![Clotilde van Nassau Merenberg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Clotilde_van_Nassau_Merenberg.jpg)
Clotilde, Countess von Merenberg (born 14 May 1941 in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
, Germany) is a German psychiatrist and the last
patrilineal
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...
descendant 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 ...
. She is a descendant of Emperor
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...
and of the Russian poet
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
.
Family
A psychiatrist, Clotilde is the only child of
Count George von Merenberg (1897–1965) and Elisabeth Müller-Uri (1903-1963). She is the last
patrilineal
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...
descendant 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 ...
, the male line of which ruled the
Duchy of Nassau
The Duchy of Nassau (German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what is now the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine and later of the G ...
until 1866, provided a 12th-century
German king
This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Emp ...
, a line of
Princes of Orange
Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands.
The title ...
who served first as
stadholder
In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...
s of the
United Dutch Provinces and, from 1815 to 1948, as kings of the Netherlands, and reigned as grand dukes of Luxembourg until 1968. Neither she, however, nor her father or paternal grandfather were deemed full members of the Nassau
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
, the last member of which,
Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg
Charlotte (Charlotte Adelgonde Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine; 23 January 1896 – 9 July 1985) reigned as Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964.
She acceded to the throne on 14 January 1919 fol ...
, died in 1985.
[''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XVI. "Luxemburg". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 80-81. German.] While Countess Clothilde's branch of the family had legitimate male members until 1965, they had been bypassed for Luxembourg's throne since 1907.
The
Counts von Merenberg descend legitimately from the
morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
in 1868 of
Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau
Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau (20 September 1832 – 17 September 1905), was the only son of William, Duke of Nassau by his second wife Princess Pauline of Württemberg.
Marriage and issue
He married morganatically in London on 1 July 1868 w ...
and Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina, a daughter of the renowned poet
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
, who was an untitled member of the lower
Russian nobility
The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire.
Up until the February Revolutio ...
. Although their son
Count George von Merenberg married
Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya
Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya (russian: О́льга Александровна Юрьевская; 7 November 187310 August 1925) was the natural daughter of Alexander II of Russia by his mistress (later his wife), Princess Catherine ...
, a daughter of Tsar
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...
, and pressed for recognition as
heir presumptive
An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question.
...
to the Luxembourgeois throne as its grand ducal line approached extinction, a 1907 law of the grand duchy dismissed the Merenbergs' claim to the throne.
Prince Nikolaus was a great-grandson of
Charles Christian, 3rd Prince of Nassau-Weilburg, who in 1760 married
Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau
Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau (''Wilhelmine Carolina''; 28 February 1743 – 6 May 1787) was a Dutch regent. She was the daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, and Anne, Princess Royal. She was regent of the ...
, a daughter of the Dutch stadholder
William IV, Prince of Orange
William IV (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was Prince of Orange from birth and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1747 until his death in 1751. During his whole ...
and
Anne, Princess Royal of Great Britain. Countess Clotilde is also a great-granddaughter of the Russian Emperor
Alexander II.
Marriage and children
In 1965, she married ''
Junker
Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...
'' Enno
von Rintelen (9 November 1921, Berlin-Charlottenburg - 16 October 2013), a gynecologist, son of ''
Junker
Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...
'' Emil Viktor von Rintelen (1887–1954) and Antonie Bracht (1893-1922). He was a grandson of
Wilhelm von Rintelen, a
prussian
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
Lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
ennobled in 1913 by German Emperor
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...
.
Clotilde and Enno have three sons:
* Alexander Enno von Rintelen (born Wiesbaden, 23 March 1966).
* Georg Nicolaus von Rintelen (born Wiesbaden, 29 June 1970) He married on 30 June 2007 Olivia Minninger (born Cologne, 27 August 1969), daughter of Günther Minninger and Monika Kleineberg. They have two sons:
** Julian Dominic Nicolaus von Rintelen (born Munich, 7 January 2003)
** Nicolai Philip Leonid von Rintelen (born 17 November 2006)
* Gregor von Rintelen (born Wiesbaden, 13 August 1972). He married in 2002 Christiane Mathilde zu Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda-Prill (born Wiesbaden, 18 May 1973), daughter of Fiedebert zu
Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda-Prill and Rosemarie Heihecker. They have a son and a daughter:
** Frederick Enno Christian von Rintelen (born 11 December 2006)
** Luise von Rintelen (born
Braine-l'Alleud
Braine-l'Alleud (; nl, Eigenbrakel ; wa, Brinne-l'-Alou) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, about south of Brussels.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud (includ ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, 30 June 2009)
Clotilde is the chairwoman of the German Pushkin society and also the chairwoman of the ''Herus e.V. - Hessisch-russischer interkultureller Austausch und humanitäre Hilfe''.
Ancestry
#Drutwin (mentioned 881)
#Drutwin (mentioned 940-959)
#Drutwin, Count in Königssundergau (mentioned 991-997)
#Adelhart, Vogt in Haiger (mentioned 1048)
#
Rupert of Laurenburg
Rupert (german: Ruprecht) was Vogt at Siegen and is one of the eldest known possible ancestors of the House of Nassau.
Life
Rupert is mentioned at Siegen between 1079 and 1082 as the owner of parts of the lands of Lipporn/Laurenburg,Hesselfelt ...
(ca. 1050 - c. 1110)
#
Dudo of Laurenburg
Dudo of Laurenburg (german: Dudo von Laurenburg; la, Tuto de Lurinburg; died before 1124)Hesselfelt (1965).Van de Venne & Stols (1937). was probably Count of Laurenburg and is considered the founder of the House of Nassau. The House of Nassau wo ...
