Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz (21 January 1612 – 13 July 1640) was count of

Nassau-Dietz The House of Nassau is the name of a European aristocratic dynasty. The name originated with a lordship associated with Nassau Castle, which is located in what is now Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With the fall of the Hohenstaufen ...

and

Stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

and

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...

Life

He was born in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

, the eldest son of

Ernst Casimir of Nassau-Dietz Ernest Casimir (22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632) was a Count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland, Stadtholder of Groningen, Groningen and County of Drenthe, Drenthe. Biography He was the 11th child of John VI, Count of Nassau-Di ...

and

Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg Sophia most commonly refers to: * Sophia (wisdom), a central idea in Hellenistic philosophy and religion * Sophia (Gnosticism), a feminine figure in Gnosticism * Sophia (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters named Sophia ...

, and, like his father, died in battle. Henry Casimir was christened at Arnhem. The English representative, Sophia Hedwig being the niece of the queen

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

, was Sir Edward Cecil. He brought gifts of a cupboard of gilt plate, a diamond necklace with a locket, horses, and an embroidered petticoat for Sophia Hedwig. He became count of Nassau-Dietz and stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe upon the death of his father, Count Ernst Casimir of Nassau-Dietz, at the Siege of Roermond in June 1632. A week later, he was involved in the

Capture of Maastricht The siege of Maastricht was fought between 9 June and 22 August 1632, when the Dutch commander Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, eventually captured the city from Habsburg forces. Background Following upon his success of 1629, the Siege of 's ...

, along with his cousin,

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry (; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from his older half-brother's death on 23 April 1625 until his ...

. Henry Casimir was wounded in Sint Jansteen at the battle of

Hulst Hulst () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and city in southwestern Netherlands in the east of Zeelandic Flanders. History Hulst received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in the 12th century. Hulst Siege of Hulst ...

on 12 July 1640. He died the next day and was buried in Leeuwarden. He was succeeded by

William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz William Frederick (; Arnhem 7 August 1613 – Leeuwarden 31 October 1664), was Count (from 1654 Imperial Prince) of Nassau-Dietz, Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. Biography Family life William Frederick was the second son of Er ...

. His death in at the Battle of

, aged 28, prompted the creation of several memorials to him and the battle. The

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

collection contains a blood-stained shirt he is purported to have been wearing when he was wounded. The same collection also contains his father's hat, which has a bullet hole in it.bullet-hole hat
in Rijksmuseum

Ancestors

References

External links

Blood-stained shirt
in collection

of Amsterdam * https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215051/http://www.iec.nhl.nl/socvak/grotekerk/prinsenstallen/hencas.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20090301235747/http://www.dodenakkers.nl/artikelen/oranje-nassau/grafkelderleeuwarden.html {{Authority control 1612 births 1640 deaths Stadtholders in the Low Countries People from Arnhem Stadtholders of Frisia Dutch military personnel killed in action