Wilhelm (

Given names A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

: ''Georg Wilhelm August Heinrich Belgicus''; 14 June 1792,

Kirchheimbolanden Kirchheimbolanden is the capital and the second largest city of the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate. Situated in south-western Germany, it is approximately 25 km west of Worms, Germany, Worms, and 30 km north-east of Kaisersla ...

– 20/30 August 1839,

Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen () is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and County town, seat of the Bad Kissingen (district), district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale, Franconia ...

) was joint sovereign Duke of Nassau, along with his father's cousin Frederick Augustus, reigning from 1816 until 1839. He was also sovereign Prince of Nassau-Weilburg from 1816 until its incorporation into the duchy of Nassau. Frederick Augustus died in 1816 and Wilhelm inherited the Usingen territories and became sole sovereign of the

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 ...

. He is the father of

Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Adolphe (Adolf Wilhelm August Karl Friedrich; 24 July 1817 – 17 November 1905) was Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 23 November 1890 to his death on 17 November 1905. The first grand duke from the House of Nassau-Weilburg, he succeeded King Willia ...

, and Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway, consort of

King Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...

and a 3rd cousin of

William III of the Netherlands William III (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk''; English: ''William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis''; 19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until ...

, who left a surviving daughter to rule his main realm, but the crown of Luxembourg went through the male line, looking to 17 generations back, to pass to the Duke of Nassau and then his descendants.

Biography

Wilhelm was the eldest son of

Frederick William, Duke of Nassau Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (''Friedrich Wilhelm'', 25 October 1768, The Hague – 9 January 1816, Weilburg) was a ruler of Nassau-Weilburg. He was created Prince of Nassau and reigned jointly with his cousin, Prince Frederick ...

, and

Burgravine Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg ''Louise Isabelle'' Alexandrine Augusta, Countess of Sayn-Hachenburg, Burgravine of Kirchberg, full German name: ''Luise Isabelle Alexandrine Auguste, Gräfin zu Sayn-Hachenburg, Burggräfin von Kirchberg'' (19 April 1772, Hachenburg – 6 Janu ...

. With the Nassau troops, he was involved on the

Seventh Coalition The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

's side in 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 ...

against

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 ...

Duke of Nassau

On 9 January 1816, he succeeded his father, Duke Frederick William, as the

Prince of Nassau-Weilburg The House of Nassau-Weilburg, a branch of the House of Nassau, ruled a division of the County of Nassau, which was a state in what is now Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1344 to 1806. On 17 July 1806, upon the dissolution of t ...

and joint

Duke 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 his cousin, Frederick Augustus, of the

Nassau-Usingen Nassau-Usingen was a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the Upper Rhenish Circle that became a principality in 1688. The origin of the county lies in the medieval county of Weilnau that was acquired by the counts of Nassau-Weilburg in 1602. Tha ...

branch of his family. When his cousin and co-Duke died on 24 March 1816, Wilhelm inherited the Usingen territories and became sole ruler of the

. He kept the title of Duke of Nassau for the rest of his reign.

Marriages and children

On 24 June 1813 in

Weilburg Weilburg () is, with just under 13,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg. Geography Location The community lies in the Lahn valley between the Wes ...

, Wilhelm married his first wife, Princess Louise of Saxe-Altenburg (28 January 1794

Hildburghausen Hildburghausen () is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the Hildburghausen district. Geography It is situated in the Franconian part of Thuringia south of the Thuringian Forest, in the valley of the Werra River. The town centre ...

Thüringen Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany's 16 states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

– 6 April 1825, Biebrich or

). She was the daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (who, until 1826, had been the last

Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen Saxe-Hildburghausen () was an Ernestine duchies, Ernestine duchy and Imperial Estate of the Holy Roman Empire in the southern side of the present State of Thuringia in Germany. It existed from 1680 to 1826 but its name and borders are currently u ...

) and

Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Charlotte Georgine Luise Friederike; 17 November 1769 – 14 May 1818) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by birth and a Duchess of Saxe- ...

. They had eight children: * Princess Auguste Luise Friederike Maximiliane Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg (Weilburg, 12 April 1814 – Weilburg, 3 October 1814). * Princess ''Therese'' Wilhelmine Friederike Isabelle Charlotte of Nassau-Weilburg (Weilburg, 17 April 1815 –

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, 8 December 1871); married in Biebrich on 23 April 1837

Duke Peter of Oldenburg Duke Constantine Frederick Peter of Oldenburg (; ; – ) was a Duke of the House of Oldenburg. He was the grandfather of Duke Peter of Oldenburg as well as grandfather of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, General of the Imperial Russian Army du ...

