The Counts of Vianden, ancestors of the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

, were associated with the castle of Vianden ( Vianden Castle) in Luxembourg. In the 12th to 15th centuries the counts of Vianden were the mightiest lords of the area between the rivers Rhine, Mosel and Maas. Their territory was in modern Vianden canton, Luxemburg and Bitburg-Prüm, Germany. One recognition of their importance was that

Henry I of Vianden Henry I (c.1200–1252) was the hereditary Count of Vianden from 1210 and, through his wife, Marquis of Namur from 1229. Family background Henry was the son of Frederic III, Count of Vianden (de) (c. 1160 - 1210), and Mechthild (Mathilde) of Neu ...

(c. 1200-1252) in 1216 married Margaret, Marchioness of Namur (c. 1194 - 1270) of the

Capet The House of Capet (french: Maison capétienne) or the Direct Capetians (''Capétiens directs''), also called the House of France (''la maison de France''), or simply the Capets, ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most s ...

ian

House of Courtenay The House of Courtenay is a medieval noble house, with branches in France, England and the Holy Land. One branch of the Courtenays became a Royal House of the Capetian Dynasty, cousins of the Bourbons and the Valois, and achieved the title o ...

, and daughter of

Peter II of Courtenay Peter, also Peter II of Courtenay (french: Pierre de Courtenay; died 1219), was emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople from 1216 to 1217. Biography Peter II was a son of Peter I of Courtenay (died 1183), a younger son of Louis VI of Franc ...

(1167-1217), emperor of Constantinople. It was the peak of its power, but in 1264 Vianden became a vassal to the counts of Luxembourg. Godefroid I participated in the Battle of Worringen in 1288 as a vassal to the Duchy of Brabant. The male line of the ruling house of Vianden became extinct in 1337.

Early counts of Vianden

* Bertolph count of Vianden (first reference from 1090, "Bertolf Comes de Vianne"), probably from the counts of

Hamm, Bitburg-Prüm Hamm is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...

or Vogts of

Prüm Prüm () is a town in the Westeifel (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany. Formerly a district capital, today it is the administrative seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Prüm. Geography Prüm lies on the river Prüm (a tri ...

House of Vianden (with time of reign)

Numberings and names can vary and the year details have several uncertainties and should be taken as approximative due to some conjecture in lack of complete documentation. In this list mostly the English name versions are used. * Gerhard (about 1100), probably from the house of Sponheim. Married Adelheid. He is told to have founded in

Altleiningen Altleiningen is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The municipality lies at an e ...

in 1096. * Gerhard I, Count of

Clervaux Clervaux (; lb, Clierf or (locally) ; german: Clerf) is a commune and town in northern Luxembourg, administrative capital of the canton of Clervaux. The town's arms, granted in 1896, show three blackbirds on a gold ground in the chief of a red ...

(1129-1156), son of Gerhard. * (1124-c. 1150), son of Gerhard. According to some accounts Frederic I was appointed as the "first count of Vianden", as a Vogt of

and Undervogt of

Electorate of Trier The Electorate of Trier (german: Kurfürstentum Trier or ' or Trèves) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the end of the 9th to the early 19th century. It was the temporal possession of the prince- ...

. Probably married to a daughter of Bertolph. * (1152-1171), son of Frederic I. * (1163-1187), son of Frederic I. Married countess Elisabeth of Salm, and became count of Niedersalm (1163-1175) ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...

'', while Elizabeth's brother Henry II got Obersalm. Their son William I inherited the county of Niedersalm. * (1184-1220), son of Frederic II. He married Mechthild (Mathilde), assumingly of

Neuerburg Neuerburg ( lb, Neierbuerg) is a city in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Eifel, near the border with Luxembourg, approx. 20 km north-west of Bitburg and 20 km north-east of Dieki ...

, with a disputed and confusing ancestry. At least their son Frederic I inherited Neuerburg, and married Cecilie of Isenburg Kovern, but that dynasty became extinct with the death of Frederick III in 1332. *

(1220-1252), son of Frederic III. He married Margaret, Marchioness of Namur,

. One of their sons was Frederic (d. 1247), married to Mathilde of Salm, with issue Henry, Lord of

Schönecken Schönecken is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in ...

(de) (1248-1299), starting a short-lived

cadet line 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, titles, ...

. * (1252-1273), son of Henry I. He married Marie of

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

- Perwez, daughter of Godfrey of

Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

, Lord of Perwez, apparently a descendant of Godfrey III, Count of Louvain and

Landgrave of Brabant The Landgraviate of Brabant (1085–1183) was a small medieval fiefdom west of Brussels, consisting of the area between the Dender and Zenne rivers in the Low Countries, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Before 1085 the land had belonged ...

