Friedrich August (Nassau-Usingen)
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Friedrich August von Nassau-Usingen (born April 23, 1738 in Usingen ; † March 24, 1816 in Biebrich ) was Prince from 1803 and first Duke of Nassau from 1806 until his death . He was the last male offspring of his Nassau-Usingen line .
Life
Friedrich August was the younger son of Prince Karl von Nassau-Usingen (1712–1775) and Christiane Wilhelmine von Sachsen-Eisenach (1711–1740) in Usingen. From 1744 the princely family lived in Biebrich Castle near Wiesbaden . In 1768 Prince Friedrich August had the Prinzenpalais built in Usingen , which he lived in until 1803. He went through a military career in the imperial army and was promoted to field marshal in 1790 after he had distinguished himself in the Seven Years' War (1756-63) on the side of Austria against Prussia .
After the death of his older brother Karl Wilhelm (1735-1803), who had remained without a male heir, he inherited the county of Nassau-Usingen and became prince. After the end of the Old Empire, he managed to prevent the annexation of his territory by Napoleon by joining the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 . He ruled the now considerably expanded territory together with his cousin Friedrich Wilhelm von Nassau-Weilburg , since it was clear at this point that he too would remain without male heirs and that Friedrich Wilhelm would inherit the ducal dignity. After Napoleon's looming defeat he was able to save the sovereignty of his country in the German Confederation by changing sides in good time . Nassau troops took part in the battle of Waterloo against Napoleon on June 18, 1815 under the command of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington . To commemorate this event, a memorial was erected 50 years after the battle on Luisenplatz in Wiesbaden.
Friedrich August was an enlightened and liberal ruler who founded a modern state through reforms such as the elimination of tax privileges for the nobility, the introduction of freedom of the press and a constitution.
His court at Biebrich Castle was praised by visitors for its hospitality and cheerfulness. He had the Mosburg built in the castle park , to which he liked to withdraw.
He remained without a male heir; the county of Nassau-Usingen fell to his nephew Wilhelm from the Nassau-Weilburg family after his father Friedrich Wilhelm had died shortly before on January 16, 1816 in a tragic accident in Weilburg Castle .
progeny
Friedrich August married Luise von Waldeck on June 9, 1775 (born January 29, 1751 in Arolsen ; † November 17, 1816 in Frankfurt am Main ), daughter of Prince Karl August Friedrich von Waldeck . The couple had 7 children, of which the 5 daughters survived childhood, the two sons not.
- Christiane Luise (born August 16, 1776 in Biebrich, † February 19, 1829 in Karlsruhe ); ⚭ November 29, 1791 Margrave Friedrich von Baden (* August 29, 1756 - May 28, 1817), son of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich von Baden
- Karoline Friederike (born August 30, 1777 in Usingen, † August 28, 1821 in Hochheim am Main ); ⚭ February 9, 1792 Prince August Christian von Anhalt-Köthen (* November 18, 1769 - May 5, 1812), divorced in 1803
- Augusta (born December 30, 1778 in Usingen, † July 16, 1846 in Wildbad); ⚭ (I.) August 2, 1804 Landgrave Ludwig von Hessen-Homburg (* August 29, 1770; † January 19, 1839), divorced in 1805; ⚭ (II.) September 7, 1807 Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck (* July 28, 1783; † June 18, 1860)
- Friedrich Wilhelm (born July 30, 1780 in Biebrich; † August 18, 1780 ibid)
- Louise Marie (born June 18, 1782 in Usingen, † June 27, 1812 in Biebrich)
- Friederike Victoria (born February 21, 1784 in Usingen; † July 18, 1822 there)
- Friedrich Karl (born June 17, 1787 in Usingen, † September 29, 1787 in Frankfurt am Main)
literature
- Constantin von Wurzbach : Nassau-Usingen, Friedrich August Herzog . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 20th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1869, pp. 89–91 ( digitized version ).
- Ludwig Götze: Friedrich August, Prince of Nassau-Usingen . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 7, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 567 f.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Friedrich August |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nassau-Usingen, Friedrich August von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German prince and first duke of Nassau |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 23, 1738 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Usingen |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 24, 1816 |
| Place of death | Biebrich |