Nassau-Hadamar is the name of two side lines of the Ottonian main 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 ...

. The older line of the counts of Nassau-Hadamar existed from 1303 to 1394; the younger line existed from 1607 to 1711 and received the hereditary title of

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

in 1652.

Nassau-Hadamar (Older Line)

Emergence

After the death of Henry II the Rich of Nassau his sons, Walram II and Otto I shared the inheritance in 1255. The boundary between the two territories was formed approximately by the

River Lahn The Lahn is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the States of Germany, federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). It ...

. Walram took over the southern part of the realm (''Walramic main line'') and Otto, the northern part (''Ottonian main line''). The marriage between Otto and Agnes of Leiningen gave the Ottonian main line suzerainty over the March of Hadamar. Otto's death in 1290 led to repeated inheritance disputes among his sons. In 1303, they shared his estate, under the mediation of John I of Limburg. The eldest son

Henry 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 Portugal, ...

took over the sub-county 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 ...

with its estate in the

Siegerland The Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen (now part of the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in North Rhine-Westphalia) and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoin ...

and the Barony of Westerwald, the second son Emich/Emicho I inherited the sub-county of Nassau-Hadamar with

Driedorf Driedorf is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Driedorf lies from 416 to 642 m above sea level on a tableland in the high Westerwald. Mademühlen Mademühlen has about 1,000 inhabitants and lies in the "H ...

and Esterau, and the third son,

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 ...

the sub-county of

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 ...

with its estates around

Dillenburg Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen (region), Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis. The town lies on the German-N ...

, Herborn,

Mengerskirchen Mengerskirchen is a municipality in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Neighbouring communities Mengerskirchen borders in the north on the community of Greifenstein (Lahn-Dill-Kreis), in the east on the community of Löhnberg ...

, the Calenberg Tithe and the jurisdiction (''Gericht'') of Heimau.

Regents

John Louis of Nassau-Hadamar John Louis of Nassau-Hadamar, (Dillenburg, 6 August 1590 – Hadamar, 10 March 1653) and also known in German as Johann Ludwig, was a German nobleman and member of the House of Nassau who is best known for his role as an aide to the head of the i ...

(1620–1653), became prince in 1650 *

Maurice Henry of Nassau-Hadamar Maurice Henry, Prince of Nassau-Hadamar (23 April 1626, in Hadamar – 24 January 1679, in Hadamar) was — after his father — the second ruler of the younger Nassau-Hadamar line of the Ottonian branch of the House of Nassau. Background Mauri ...

(1653–1679) *

Francis Alexander of Nassau-Hadamar Francis Alexander von Nassau-Hadamar (27 January 1674 in Hadamar – 27 May 1711, ibid.) was the last prince of Nassau-Hadamar. Life Francis Alexander was the son of prince Maurice Henry of Nassau-Hadamar (23 April 1626 – 24 January 1679) an ...

(1679–1711) ** Wardship by Francis Bernard of Nassau-Hadamar (1679–1694) ** Divided between other Ottonian-Nassau houses (1712–1742) *

William Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen Prince William Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen (3 April 1667 in Brussels – 18 February 1743 in Hadamar) was a Prince of Nassau-Siegen. He also claimed the Principality of Orange. Early life William Hyacinth was born as the eldest surviving son ...

(1742–1743) ** Nassau-Hadamar falls entirely to Orange-Nassau.

Literature

* * {{citation, surname1=Walter Rudersdorf, editor-surname1= Gemeinde Ellar/Westerwald, title=Im Schatten der Burg Ellar, publisher=Waldemar Kramer, location=Frankfurt am Main, date=1967, language=German * Jacob Wagner: ''Die Regentenfamilie von Nassau-Hadamar: Geschichte des Fürstenthums Hadamar mit besonderer Rücksicht auf seine Kirchengeschichte, von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf unsere Tage, nach Urkunden bearbeitet'', Mechitharisten, 1863
Band 1: Google BooksBand 2: Google Books

References

!Nassauhadamar Middle Hesse NassauHadamar