Henry III. (Nassau-Beilstein)

Henry III. von Nassau-Beilstein (* before 1418 ; † September 12, 1477 ) held several clerical offices and was co-regent of Nassau-Beilstein from 1425 until his death . He used his considerable income from the benefices to purchase several pledges for the Nassau-Beilstein house.

Life

Heinrich was born as the third son of Heinrich II. Von Nassau-Beilstein and his wife Katharina von Randerode . Like his brother Wilhelm, he was intended for a spiritual career.

After the death of his father in 1413, the county of Nassau-Beilstein fell to his eldest brother Johann . In 1425 the county of Nassau-Beilstein was divided. Johann kept Beilstein Castle and two thirds of the county. Heinrich received Liebenscheid Castle and a third of the county. The third brother Wilhelm, Provost of the Cathedral in Mainz, waived a share.

However, he rarely stayed in his home country. He left the administration of his home country to his brother Johann and appointed administrators. Nevertheless, in 1452 he founded the first church in Liebenscheid.

In 1426 ran Heinrich, as Münster provost , for the office of Bishop of Munster . In the bishop's election, however, he was narrowly defeated by Heinrich II von Moers . Four years later, after the death of his brother, he took over the Dompropstei in Mainz.

Heinrich was in close contact with Archbishop Dietrich II of Moers from Cologne . He pledged the offices of Altenwied , Linz , Lahr and Waldenburg as well as shares in the Rheinzöllen to him. Furthermore, from 1460 to 1464 he was pledge master of the Reichenstein lordship . The relationship with Dietrich brought Heinrich other considerable offices. From 1430 until Dietrich's death he was provost of Bonn and archdeacon of Cologne Cathedral .

The Nassau-Beilstein house took part in the Soest feud on the Kurkölner side . Philipp, Heinrich's nephew, fell at the Soest meeting in 1446. In the feud, Heinrich took command of the archbishop's troops in Dortmund and was captured by Duke Johann von Kleve at the Dortmund meeting on September 13, 1448 .

Heinrich died in 1477 and was buried in the St. Barbara Chapel of St. Cassius in Bonn . With his will of 1471 he made his nephew Heinrich IV von Nassau-Beilstein the universal heir. This enabled Henry IV to reunite the entire county of Nassau-Beilstein in his possession.

literature

• Hellmuth Gensicke : State history of the Westerwald . 3. Edition. Historical Commission for Nassau, Wiesbaden 1999, ISBN 3-922244-80-7 , p. 283-285 .
• Johann Arnoldi: History of the Orange-Nassau countries and their rulers . Neue Schehrtenbuchhandlung, Wiesbaden 1799, p. 168-170 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Johann von Nassau-Beilstein	Count of Nassau-Beilstein zu Liebenscheid 1425–1477	Henry IV of Nassau-Beilstein