Ernest Casimir I (22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632) was a
Count of Nassau-Dietz and
Stadtholder of Friesland,
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
and
Drenthe
Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...
.
Biography
He was the 11th child of
John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg (22 November 1536 – 8 October 1606) was the second son of William the Rich and the younger brother of William the Silent. He has a special place in the history of the Netherlands because he is the male-lin ...
, and
Countess Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg
Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg (born: March 1537- died: 6 July 1579 in Dillenburg) was the daughter of Landgrave George III, Landgrave of Leuchtenberg and Margravine Barbara of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1495-1552).
After her death, the German theologian Ch ...
. After the death of his father, his counties
Nassau-Dillenburg
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Nassau-Dietz
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
Vianden
Vianden ( lb, Veianen or (locally) ) is a commune with town status in the Oesling, north-eastern Luxembourg, with over 1,800 inhabitants. It is the capital of the canton of Vianden, which is part of the district of Diekirch. Vianden lies on t ...
were divided among his five living sons. Ernest Casimir followed him as
Count of Nassau-Dietz. In 1631, he inherited the small county of Spiegelberg near
Lauenstein.
Ernest Casimir was primarily known as an outstanding military leader during the
Eighty Years' War
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
. He served under
Maurice of Nassau, 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 ...
, in the siege of the cities of
Steenwijk
Steenwijk (; Low German: ''Steenwiek'', ''Stienwiek'' English: ''Stenwick'') is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland. It is the largest town of the municipality.
Steenwijk received city ...
and
Oldenzaal
Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border.
It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the city ...
, and
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 ...
, during the
Siege of Groenlo and the
Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch
The siege of 's-Hertogenbosch also known as the ''siege of Bois-Le-Duc''Markham pp. 435-38 was an action in 1629, during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War in which a Dutch and English army captured the city of 's-Hertogenbosch. ...
. As
Stadtholder of Groningen, he founded the
Nieuweschans
Bad Nieuweschans (also ''Lange Akkeren''; ; Gronings: ''Nij-Schans''; German: ''Bad Neuschanz'') is a village in the north-eastern Netherlands on the border with Germany. It forms part of the municipality of Oldambt. Nieuweschans means "new fort ...
fortress in 1628. Although he owned little in Friesland, he was popular there, and people granted his heir the right to rule after his death.
He was killed by a bullet at the siege of Roermond while he was inspecting the trenches in June 1632. His son,
Henry Casimir I, succeeded him as count of Nassau-Dietz and as
Stadtholder of Friesland,
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
and
Drenthe
Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...
.
Family
In 1607, Ernest Casimir married
Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Sophie Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (13 June 1592, in Wolfenbüttel – 13 January 1642, in Arnhem), was Countess of Nassau-Dietz by marriage to
Ernest Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz, and regent of the County of Nassau-Dietz during the abse ...
, daughter of
Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg. They had nine children:
# stillborn daughter (1608)
# stillborn son (1609)
# unnamed son (1610)
#
Henry Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz
Henry may refer to:
People
* Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portuga ...
(21 January 1612 – 13 July 1640)
#
William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz
William Frederick ( nl, Willem Frederik; Arnhem 7 August 1613 – Leeuwarden 31 October 1664), Count (from 1654 Imperial Prince) of Nassau-Dietz, Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe.
Biography
Family life
William Frederick was the se ...
(7 August 1613 – 31 October 1664), married
Albertine Agnes of Nassau
Albertine Agnes of Nassau (April 9, 1634 – May 26, 1696), was the regent of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe during the minority of her son Henry Casimir II, Count of Nassau-Dietz, between 1664 and 1679.Geert H. Janssen, Albertine Agnes van O ...
# Elizabeth (25 July – 18 September 1614)
# John Ernest (29 March – May 1617)
# Maurice (21 February 1619 – 18 September 1628)
# Elizabeth Friso (25 November 1620 – 20 September 1628)
Ancestors
References
External links
*
1573 births
1632 deaths
Dutch stadtholders
People from Dillenburg
German people of the Eighty Years' War
{{Europe-noble-stub