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 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 ...

and his wife Anna Maria of Hesse-Kassel (1567–1626).

Life

He was born in

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...

. His father, Louis II, had been able to unite all the territories of Walram branch of Nassau. After his death in 1627, the territories were divided among four brothers, with William Louis, the oldest, acting as regent for the youngest two. When Otto, the youngest died in 1632, and Ernest Casimir came of age, the three surviving brothers divided the territory anew. The oldest, William Louis, received Nassau-Saarbrücken,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

received Idstein and Ernest Casimir received Weilburg, Merenberg, Gleiberg, Hüttenberg, Reichelsheim, Kirchheim, Stauf, Bolanden and parts of Homburg Ernest Casimir did not spend much time in his own territory. In 1634, he had to flee from the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. He fled to

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

and returned after the 1648 Peace of Westphalia. Even after the peace had been signed, it took a while before all rightful rulers had been restored to power.Ernst Friedrich Keller: ''Drangsale des Nassauischen Volkes in den Zeiten des 30 jährigen Krieges'', p. 465
Digitized
During this period, the brothers concluded the ''Treaty of Gotha'' of 16 July 1651, in which division of 1632 was confirmed and again adjusted. He died in

Weilburg Weilburg is, with just under 13,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg. Geography Location The community lies in the Lahn valley between the Wester ...

Marriage and issue

In 1634 Ernest Casimir married Anna Maria of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hachenburg (1610–1656). She was the daughter of Count William II of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hachenburg (1569–1623). The couple had the following children: * William Louis (1634–1636) * Marie Eleonore (1636–1678), married Count Casimir of Eberstein (d. 1660) * Casimir (1638–1639) *

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

(1640–1675), married Christiane Elisabeth of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Homburg (1646–1678), daughter of Count Ernest of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Homburg (1599–1649)

Ancestors

Footnotes

Counts of Nassau House of Nassau 1607 births 1655 deaths Burials in the Royal Crypt of Weilburg Schlosskirche {{Germany-count-stub