. Their grandson was the Imperial Russian General Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia the Younger. *

(24 July 1817 – 17 November 1905); the present

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg The grand ducal family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign grand duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, wh ...

, which became extinct in the male line in 1912, descends from him. * Prince Wilhelm Karl Heinrich Friedrich of Nassau-Weilburg (Biebrich, 8 September 1819 – Biebrich, 22 April 1823). * Prince Moritz Wilhelm August Karl Heinrich of Nassau-Weilburg (Biebrich, 21 November 1820 –

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, 23 March 1850), unmarried and without legitimate issue. * Princess Marie Wilhelmine Luise Friederike Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg (Biebrich, 5 April 1822 – Biebrich, 3 April 1824). * Prince Wilhelm Karl August Friedrich of Nassau-Weilburg (Biebrich, 12 August 1823 – Biebrich, 28 December 1828). * Princess ''Marie'' Wilhelmine Friederike Elisabeth of Nassau-Weilburg (Biebrich, 29 January 1825 –

Neuwied Neuwied (, ) is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the Neuwied (district), District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt ...

, 24 March 1902), married in Biebrich on 20 June 1842 Hermann, Prince of Wied (Neuwied, 22 May 1814 – Neuwied, 5 March 1864). Their daughter Elisabeth married

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Carol I of Romania Carol I or Charles I of Romania (born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; 20 April 1839 – ), was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as ...

. Wilhelm married, as his second wife, his first wife's niece,

Princess Pauline of Württemberg Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

(

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, 25 February 1810 –

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 ...

, 7 July 1856) on 23 April 1829 in

. Pauline was the daughter of

Prince Paul of Württemberg Prince Paul of Württemberg (Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August; 19 January 1785 – 16 April 1852) was the fourth child and second son of King Frederick I and his wife, Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Early life Paul was born in ...

and Charlotte of

Saxe-Hildburghausen Saxe-Hildburghausen () was an Ernestine duchy and Imperial Estate of the Holy Roman Empire in the southern side of the present State of Thuringia in Germany. It existed from 1680 to 1826 but its name and borders are currently used by the Distri ...

. Wilhelm and Pauline had four children: * An unnamed daughter (Biebrich, 27 April 1830 – Biebrich, 28 April 1830). * Princess Helene Wilhelmine Henriette Pauline Marianne of Nassau (

, 12 April 1831 –

Bad Pyrmont Bad Pyrmont (, also: ; West Low German: ) is a town in the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont, in Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population close to 19,000. It is located on the river Emmer (Weser), Emmer, about west of the Weser. Bad Pyrmont is a popul ...

, 27 October 1888), married in Wiesbaden on 26 September 1853

George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont George Victor (14 January 1831 – 12 May 1893) was the 3rd sovereign Prince of the German state of Waldeck and Pyrmont. George Victor was born in Bad Arolsen the son of George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife Princess Emma of ...

and had issue. The present

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and Swedish royal families descend from this marriage. *

Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau (20 September 1832 – 17 September 1905) was a German prince, military officer and parliamentarian. He was the youngest son of William, Duke of Nassau, and the only son by his second wife Princess Pauline of Wü ...

(20 September 1832 – 17 September 1905). Married,

morganatically Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spouse ...

Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina, later Countess of Merenberg (, Saint Petersburg – , Cannes) was the daughter of Alexander Pushkin and the morganatic wife of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau. Biography Born on 4 June 1836, Kamenny Island, S ...

, Countess of Merenberg. She was the daughter of

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

and Natalya Goncharova. They had issue, now extinct in male line. * Princess Sophia Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette of Nassau (9 July 1836 – 30 December 1913). Married

Oscar II of Sweden Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of Oscar I of Sweden, King Oscar I and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, Queen J ...

. The present Belgian, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish royal families, as well as the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg, descend from this marriage.

Ancestry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:William of Nassau, Duke 1792 births 1839 deaths People from Kirchheimbolanden House of Nassau-Weilburg German commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Burials in the Royal Crypt of Weilburg Schlosskirche Dukes of Nassau