was born in

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

on 7 February 1449Schutte (1979), p. 42.Dek (1970), p. 69.Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 94. as the fourth daughter of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

John IV of Nassau-Siegen and his wife Lady

Mary of Looz-Heinsberg Lady Mary of Looz-HeinsbergIn English and French the county her name originated from is called Looz, while in Dutch and German it is called Loon. (1424 – 20 April 1502), nl, Maria van Loon-Heinsberg, was a noble lady from the House of L ...

. Adriana married on 12 September 1468 to Count Philip I of Hanau-Münzenberg (21 September 1449 – 26 August 1500), the son of Count Reinhard III of Hanau and

Countess Palatine Margaret of Mosbach Countess Palatine Margaret of Mosbach (2 March 1432 – 14 September 1457) was the eldest daughter of Count Palatine Otto I of Mosbach and his wife, Johanna of Bavaria-Landshut. She married on 11 July 1446 to Count Reinhard III of Hanau, who ...

Adriana died on 15 January 1477The date of death 11 or 15 June 1477 in Schutte (1979), p. 42, and 11 June 1477 in Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 94. and was buried in in

Hanau Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ...

. On her

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

, she is depicted in a praying position towards the (no longer extant)

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

. This epitaph and her gravestone have been preserved very well.Dietrich & Heider-Geiß (2001).

Issue

From the marriage of Adriana and Philip the following children were born: # A daughter (1469 – ?). #

Adriana Adriana, also spelled Adrianna, is a Latin name and feminine form of Adrian. It originates from present day Italy. Translations *Arabic: أدريان * Belorussian: Адрыяна (Adryjana) *Bulgarian: Адриана (Adriana) *Chinese Simplifi ...

(Hanau, 1 May 1470 – 12 April 1524), married in Hanau on 15 February 1489 to Count Philip of Solms-Lich (15 August 1468 –

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 its na ...

, 3 October 1544). #

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

(6 April 1471 –

Liebenau monastery The Liebenau monastery was a Dominican monastery. It was located outside the city gates of Worms in today's Worms-Hochheim district. Location Liebenau was located in the east of Hochheim district, close to the border with the Neuhausen distric ...

, 5 September 1503), was a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

at Liebenau monastery. # Count Reinhard IV (14 March 1473 – 30 January 1512), succeeded his father in 1500. He married in 1496 to Countess Catherine of Schwarzburg (? – 27 November 1514). # Anne (15 March 1474 – 21 March 1475). # Mary (4 March 1475 – 18 May 1476).

Ancestors

Literature

* * *

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * (1882). ''Het vorstenhuis Oranje-Nassau. Van de vroegste tijden tot heden'' (in Dutch). Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff/Utrecht: J.L. Beijers.

External links

Hanau
In

by Paul Theroff.

In

by Charles Cawley.

In

by Paul Theroff. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nassau-Siegen, Adriana 1449 births 1477 deaths

Adriana of Nassau-Siegen Countess Adriana of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources she is called Adriana 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 Dille ...

∞, Adriana of Nassau-Siegen

15th-century German women