Friedrich August, Duke of Nassau, Prince of Nassau-Usingen (23 April 1738 in

Usingen Usingen () is a small town in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hessen, Germany. Until 1972, this residential and school town was the seat of the former district of Usingen. Coat of arms The earliest seal whose appearance is known – there had been earlier ...

– 24 March 1816 in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

) was the last Prince of Nassau-Usingen and, jointly with his cousin, Friedrich Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg, first Duke of Nassau. He died without surviving male issue and was succeeded by his cousin's son, Wilhelm.

Biography

Early life

Friedrich August, born in

, was a younger son of Prince Charles of Nassau-Usingen and Princess Christine Wilhelmine of Saxe-Eisenach (daughter of John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach). From 1744, he lived with his parents in

Schloss Biebrich Biebrich Palace () is a Baroque residence (''Schloss'') in the borough of Wiesbaden-Biebrich, Biebrich in the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Built in 1702 by Prince George August, Count of Nassau-Idstein, Georg August Samuel of House of Nassa ...

. He followed a military career in the army of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and served in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. In 1790, he became a

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Ruler of Nassau

On 17 May 1803, he succeeded as the Prince of Nassau-Usingen when his elder brother, Charles William, died without male heirs. On 6 July 1806, he joined the

Confederation of the Rhine The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austrian Empire, Austria ...

in order to prevent

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

from annexing the principality. Shortly thereafter, on 30 August 1806, he agreed with his cousin Friedrich Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg that their territories should be united into a single

Duchy of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German language, German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what became the Germany, German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a States of the Confederation of th ...

with Frederick Augustus as the first duke and Frederick William as co-ruler. Since Friedrich August's sons had died young, it was also agreed that the combined duchy and sole rulership would pass to the heir of the Nassau-Weilburg line. After Napoleon's defeat at the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

, Friedrich August joined in the allies fighting against the French emperor. Nassau's troops fought under the command of

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

. At the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

, the unification of the Duchy of Nassau was approved and the duchy joined the

German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved ...

. Friedrich August was an enlightened and liberal ruler who established reforms such as the elimination of tax privileges for the nobility, the introduction of press freedom and the constitution for a modern state. His court at the Biebrich Castle was praised by visitors for its serenity and hospitality.

Marriage and children

On 9 June 1775, Friedrich August married Princess Luise of Waldeck and Pyrmont (born 29 January 1751 in Arolsen, died 17 November 1816 in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

), daughter of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Countess Palatine Christiane Henriette of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. The couple had seven children (5 daughters and 2 sons), but only their daughters survived infancy. * Christiane Luise (Biebrich, 16 August 1776 - Karlsruhe, 19 February 1829). Married on 29 November 1791 to Margrave Friedrich of Baden (29 August 1756 - 28 May 1817), son of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden. * Karoline Friederike (Usingen, 30 August 1777 - Hochheim am Main, 28 August 1821). Married on 9 February 1792 to Christian August, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen (18 November 1769 - 5 May 1812), divorced 1803. *Augusta (Usingen, 30 December 1778 - Wildbad, 16 July 1846). First married on 2 August 1804 to Ludwig of Hesse-Homburg (29 August 1770 - 29 January 1839) son of Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, divorced 1805. Married secondly on 7 September 1807 to Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck (28 July 1783 - 18 July 1860). * Friedrich Wilhelm (Biebrich, 30 July 1780 - Biebrich, 18 August 1780). * Luise Maria (Usingen, 18 July 1782 - Biebrich, 27 June 1812). * Friederike Victoria (Usingen 21 February 1784 - Hannover, 18 July 1822), married to Count Ludwig Heinrich Klaus von Burgund. * Friedrich Karl (Usingen, 17 June 1787 - Frankfurt am Main, 29 September 1787)

Ancestry

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick Augustus of Nassau 1738 births 1816 deaths House of Nassau Field marshals of Austria Field marshals of Germany 18th-century German military personnel 19th-century German people German military personnel of the Seven Years' War Dukes of Nassau Generals of the Holy Roman Empire Military personnel from Hesse