Henriette Charlotte of Nassau-Idstein (9 November 1693 – 8 April 1734), was a German noblewoman member 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 ...

and by marriage Duchess of

Saxe-Merseburg The Duchy of Saxe-Merseburg was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, with Merseburg as its capital. It existed from 1656 or 1657 to 1738 and was owned by an Albertine secundogeniture of the Saxon House of Wettin. History The Wettin Elector Jo ...

. Born in Idstein Castle, Idstein, she was the fourth of twelve children born from the marriage of George August, Count and since 1688 Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken-Idstein and Henriette Dorothea of Oettingen-Oettingen. From her eleven older and younger siblings, only four survived to adulthood: Christine Louise (by marriage Princess of East Frisia), Albertine Juliane (by marriage Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Eisenach), Auguste Fredericka (by marriage Princess of Nassau-Weilburg) and Johannette Wilhelmine (by marriage Countess of Lippe-Detmold).

Life

In Idstein on 4 November 1711, Henriette Charlotte secretly married

Maurice Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg Maurice Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg (5 February 1688 – 21 April 1731) was a duke of Saxe-Merseburg and member of the House of Wettin. He was born in Merseburg, the fifth (but second surviving) son of Christian II, Duke of Saxe-Mersebu ...

. After eight years of childless union, on 23 June 1720, the Duchess gave birth to a daughter, Fredericka Ulrike, who died within hours. Although she officially appears as the Duke's daughter, it is highly probable that she was the product of the affair of her mother with Friedrich Carl von Pöllnitz, Henriette Charlotte's ''Hofmarshal'' and lover for several years. After her husband's death in 1731, Henriette Charlotte retired to Delitzsch Castle, Delitzsch, where she openly lived with von Pöllnitz until her death three years later, aged 40. She was buried in the ''Stadtkirche SS Peter und Paul'', Delitzsch.Nassau-Weilburg line in: Royaltyguide.nl
etrieved 12 October 2014

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Henrietta Charlotte of Nassau-Idstein 1693 births 1734 deaths German countesses German duchesses House of Nassau 18th-century German people Duchesses of Saxe-Merseburg ⚭Countess Henriette Charlotte of Nassauidstein Daughters of monarchs