Wolfgang Ernst I, Count of Isenburg-Büdingen (

Birstein Birstein is a municipality on the northeastern edge of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis in Hesse, Germany with approximately 6,600 inhabitants. It was the home of the former principality of Isenburg-Birstein. Geography Location The town lies at the souther ...

, 29 December 1560 –

, 21 May 1633) was a German count of the

House of Isenburg The County of Isenburg was a region of Germany located in southern present-day Hesse, located in territories north and south of Frankfurt. The states of Isenburg emerged from the Niederlahngau (located in the Rhineland-Palatinate), which partitio ...

. He was count of

Isenburg-Birstein Isenburg-Birstein was the name of two German historical states centred on Birstein in southeastern Hesse, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the ...

from 1596 to 1633, after violently seizing power from Henry of Isenburg-Rönneburg.

Early life

Wolfgang was the son of Philipp II, Count of Isenburg-Büdingen und Birstein (1526-1596) and his wife, Countess Irmengard of

Solms-Braunfels Solms-Braunfels was a County and later Principality with Imperial immediacy in what is today the federal Land of Hesse in Germany. History Solms-Braunfels was a partition of Solms, ruled by the House of Solms, and was raised to a Princi ...

(1536-1577). Through his mother he was first cousin once removed of

Amalia of Solms-Braunfels Amalia of Solms-Braunfels (31 August 1602 – 8 September 1675) was Princess of Orange by marriage to Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. She acted as the political adviser of her spouse during his reign, and acted as his de facto deputy and regent ...

Princess consort of Orange This is a list of women who held the title Princess of Orange by marriage. Princess of Orange is the title used by the female heirs apparent and, prior to 2002, spouses of male heirs apparent. The present Princess of Orange, Catharina-Amalia, P ...

and first cousin of Johannetta of Sayn-Wittgenstein sister-in-law of

William the Silent William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...

Family and children

He married four times and had several children, who inherited his land after his death. First, he was married on 26 September 1585 with Countess Anna of Gleichen-Rhemda (1565–1598) who bore him the following children: *

Wolfgang Henry, Count of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein Wolfgang is a German name, German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wikt:wolf#Old High German, wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''wikt:gang#Old High Germa ...

(1588–1635) line of

Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein Isenburg and Büdingen in Birstein is a hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs an ...

*Countess Anna Amalie of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein (1591–1667), married Arnold Jost of

Bentheim-Bentheim Bentheim-Bentheim was a county in southeastern Lower Saxony, Germany. By 1806, the borders were the modern borders of the District of Bentheim. The last Count of Bentheim-Bentheim died on 19 February 1803. This county was formed from the county ...

(1580-1643), son of

Arnold III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt-Tecklenburg-Limburg Arnold III of Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Steinfurt-Limburg (10 or 11 October 1554 in Neuenhaus – 11 January 1606 in Tecklenburg) was a German nobleman. He was Count of Bentheim, Tecklenburg and Steinfurt, and Count of Limburg. He ruled as Ar ...

*Count Philipp Ludwig of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein (1593–1616) (in a duel) *Count Philipp Ernst of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein (1595–1635) *Count Wilhelm Otto of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein (1597–1667) Secondly, he married on 16 Aprile 1603 with Countess Elisabeth of Nassau-Dillenburg (1564–1611) a daughter of

Johann VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg (22 November 1536 – 8 October 1606) was the second son of William the Rich and the younger brother of William the Silent. He has a special place in the history of the Netherlands because he is the male-l ...

and widow of

Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg Philip IV of Nassau-Weilburg, also known as Philip III of Nassau-Saarbrücken (14 October 1542 in Weilburg – 12 March 1602 in Saarbrücken) was Count of Nassau-Weilburg from 1559 until his death and since 1574 also Count of Nassau-Saarbrüc ...

but the marriage was childless. Thirdly, he married on 19 Aprile 1616 with Countess Juliane of

Sayn-Wittgenstein Sayn-Wittgenstein was a county of medieval Germany, located in the Sauerland of eastern North Rhine-Westphalia. History Sayn-Wittgenstein was created when Count Salentin of Sayn-Homburg (1314-1392), a member of the House of Sponheim, married ...

(1583–1627) a daughter of

Louis I, Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein Louis I, Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein, nicknamed "the Elder", formally "Louis I of Sayn, Count at Wittgenstein" (7 December 1532 at Wittgenstein Castle, near Bad Laasphe – 2 July 1605, while travelling near Altenkirchen) ruled the County of ...

(1532–1605) from his second marriage with Countess Elisabeth of

Solms-Laubach Solms-Laubach was a County of southern Hesse and eastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The House of Solms had its origins in Solms, Hesse. History Solms-Laubach was originally created as a partition of Solms-Lich. In 1537 Philip, Count of S ...

(1549-1599) who bore him one son: * Johann Ernst, Count of Isenburg-Büdingen-Büdingen (1625–1673) line of

Isenburg-Büdingen Isenburg-Büdingen was a County of southern Hesse, Germany, located in Büdingen. It was originally a part of the County of Isenburg. History There were two different Counties of the same name. The first (1341–1511) was a partition of Isenbur ...

On 24 Jun 1628 he married for a fourth time, this time

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 ...

to Sabine von

Saalfeld Saalfeld () is a town in Germany, capital of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. It is best known internationally as the ancestral seat of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the Saxon House of Wettin. Geography The town is situated ...

(d. 1635).

Ancestry

References

House of Isenburg 1560 births 1633 deaths 17th-century people from the Holy Roman Empire {{Germany-noble-stub