Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietz (Anna Charlotte Amalie; – 18 September 1777) was the wife of
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach (7 October 1703 – 26 March 1732) was a German hereditary prince of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach.
Frederick was the son of Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and Magdalena Wil ...
, and mother of
Charles Frederick, the first
Grand Duke of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.
It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subse ...
.
Life
Anna Charlotte Amalia was the only daughter of
Johan Willem Friso of Nassau-Dietz (after 1702
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands.
The title ...
) and his wife,
Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel
Dutch: ''Maria Louise''
, house =Hesse-Kassel
, father =Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
, mother =Princess Maria Amalia of Courland
, birth_date =
, birth_place =Kassel
, death_date = ...
. She grew up in
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
and spoke
West Frisian herself.
After her marriage to
Friedrich of Baden-Durlach in 1727 she moved to
Durlach
Durlach is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000.
History
Durlach was bestowed by emperor Frederick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession.
It was chosen by the margrave Ch ...
. During her pregnancies, Amalia tyrannized her servants, and because of the princess's many tantrums, rumors circulated at the court of Durlach that she was mentally ill. Friedrich died on 26 March 1732, shortly after the birth of their second child. As further evidence of her alleged mental illness, it was charged that she shed no tears at the sight of her husband's corpse.
Her father-in-law, Margrave
Karl III Wilhelm, did not want Amalia influencing the new crown prince
Karl Friedrich; though mother and son continued to live in
Karlsburg Castle
Karlsburg Castle in the Durlach district of Karlsruhe characterizes the history of the Baden since 1563. Only the ("Princesses' wing") of the historical building still stands.
Pforzheim was the residence of Margrave Charles II, until he decide ...
in Durlach, Amalia lived the rest of her life in a separate apartment in the castle, shielded from the outside world. The education of her two sons, Karl Friedrich and
Wilhelm Ludwig, was taken over by her mother-in-law,
Magdalena Wilhelmine of Württemberg
Magdalena Wilhelmine of Württemberg (7 November 1677, Stuttgart – 30 October 1742, Karlsburg Castle, Durlach) was a margravine of History of Baden, Germany#18th century, Baden. She had a place in the regency during the minority of her gran ...
.
Marriage and children
In 1727 Amalia married
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach (7 October 1703 – 26 March 1732) was a German hereditary prince of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach.
Frederick was the son of Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and Magdalena Wil ...
(1703–1732). They had two sons:
*
Charles Frederick (1728–1811)
*
William Louis (1732–1788)
Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nassau-Dietz, Amalia of
1710 births
1777 deaths
Amalia
Amalia
Amalia
People from Leeuwarden
Daughters of monarchs