Princess Ernestine Charlotte of Nassau-Schaumburg (20 May 1662^Jul. – 21 February 1732), german: Ernestine Charlotte Prinzessin von Nassau-Schaumburg, official titles: ''Prinzessin von Nassau, Gräfin zu Katzenelnbogen, Vianden, Diez und Holzappel, Frau zu Beilstein, Laurenburg und Schaumburg'', was a

princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

from the House of Nassau-Schaumburg, a

cadet branch 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, title ...

of the Ottonian Line 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 o ...

and through marriage

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

in of

Nassau-Siegen Nassau-Siegen was a principality within the Holy Roman Empire that existed between 1303 and 1328, and again from 1606 to 1743. From 1626 to 1734, it was subdivided into Catholic and Protestant parts. Its capital was the city of Siegen, found ...

. She was

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

of Nassau-Siegen (part of the

County of Nassau The County of Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire and later part of the German Confederation. Its ruling dynasty, the male line of which is now extinct, was the House of Nassau. Origins Nassau, originally a county, developed ...

) for her son Frederick William Adolf in 1691-1701.

Biography

Ernestine Charlotte was born at Schaumburg CastleMenk (2004), p. 199. on 20 May 1662^Jul.Huberty, et al. (1981), p. 312. as the second daughter of Prince Adolf of Nassau-Schaumburg and his wife

Elisabeth Charlotte Melander Elisabeth Charlotte Melander (29 February 1640 – 17 March 1707), was Countess of Holzappel from 1648 to 1707 and Schaumburg from 1656 to 1707. Early life and background Elisabeth Charlotte was the only child of Peter Melander, Count of Holza ...

, Countess of Holzappel.All sources that mention both parents, name these parents. Ernestine Charlotte married at Schaumburg CastleMenk (2004), p. 196. on 6 February 1678^Jul.Huberty, et al. (1981), p. 273. to

William Maurice of Nassau-Siegen (,

Terborg Terborg is a small city in the Dutch province of Gelderland, in the Achterhoek region in the east of the Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek. The city lies about 7 km southeast of Doetinchem. The population i ...

,Menk (2004), p. 195. 18/28 January 1649 – , Siegen, 23 January 1691^Jul.), the eldest son of Count Henry of Nassau-Siegen and Countess

Mary Magdalene of Limburg-Stirum Countess Mary Magdalene of Limburg-Stirum (1632 – 27 December 1707), nl, Maria Magdalena Gravin van Limburg-Stirum, official titles: ''gravin van Limburg en Bronkhorst, vrouwe van Stirum, Wisch en Borculo, erfbaandervrouw van het hertogd ...

. Ernestine Charlotte’s great-grandfather Count George ‘the Elder’ of Nassau-Dillenburg was a younger brother of William Maurice’s grandfather Count John VII ‘the Middle’ of Nassau-Siegen. William Maurice succeeded his maternal grandfather in September 1661 as count of

Bronkhorst Bronkhorst is a village in the municipality of Bronckhorst, Gelderland, the Netherlands. Technically, it is a city (see below) and with only 157 inhabitants (2010), it is one of the smallest cities in the Netherlands (after Staverden, Eembrugge a ...

, lord of , , and , and hereditary knight banneret of the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

and the

County of Zutphen The County of Zutphen, located in modern-day Gelderland, a province of the Netherlands, was formed in the eleventh century as a fief of the Bishop of Utrecht. It was ruled by the Counts of Zutphen between 1046 and 1138, and then formed a per ...

.Lück (1981), p. 116.Lück & Wunderlich (1956), p. 34.Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 127. And on 20 December 1679 he succeeded his uncle and adoptive father Fürst John Maurice of Nassau-Siegen as Fürst of Nassau-Siegen. William Maurice died in 1691 and was buried in the there on 12 March. He was succeeded by his son Frederick William AdolfMenk (2004), p. 198, 199.Huberty, et al. (1981), p. 311. who was under the guardianship and

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of his mother Ernestine Charlotte until 1701. Siegen Unteres Schloss 1720 Totale

During her regency, in 1695, a major city fire destroyed a large part of the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Siegen, including the ''Nassauischer Hof'', the princely ''

Residenz Residenz () is a German word for "place of living", now obsolete except in the formal sense of an official residence. A related term, Residenzstadt, denotes a city where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore carrying a similar meaning as the modern ...