(ca. 1060 – ca. 1123)
#
Rupert I, Count of Laurenburg
Rupert I of Laurenburg, german: Ruprecht I. von Laurenburg (died before 13 May 1154Dek (1970).Hesselfelt (1965).Van de Venne & Stols (1937).), was count of Laurenburg and one of the ancestors of the House of Nassau.
Biography
Rupert was a son o ...
(ca. 1090 – ca. 1154)
#
Walram I, Count of Nassau
Walram I of Nassau, german: Walram I. von Nassau (Dek (1970).Van de Venne & Stols (1937). – 1 February 1198Hesselfelt (1965).Vorsterman van Oyen (1882).), also known as Walram I of Laurenburg, was Count of Nassau and is the oldest Nassau wh ...
(ca. 1146–1198)
#
Henry II, Count of Nassau
Henry II "the Rich" of Nassau, german: Heinrich II. "der Reiche" von Nassau (Cawley.Dek (1970). – 26 April 1247/48/49/50, before 25 January 1251) was Count of Nassau. He distinguished himself in particular by his chivalrous and devout spirit. H ...
(ca. 1190–1251)
#
Walram II, Count of Nassau
Walram II of Nassau, german: Walram II. von Nassau (Cawley.Dek (1970). – 24 January 1276), was Count of Nassau and is the ancestor of the Walramian branch of the House of Nassau.
Life
Walram was the second son of Count Henry II of Nassau and ...
(ca. 1220-1276)
#
Adolf of Nassau, King of Germany (ca. 1255-1298)
#
Gerlach I, Count of Nassau
Gerlach I of Nassau (1271 – 7 January 1361), Count of Nassau in Wiesbaden, Idstein, Weilburg, and Weilnau.
He was a son of Adolf of Nassau, elected King of the Romans, and Imagina of Isenburg-Limburg.
Family and children
He was married t ...
(ca. 1280-1361)
#
John I, Count of Nassau-Weilburg John I of Nassau-Weilburg (1309–1371) was Count of Nassau-Weilburg from 1355 to 1371.
John I was the second son of Count Gerlach I of Nassau-Wiesbaden and Agnes of Hesse, granddaughter of Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse. On Gerlach I abdication in ...
(1309-1371)
#
Philipp I, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Count Philipp I of Nassau-Weilburg (1368 – 2 July 1429) was Count of Nassau in Weilburg, Count of Saarbrücken and Seigneur of Commercy ''Château bas'' in 1371–1429.
Biography
Philipp was a son of John I, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1309 ...
(1368-1429)
#
Philip II, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Philip II, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (14 March 1418 – 19 March 1492 in Mainz) was Count of Nassau in Weilburg and shared briefly the regency of the County of Saarbrücken.
Biography
Philip was a son of Philip I (1368 – 1429), and grandson ...
(1418-1492)
#
(1441-1480)
#
Louis I, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Count Louis I of Nassau-Weilburg (1473 – 28 May 1523) was a son of Count John III of Nassau-Weilburg and his wife, Elisabeth of Hesse. In 1492, Louis I succeeded his grandfather Philip II as Count of Nassau-Weilburg, because his father ha ...
(1473-1523)
#
Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (20 September 1504 at Neuweilnau Castle in Weilrod – 4 October 1559 in Weilburg) was a Count of the Nassau-Weilburg. Among his major achievements were the introduction of the Reformation, the foundation ...
(1504-1559)
#
Albert, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Albert of Nassau-Weilburg-Ottweiler (26 December 1537, Weilburg – 11 November 1593, 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, P ...
(1537-1593)
#
Louis II, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Louis II of Nassau-Weilburg (9 August 1565, Weilburg – 8 November 1627, Saarbrücken) was a count of Nassau-Weilburg.
Life
Louis was the eldest son of Count Albert of Nassau-Weilburg-Ottweiler and Countess Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg. H ...
(1565-1627)
#
Ernest Casimir, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Ernest Casimir of Nassau-Weilburg (15 November 1607 – 16 April 1655) was the founder of the ''younger'' line of Nassau-Weilburg.
He was a son of Louis II, Count of Nassau-Weilburg and his wife Anna Maria of Hesse-Kassel (1567–1626).
Life
...
(1607-1655)
#
Frederick, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Frederick of Nassau-Weilburg (born 26 April 1640 in Metz; died: 8 September 1675) was the ruling Count of Nassau-Weilburg from 1655 to 1675.
He was the son of Ernest Casimir (1607–1655) and his wife Anna Maria of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hachenburg ( ...
(1640-1675)
#
John Ernst, 1st Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (1664-1719)
#
Charles August, 2nd Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (1685-1753)
#
Charles Christian, 3rd Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (1735-1788)
#
Frederick William, 4th Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (1768-1816)
#
William, Duke of Nassau
Wilhelm (Given names: ''Georg Wilhelm August Heinrich Belgicus''; 14 June 1792, Kirchheimbolanden – 20/30 August 1839, Bad Kissingen) was joint sovereign Duke of Nassau, along with his father's cousin Frederick Augustus, reigning from 1816 unt ...
(1792-1839)
#
Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau
Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau (20 September 1832 – 17 September 1905), was the only son of William, Duke of Nassau by his second wife Princess Pauline of Württemberg.
Marriage and issue
He married morganatically in London on 1 July 1868 w ...
(1832-1905)
#
Count George of Merenberg (1871-1948)
#Count George of Merenberg (1897–1965)
#Countess Clotilde of Merenberg (born 1941)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clotilde, Countess Of Merenberg
1941 births
Living people
People from Wiesbaden
House of Nassau
German psychiatrists
German women psychiatrists
German countesses