Prince William Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen (3 April 1667 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

– 18 February 1743 in

Hadamar Hadamar is a small town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany. Hadamar is known for its Clinic for Forensic Psychiatry/Centre for Social Psychiatry, lying at the edge of town, in whose outlying buildings is also found the Hadamar Memo ...

) was a Prince 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 ...

. He also claimed the

Principality of Orange The Principality of Orange (french: la Principauté d'Orange; oc, Principat d'Aurenja) was, from 1163 to 1713, a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France, on the east bank of the river Rhone, north of the city of Avignon, an ...

Early life

William Hyacinth was born as the eldest surviving son of Prince

John Francis Desideratus of Nassau-Siegen John Francis Desideratus (28 July 1627 – 17 December 1699) was count of Nassau-Siegen and stadtholder of Limburg and Upper Guelders. Life John Francis Desideratus was the only son of Count John VIII of Nassau-Siegen, who had converted to C ...

and his second wife, Eleonore Sophie of

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

(d. 1668).

Biography

In 1695, he took up his residence in

Siegen Siegen () is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly sho ...

. In the same year, the city fell victim to a great fire, which burned 350 buildings, two churches and the Nassau Court, the headquarters of the ruling family. His father began building a new castle in Siegen as the new family home in 1696. From 17 December 1699 to 2 March 1707, William Hyacinth was the ruler of

. He was hoping to inherit much more than his father's principality of Nassau-Siegen, since he was one of the nearest male relatives of the childless King

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

, and thus a potential heir to William's extensive lands in Germany and the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

. However, William III left his possessions by will to John William Friso of

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 ...

. William Hyacinth later used the title of Prince of Orange in Brabant. He did not even inherit all of his father's wealth. His father had remarried with Isabella Clara du Puget de la Serre and had had seven surviving children with her. In his will, he left her a

bequest A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably. The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the act ...

of 1100 taler per year. Her two sons each received 500 taler per year and her five daughters 200 taler each. William Hyacinth challenged this will before the Imperial Supreme Court, however, he lost his case in 1702. In the same year William III died in England. William Hyacinth traveled to Paris to secure the support of France with regard to his rights of inheritance. Other claimants were King

Frederick I of Prussia Frederick I (german: Friedrich I.; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union ( Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function h ...

and

John William Friso of Nassau-Dietz John William Friso ( nl, Johan Willem Friso; 14 August 1687 – 14 July 1711) became the (titular) Prince of Orange in 1702. He was the Stadtholder of Lordship of Frisia, Friesland and Groningen (province), Groningen in the Dutch Republic until ...

, who was designated as the sole heir in William III's testament. King

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

, however, showed little interest in supporting a Protestant prince without military power base. William Hyacinth then travelled to the

principality of Orange The Principality of Orange (french: la Principauté d'Orange; oc, Principat d'Aurenja) was, from 1163 to 1713, a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France, on the east bank of the river Rhone, north of the city of Avignon, an ...

and announced there that he had seized the principality. Louis XIV declared that the Prince Henri Jules of Condé was the rightful heir to the principality of Orange and occupied it militarily. Henri Jules transferred the principality to France. In the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...

of 1713, the lands of the principality were definitively awarded to France. His lavish court, with which he wanted to underscore his claim to the inheritance of Orange, his journeys and gifts cost far more than his income from the Duchy of Nassau-Siegen could bear. William Hyacinth was consequently indebted to the bankers De Rhön and Schonemann from Frankfurt, pledging of the villages

Wilnsdorf Wilnsdorf is a municipality in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The southern municipal limits, with the Kalteiche peak, part of the Rothaargebirge, form not only the community's highest point, at ...

and

Wilgersdorf Wilgersdorf is a village in the district Siegen-Wittgenstein in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Apart from that, it is also the biggest part (by area) of the municipality Wilnsdorf. Geography Wilgersdorf is located in a rich forestregion in th ...

for . He increased taxes across the country to intolerable levels. Another source of income were excessive fines, which further damaged his reputation in his country. His quick temper and ambition were feared in their own family. When his brother (and successor) Frederick William Adolf expressed his displeasure, William Hyacinth directed the guns of his castle on his brother's castle in order to demonstrate his power. Frederick William Adolf then sued his brother in the assembly of the

Westphalian Circle Westphalian may refer to: * The culture or people of the Westphalia region of Germany * Westphalian language, one of the major dialect groups of West Low German * Westphalian sovereignty, a concept in international relations * Westphalian (stage), ...

. When William Hyacinth visited the court in Vienna in 1705, to raise support for his inheritance claim, Siegen was occupied by troops from Nassau and Prussia. The people revolted and plundered and disarmed William Hyacinth's castle. The number of complaints about his conduct continued to increase. On 15 July 1706, Siegen was again occupied, this time by troops from County Palatine of Neuburg and Prussia, at the request of the

Aulic Council The Aulic Council ( la, Consilium Aulicum, german: Reichshofrat, literally meaning Court Council of the Empire) was one of the two supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire, the other being the Imperial Chamber Court. It had not only concurrent juris ...