'', and the nearby church.Aβmann & Menk (1996). Both buildings were built in 1488 by Count John V of Nassau-Siegen as a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

. The ''Nassauischer Hof'' housed, among others, the collection of

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

s of the ''Fürsten'' of Nassau-Siegen. Numerous valuable paintings by famous

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

s, including

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

and

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

, fell victim to the flames. The nearby ''Fürstengruft'' was spared in the fire. The burnt down residence building was not rebuilt. Under the old name, a new three-winged

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

was built on the site, and the ''Fürstengruft'' was completely incorporated into the

corps de logis In architecture, a ''corps de logis'' () is the principal block of a large, (usually Classical architecture, classical), mansion or palace. It contains the principal rooms, state apartments and an entry.Curl, James Stevens (2006). ''Oxford Dict ...

. The construction of the new palace, which has been called ''Untere Schloss'' since the middle of the 18th century, took place between 1695 and 1720. Ernestine Charlotte remarriedVorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 135 does not mention the second marriage. (secretly) in 1696 (in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

?) to Friedrich Philipp Reichsfreiherr von Geuder genannt Rabensteiner (1650–1727), lord of Heroldsberg and Stein, since 1691 ''

Geheimrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

'' and ''Hofmeister'' of the Principality of Nassau-Siegen, later also imperial ''Geheimrat''. Ernestine Charlotte died at the ''Nassauischer Hof'' in Siegen on 21 February 1732 and was buried on 15 March in the ''Fürstengruft'' there.

Issue

From the marriage of Ernestine Charlotte and William Maurice the following children were born:Dek (1970), p. 96–97. # Fürst Frederick William Adolf (''Nassauischer Hof'', Siegen, 20 February 1680 – ''Nassauischer Hof'', Siegen, 13 February 1722), succeeded his father in 1691. Married: ## at Homburg Castle on 7 January 1702 to

Landgravine Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), a ...

Elisabeth Juliana Francisca of Hesse-Homburg Landgravine Elisabeth Juliana Francisca of Hesse-Homburg (6 January 1681 – 12 November 1707), german: Elisabeth Juliana Franziska Landgräfin von Hessen-Homburg, official titles: ''Landgräfin zu Hessen, Fürstin zu Hersfeld, Gräfin ...

(Homburg Castle, 6 January 1681 – ''Nassauischer Hof'', Siegen, 12 November 1707). ## at the in

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

on 13 April 1708 to Duchess

Amalie Louise of Courland Duchess Amalie Louise of Courland (23 July 1687 – 18 January 1750), german: Amalia Luise Herzogin von Kurland, official titles: ''Herzogin in Livland, zu Kurland und Semgallen, Fürstin zu Pilten'', was a duchess from the House of Ket ...

(

Mitau Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also #Name, other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the unit ...

, 23 July 1687 – , Siegen, 18 January 1750). # Charles Louis Henry (''Nassauischer Hof'', Siegen, 17 March 1682^Jul. – ''Nassauischer Hof'', Siegen, 18 October 1694^Jul.), was ''hopman'' of the

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

soldiers in the

Dutch States Army The Dutch States Army ( nl, Staatse leger) was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic. This mercenary army ...

, that had been his father’s, since 1691.

Ancestors

Notes

References

Sources

* * * (1911). "Willem Maurits, Wilhelm Moritz". In: en (redactie), ''Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek'' (in Dutch). Vol. Eerste deel. Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff. p. 1578. * * * * * * * * * * * (2004). "Die Fürstengruft zu Siegen und die darin von 1669 bis 1781 erfolgten Beisetzungen". In: u.a. (Redaktion), ''Siegener Beiträge. Jahrbuch für regionale Geschichte'' (in German). Vol. 9. Siegen: Geschichtswerkstatt Siegen – Arbeitskreis für Regionalgeschichte e.V. p. 183–202. * * * (1882). ''Het vorstenhuis Oranje-Nassau. Van de vroegste tijden tot heden'' (in Dutch). Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff/Utrecht: J.L. Beijers.

External links

Nassau
In

compiled by Charles Cawley.

In

by Paul Theroff. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ernestine Charlotte of Nassau-Schaumburg Nassau-Schaumburg, Ernestine Charlotte Nassau-Schaumburg, Ernestine Charlotte Nassau-Schaumburg, Ernestine Charlotte Nassau-Schaumburg, Ernestine Charlotte House of Nassau-Schaumburg

∞ The infinity symbol (\infty) is a List of mathematical symbols, mathematical symbol representing the concept of infinity. This symbol is also called a lemniscate, after the lemniscate curves of a similar shape studied in algebraic geometry, or ...

Princesses of Nassau People from Schaumburg Nassau-Schaumburg, Ernestine Charlotte Nassau-Schaumburg, Ernestine Charlotte Daughters of monarchs 17th-century women rulers