Christian, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg (12 August 1688 at Dillenburg Castle – 28 August 1739 in Straßebersbach, now part of Dietzhölztal) was the last ruler (i.e.

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 ...

) 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 ...

from the line that had started in 1606 with

George, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg Count George of Nassau-Beilstein, later also Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, (1 September 1562 – 9 August 1623 in Dillenburg) was the third son of Count John VI "the Elder" of Nassau-Dillenburg (1536-1606) from his first marriage with Landgravin ...

Life

His parents were

Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg (born 28 August 1641 in Dillenburg; died: 18 April 1701 at Ludwigsbrunn Castle) was ruler (i.e. Fürst) of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1662 until his death. Life Henry was the son of George Louis, Prince of Nassau- ...

(1641-1701) and his wife Duchess Dorothea Elizabeth of Legnica. After his parents died, his older brother William II took up Christian's education. Christian and his Hofmeister, Gustav von Moltke, were sent to

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

, where Christian enthusiastically studied mathematics at the local

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. In 1708, Christian joined the Dutch army as a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. On 16 April 1711, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. He fought with distinction in the Dutch against the French during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. After the 1713

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 ...

, he returned to Germany and resided 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 Mem ...

. In 1711,

Francis Alexander Francis Alexander (February 3, 1800 – March 27, 1880) was an American portrait-painter. Biography Alexander was born in Windham county Connecticut in February 1800. Brought up on a farm, he taught himself the use of colors, and in 1820 we ...

, the last Prince of Nassau-Hadamar had died and his territory had been divided among the surviving Ottonian lines of Nassau: Nassau-Dietz, Nassau-Dillenburg and Nassau-Siegen. In 1724, his brother William II died without a male heir and Christian inherited Nassau-Dillenburg. In 1731, Prince Frederick William II of Nassau-Siegen died. With his death, the

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

line of Nassau-Siegen died out. Initially, the rule of Nassau-Siegen was taken of by Emmanuel Ignaz (1688-1735), a younger half-brother of William Hyacinth, who had been deposed in 1707. After Emmanuel Ignaz died in 1735, Nassau-Siegen was divided by the remaining Ottonian lines: Nassau-Dietz and Nassau-Dillenburg. As head of the Ottonian branch, Christian concluded an inheritance treaty in 1736 with Charles August, the head of the Walram line: if one of the line were to die out in the male line, the other line would inherit their possessions. Prince Christian died of a attack on 28 August 1739 in Straßebersbach (now part of Dietzhölztal). Since he was childless, Nassau-Dillenburg was divided between

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

of Nassau-Dietz and William Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen. The latter was in financial difficulties and sold his share on 17 February 1742 to William IV for . Prince Christian was appointed Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert.

Marriage

In 1725, Christian married Isabella Charlotte, the daughter of Henry Casimir II of Nassau-Dietz.

Ancestors

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

1688 births 1739 deaths 18th-century German people