. William Hyacinth's Chancellor, de Colomba, who had played a major rôle in William Hyacinth's tyranny, was arrested and on 20 December 1710 exiled from the German Empire for life. William Hyacinth himself fled to Hadamar, to his cousin Prince Francis Alexander. Hadamar Herzenberg Herz1

The revolts against his reign of terror continued. On 29 March 1707 William Hyacinth had Friedrich Flender von der Hardt, a suspected leader of the insurgents, beheaded without any form of trial. Emperor

Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to: *Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283 *Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711) *Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696) *Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...

used this occasion to deprive William Hyacinth of his principality. It was temporarily administered by two imperial councillors and then passed to Frederick William Adolf. In 1713, France withdrew William Hyacinth's French title of

Count of Chalon The House of Chalon-Arlay was a French noble house, a cadet branch of the House of Ivrea. The founder of the house is John I of Chalon-Arlay, fifth son of John, Count of Chalon. When John III lord of Arlay married to Mary de Baux, princess of Or ...

. William Hyacinth was awarded an annual pension of 4000 talers. The remaining assets were used to pay the pensions of his stepmother and her siblings, his creditors and a debt of honor to the family of Friedrich Flender. William Hyacinth complained to the emperor and to the

Diet of Regensburg Diet of Regensburg may refer any of the sessions of the Imperial Diet, Imperial States, or the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire which took place in the Imperial City of Regensburg (Ratisbon), now in Germany. An incomplete lists of Diets o ...

, however, neither complaint met with success.

Marriages and issue

William Hyacinth was married three times: His first wife was Princess Maria Franziska of

Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg was a county and later a principality in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the historical territory of Heiligenberg. It was created as a partition of Fürstenberg-Baar in 1559, and it suffered one partitio ...

(1660-1691), daughter of Herman Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg and his wife Countess Maria Franziska of

Fürstenberg-Stühlingen Fürstenberg-Stühlingen was a German county during the Middle Ages. It was located in the territorial landgraviate of Stühlingen. It emerged as a partition of Fürstenberg-Blumberg in 1614. It was partitioned in 1704 between the sons of Count Pr ...

(1638-1680). They were married on 9 April 1687 in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

. She died on 7 June 1691. With her he had three children: * Joseph Hyacinth (1688-1688) * Francis Joseph (1689–1703) * A daughter (1691–1692) His second wife was Maria Anna of

Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst was a county in northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name Hohenlohe derives from the castle of Hohenloch near Uffenheim in Mittelfranken, which came into the possession of the descendants of Conrad of ...

(1678-1739), daughter of Count Ludwig Gustav of

(1634-1697) and his wife, Baroness Anna Barbara of Schönborn (1648-1721). They were married on 22 May 1698 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. With her he had one daughter: * Anna Maria Josepha (1704–1723) His third wife was Countess Sophia Theresia Hedwigis Eva of

Starhemberg The House of Starhemberg is the name of an old and distinguished Austrian nobility, Austrian noble family originating from Upper Austria, specifically Steyr and :de:Burgstall Steinbach, Steinbach. Members of the family played important polit ...

(1722-1773), daughter of Imperial envoy, Count Konrad Sigismund of Starhemberg (1689–1727) and his wife, Princess Leopoldine of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1689-1763). She was elder sister of

Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg Johann Georg Adam Graf von Starhemberg, since 1765 Fürst von Starhemberg (''prince of Starhemberg'') (10 August 1724 in London – 19 April 1807 in Vienna) was an Austrian diplomat, minister, chief chamberlain and close confidant of Empres ...

. William and Sophia were married on 28 July 1740 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. This marriage was childless. After Williams death, Sophia married her first cousin,

Constantine, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg Constantine of Hessen-Rotenburg (May 24, 1716 in Rotenburg – December 30, 1778 in Schloss Wildeck) was Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg from 1749 until his death. Early life Constantine was the son of Landgrave Ernest Leopold, Landgrave of ...

and had further issue.

Ancestors

Footnotes

References

* Christian Brachthäuser: ''Le Prince Regent d'Orange - Wilhelm Hyazinth Fürst zu Oranien und Nassau-Siegen (1667-1743)'', 2010, *Alessandro Cont, ''La Chiesa dei principi. Le relazioni tra ''Reichskirche'', dinastie sovrane tedesche e stati italiani (1688-1763)'', preface of Elisabeth Garms-Cornides, Trento, Provincia autonoma di Trento, 2018, pp. 149-152, https://www.academia.edu/38170694/La_Chiesa_dei_principi._Le_relazioni_tra_Reichskirche_dinastie_sovrane_tedesche_e_stati_italiani_1688-1763_prefazione_di_Elisabeth_Garms-Cornides_Trento_Provincia_autonoma_di_Trento_2018 * E. F. Keller: ''Wilhelm Hyacinth von Nassau-Siegen'', in: ''Annalen des Vereins für Nassauische Altertumskunde und Geschichtsforschung'', vol 9, p. 49 ff
Online

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:William Hyacinth Nassau Siegen Princes of Nassau 1666 births 1743 deaths 17th-century German people 18th-century German people