(1142-1190). * (1273-1307/1310), son of Philip I. He married Aleidis van Oudenaarde. * (1307/1310-1315/1316), son of Godefroid I. He married Lucia of

and Adelheid of Arnsberg, daughter of Count Louis of Arnsberg and Petronella of Jülich * (1317–1337), son of Philip II. He married Maria of Dampierre (

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

), daughter of Jean of Namur. Henry had a Herrschaft (territory) under his uncle

Gerhard V of Jülich Gerhard V of Jülich (before 1250 – 29 July 1328), Count of Jülich (1297–1328), was the youngest son of William IV, Count of Jülich and Richardis of Guelders, daughter of Gerard III, Count of Guelders.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeuts ...

. * Louis (1337-1343), son of Philip II * Maria (1343-1348), daughter of Henry II. She married Simon III, Count of Sponheim-Kreuznach (d. 1414). * Maria and Simon (1348-1400) ''

'', from 1380 also Count of Sponheim-Kreuznach, joining Vianden and Sponheim-Kreuznach. * (c. 1315-1376), daughter of Philip II with Adelheid of Arnsberg. Born about 1309 and hade older relatives as co-rulers. She married count

Otto II of Nassau Count Otto II of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources he is called Otto II of Nassau(-Dillenburg). His official title was Count of Nassau, but it is incorrect to refer to him as the only reigning Count of Nassau, because the County of Nassau w ...

-Dillenburg (c. 1305-c. 1350), son of Count Henry I of Nassau-Siegen and Adelheid of Sponheim.

House of Nassau-Dillenburg

John I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg Count John I of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources he is called John I of Nassau(-Dillenburg). His official title was Count of Nassau, but it is incorrect to refer to him as the only reigning Count of Nassau, because the County of Nassau was ...

(d. 1414), son of Adelheid and Otto. Married Margaretha of the Marck, daughter of

Adolph II of the Marck Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...

count of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (german: Herzogtum Kleve; nl, Hertogdom Kleef) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and ...

. He reigned Nassau-Dillenburg from 1350 and apparently Vianden 1376-1414 on behalf of or jointly with Elisabeth von Sponheim-Kreuznach.

House of Sponheim with Vianden

Elisabeth von Sponheim-Kreuznach Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

(-Sayn) (1376/1414–1417), daughter of Maria and Simon. She was married to (1) Count

Engelbert III of the Mark Engelbert III of the Mark (1333–1391) was the Count of Mark from 1347 until 1391. Adolph was the eldest son of Count Adolph II of the Marck and Margaret of Cleves. After his father died in 1347, Engelbert III ruled the County of Mark, mainly ...

(d. 1391), and (2) Prince elector Ruprecht Pipan von der Pfalz (de) (d. 1397), eldest son of Rupert, King of Germany. She bore no children and the Sporheim and Vianden dynasty became extinct. 1/5 of Sporheim-Kreuznach was testamented to the Electorate of the Palatinate with

Louis III Louis III may refer to: * Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882) * Louis III of France (865–882) * Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928) * Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911) * Louis III ...

, the rest to John V Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg (de). She gave Vianden to

Engelbert I of Nassau Engelbert I of Nassau (, in Dillenburg3 May 1442, in Breda) was a son of Count John I of Nassau-Siegen and Countess Margaret of the Mark, daughter of Count Adolph II of the Marck. Early years Engelbert of Nassau was a student in Cologne, ...

, son of John and Margaretha.

House of Nassau-Dillenburg

(c. 1417-1442), son of John and Margaretha. At his death his whole territory was administered jointly by his four sons. * John IV, Count of Nassau-Siegen

442–1475 44 may refer to: * 44 (number) * one of the years 44 BC, AD 44, 1944, 2044 Military *44M Tas, a Hungarian medium/heavy tank design of World War II *44M Tas Rohamlöveg, a Hungarian tank destroyer design of World War II, derived from the 44M Tas t ...

son of Engelbert. He married Mary of Looz-Heinsberg. * Engelbert II of Nassau (1475–1504), son of Jan. He married Cimburga of Baden (de) but had no legitimate issue. * ''continue under House of Nassau that owned Vianden until the French revolution''

Coats of arms of Vianden

Image:Armoiries de Brandenbourg.svg, Arms used before Philip I. Image:Armoiries de Vianden 2.svg, Arms used by Philip I (1252-1273). Based on the arms of

. Image:Armoiries de Vianden 3.svg, Arms used after Philip I, until Nassau. Based on the arms of

/ Perwez.

Literature

* Dominique du Fays (1987) La Maison de Vianden. University thesis, Liège * John Zimmer (1996) Die Burgen des Luxemburger Landes. Band I, Luxemburg

External links

Family tree of the Counts of Vianden from Gerhard of Sponheim at fmg.ac
* {{cite web , last=Marek , first=Miroslav , url=http://genealogy.euweb.cz/sponheim/sponh14.html , title= Stammbaum der Grafen von Vianden ab Gerhard von Sponheim , publisher=genealogy.euweb.cz

House of Nassau Vianden Vianden