Countess Anna of Nassau (5 November 1563 – 13 June 1588) was a daughter of

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

and his second wife,

Anna of Saxony Anna of Saxony (23 December 1544 – 18 December 1577) was the heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony, and Agnes, eldest daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. Maurice's only son, Albert, died in infancy. Anna was the second wife of William t ...

. She was the wife of

William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg William Louis of Nassau-Dillenburg ( nl, Willem Lodewijk; fry, Willem Loadewyk; 13 March 1560, Dillenburg, Hesse – 13 July 1620, Leeuwarden, Netherlands) was Count of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1606 to 1620, and stadtholder of Friesland, ...

Biography

Anna and William Louis were married just after Anna's twenty fourth birthday on November 25, 1587. The marriage was however only a short one, Anna died only six months after the marriage; therefore, they had no children and William Louis never remarried. William Louis became

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: ...

of Nassau- Dillenburg.

Family

Anna's mother, Anna of Saxony never had a happy marriage with Anna's father, William the Silent. Anna of Saxony was described as unstable and violent. She was unpopular with her family and the citizens. Anna of Saxony took up with her lawyer, with whom she had an illegitimate daughter called Christina. After this incident, Anna and her siblings never saw their mother again. Anna of Saxony was sent to Beilstein castle with Christina, here her behavior became worse, until the servants were ordered to keep all knives away from her, lest she attack someone. Anna of Saxony began to suffer from hallucinations and violent outbursts. Christina was removed from her care and sent to be raised with her Anna and her siblings. William annulled their marriage, and remarried twice. Anna lived out the rest of her days in Dresden, until her death aged thirty-two in 1577. Her father then married

Charlotte of Bourbon Charlotte of Bourbon (1546/1547 – 5 May 1582) was a Princess consort of Orange as the third spouse of William the Silent, Prince of Orange, the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish. She was the fourth daughter of Louis III de Bou ...

, with whom he had six daughters. After her death in 1582, William married

Louise de Coligny Louise de Coligny (23 September 1555 – 9 November 1620) was a Princess consort of Orange as the fourth and last spouse of William the Silent. She was the daughter of Gaspard II de Coligny and Charlotte de Laval. Biography Louise was born at C ...

who gave birth to a son,

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last ...

. Among Anna's siblings were

Maurice, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...

and Emilia of Nassau.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nassau, Anna Of 1563 births 1588 deaths

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...

People from Delft