Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg (born 28 August 1641 in

Dillenburg Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis. The town lies on the German- Dutch holiday roa ...

; died: 18 April 1701 at Ludwigsbrunn Castle) was ruler (i.e.

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

) of

Nassau-Dillenburg The County of Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire from the period of the formal recognition of the countly title in 1159 (though "de facto" sovereignty began in 1125) until the declaration of the Duchy of Nassau in 1806 with ...

from 1662 until his death.

Life

Henry was the son of George Louis, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg (1618–1656) and his wife, Anna Augusta (17 December 1612 – 9 June 1673), a daughter of Duke

Henry Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

. He studied at

Herborn Academy The Herborn Academy () was a Calvinist institution of higher learning in Herborn from 1584 to 1817. The Academy was a centre of encyclopaedic Ramism and the birthplace of both covenant theology and pansophism. Its faculty of theology continues ...

, which could enjoy an upswing during his rule, and in France. After completing his studies, he served in the Dutch army, where he reached the rank of commander. When his grandfather, Louis Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg, died in 1662, he inherited the county, because his father had already died. When his uncle

Adolph Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo, and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name with German origins. The name is a compound derived from the Old High German ''Athalwolf'' (or ''Hadulf''), a composition of ''athal'', or ''adal'', mean ...

died without a male heir in 1676, he inherited Nassau-Schaumburg as well. His reign is regarded as competent but unspectacular. He tried unsuccessfully to claim the inheritance of his father-in-law,

George III of Brieg George III of Brieg (; Brzeg, 4 September 1611 – Brzeg, 4 July 1664), was a Duke of Brzeg since 1633 (as administrator; in 1639 he took formally the title, together with his brothers until 1654) and Legnica-Wołów during 1653-1654 (with his ...

. After his death, he was succeeded by his oldest son William II, and after William II died without a son, by his younger son

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Marriage and issue

He married in 1663 with Dorothea Elizabeth, the daughter of Duke

. * George Louis (born: 21 June 1667; died: 25 July 1681) *

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

(born: 28 August 1670; died: 21 September 1724), married on 13 January 1699 in

Harzgerode Harzgerode is a town in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography Harzgerode lies in the lower eastern part of the Harz mountain range on the Selke River, south of Quedlinburg. It is connected to Gernrode and Quedlinburg via ...

with Johanna Dorothea of Holstein-Plön (born: 24 December 1676; died: 29 November 1727), a daughter of Duke

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Norburg * Charles (born: 4 February 1672; died 28 April 1672) * Adolph (born: 7 March 1673; died: 1 June 1690, fell in the Battle of Fleurus) * Frederick Henry (born: 10 November 1680, 1678; † July 24, 1681) * Louis Henry (born 10 October 1681; died: 13 January 1710) * John George (born: 28 January 1683; died: 10 May 1690) *

(born: 11 August 1688; died: 28 August 1739), married on 15 April 1725 at Oranienstein Castle with Isabella of Nassau-Dietz (1692–1757) * Henry (1689) * Sofie Auguste (born: 28 April 1666; died: 14 January 1733), married on 20 October 1695 at Frederiksborg Castle with Prince William Louis of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1643–1709) * Albertine (born: 8 August 1668; died: 13 August 1719), a nun at

Herford Abbey Herford Abbey () was the oldest women's religious house in the Duchy of Saxony. It was founded as a house of secular canonesses in 789, initially in Müdehorst (near the modern Bielefeld) by a nobleman called Waltger, who moved it in about 800 ont ...

* Friederike Amalie (born: 28 December 1674; died: 28 July 1724) * Elisabeth Dorothea (born: January 25, 1676; died: 25 July 1676) * Wilhelmine Henriette (born: 6 August 1677; died: 28 August 1727) * Charlotte Amalia (born: 13 June 1680, died: 11 October 1738), married in April 1706 to Prince William Henry of Nassau-Usingen (1684–1718) * Elisabeth Dorothea (born: 5 June 1685; died: 20 January 1686)

Ancestors

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry of Nassau Dillenburg Princes of Nassau House of Nassau 1641 births 1701 deaths 17th-century German nobility