John Francis Desideratus (28 July 1627 – 17 December 1699) was count 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, fo ...

and stadtholder of

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

and

Upper Guelders {{unreferenced, date=November 2011 Upper Guelders or Spanish Guelders was one of the four quarters in the Imperial Duchy of Guelders. In the Dutch Revolt, it was the only quarter that did not secede from the Habsburg monarchy to become part of t ...

Life

John Francis Desideratus was the only son of Count

John VIII of Nassau-Siegen John VIII, Count of Nassau-Siegen (''Jan'' or ''Johan''; Dillenburg, 29 September 1583 – Ronse, 27 July 1638) was a German nobleman and militarist of the 17th century. Life John VIII, Count of Nassau-Siegen, Katzenelnbogen, Vianden and ...

, who had converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and Ernestine Yolande de

Ligne The ''ligne'' ( ), or line or Paris line, is a historic unit of length used in France and elsewhere prior to the adoption of the metric system in the late 18th century, and used in various sciences after that time. The ''loi du 19 frimaire an ...

d'Amblise. He succeeded his father in 1638 as count of Nassau-Siegen, but had to cede a part of the County to the Protestant branch of the family in 1648. He kept fighting his Protestant neighbours and suppressing the Calvinists in his territory. His reign was marked by bad management and debts. Like his father, John Francis Desideratus was a general in Spanish service. In 1652, he was elevated to

Imperial Prince Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. '' Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors ...

and became a Lord in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriag ...

. In 1661, he was promoted to Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece. From 1665 to 1684, he was Spanish

stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

of Limburg and from 1680 to 1699 also of

. He lived a large part of his life in

Roermond Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...

, where he died in 1699. At his death he was succeeded by his eldest surviving son William Hyacinth.

Marriages and children

John Francis Desideratus married 3 times: In Vienna on 14 May 1651 he married Countess Johanna Claudia of Königsegg-Rotenfels-Aulendorf (23 August 1632 – 28 November 1663), Lady-in-waiting of Empress Eleonora Gonzaga during 1648–1651. They had ten children: *Marie Leopoldine Eleonora Gabriella (27 September 1652 – 2 June 1675), married to

Maurice Henry, Prince 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 ...

. *Ernestine Claudia Margaretha Felicitas (27 November 1653 – 22 November 1654). *A son (b. and d. 25 February 1655). *Ernestina Eleonora Antonia (January 1656 – 4 November 1675), a nun in Metz. *Clara Juliana Margarethe Felicitas (November 1656 / October 1657 – 9 October 1727), Canoness of the High Noble Imperial Abbey at Thorn and of the St. Waadru Convent at Mons. *Albertina Anna Gabriella (13 August? 1658 – 26 August 1718), Canoness of the Noble Abbey of St. Aldegonde at Maubeuge. *Maria Donata Gabriella (8 August 1660 – 9 August 1660). *Louise Carolina Anna (July or August 1661 – August 1664). *A daughter (b. and d. 21 August 1662). *Stillborn son (28 November 1663). In Rodemachern 31 May 1665 he married Margravine Marie Eleonore Sophie of Baden-Baden in Rodemachern (1641 – 19 April 1668). They had three children: *Francis Fortunatus (7 April 1666 – 12 July 1672). * William Hyacinth, Prince of Nassau-Siegen (3 April 1667 – 18 February 1743). *Maria Eleonora Ernestina (19 April 1668 – 28 September 1669). In Brussels on 9 February 1669 he married Baroness Isabella Clara du Puget de la Serre (1651 – 19 October 1714). They had ten children: *Alexius Andreas Anton Ferdinand Christian (29 June 1673 – 22 March 1734), Canon at Cologne, (1690), Dean of the St. Peter Church and Chancellor of the University at Louvain (10 December 1692), Deacon at Cologne (14 November 1694), Priest (25 November 1695), Canon at Liège (December 1695), Abbot of the St. Croix de Bouzonville Monastery, Titular Archbishop of Trapezopolis (1728), Knight of the Order of Malta (1697). *Joseph (1674 – 14 December 1674). *Charlotte Sophia Johanna (21 February 1675 – 29 May 1676). *Joseph Maurice Karl (17 May 1676 – 29 January 1677). *Maria Philippina (2 July 1677 – 16 December 1678). *Francis Hugo Ferdinand Gereon (18 October 1678 – 4 March 1735), Vice-Regent of Nassau-Siegen (1727); married to Countess Leopoldine of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, without issue. *Anna Louise Francisca (1 April 1681 – 26 April 1728), married to Charles Damman, Viscount d'Oomberghe. *Clara Bernardina Francisca (11 May 1682 – 27 December 1724), married to Francisco de Sousa Pacheco. * Emmanuel Ignatius (6 January 1688 – 1 August 1735), Baron de Renaix (17 December 1699), Prince-Regent of Nassau-Siegen, (1727), Fieldmarshal of the Spanish Army, Knight of the Order of Malta (1697), Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (1715), Knight of the Order of St. Hubertus (6 June 1720); married in 1711 to Charlotte de Mailly-Nesle; they became formally separated in 1716 without surviving issue (two sons died in infancy). ''He was the probable grandfather of Charles Henry of Nassau-Siegen.'' *Jeanne Baptista Josefina (16 January 1690 – 19 April 1745), Canoness of the St. Waadru Convent at Mons (7 October 1702).

References

Genealogy of the House of Nassau-Siegen
(retrieved 1 June 2014).

(retrieved 1 June 2014).

Ancestors

{{DEFAULTSORT:John Francis Desideratus of Nassau-Siegen Counts of Nassau House of Nassau-Siegen 1627 births 1699 deaths