Isabelle Charlotte from Nassau-Dietz

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Isabelle Charlotte von Nassau-Dietz (born January 22, 1692 in Leeuwarden , Friesland , Netherlands , † September 18, 1757 in Herborn , Nassau) was a Nassau princess.

Isabelle Charlotte with the Cross of the Order of Loyalty

Life

Isabelle Charlotte von Nassau-Dietz was the daughter of Prince Heinrich Casimir II. Prince of Nassau-Dietz , the governor of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe and his wife Henriette Amalie von Anhalt-Dessau . Of the couple's seven daughters, five remained unmarried because apparently it was not possible at that time to marry the girls appropriately. The marriage of the daughter Sophie Hedwig who was married to Duke Karl Leopold of Mecklenburg fails. After two years she returned to Oranienstein Castle , her mother's court. The only (living) son and heir Johann Wilhelm Friso ended his life tragically, at the age of 23 he capsized in a ferry boat off Strijensas and drowned.

In 1710 the now widowed Henriette Amalie founded the 'Order of Loyalty' ( Les Très Noble Ordre de la Fidèlitè ) as a Nassau house order. Isabelle Charlotte met her future husband Christian von Nassau-Dillenburg , whom she married on April 15, 1725 at the age of 33 , through the medal - which she was the bearer of . Shortly after the wedding, she was in the best of circumstances and gave birth to a son. But the premature child died soon after the birth. Further heirs did not want to appear, which led to a falling out between the couple. In addition, financial difficulties arose, which continued to weigh on the marriage.

Double portrait of Isabelle Charlotte (left) and her sister Sophia Hedwig

Christian von Nassau-Dillenburg tried to improve the precarious financial situation of his principality by reviving copper ore mining. Together with the entrepreneur Theodor Heusler, he had a blast furnace built, which was named Isabellenhütte and which he gave to his wife in 1728. However, the marital disputes continued. Ultimately, Isabelle left the princely palace in Dillenburg and separated from her husband.

After the death of her husband in 1739, Isabelle Charlotte was assigned Herborn Castle as a widow's residence . Here she worked as a benefactor of the region. In Herborn she founded a "widows and old women monastery" . We also know that "the former Old Town House [...] was bought by Princess Isabelle Charlotte from Dillenburg, intended for a stay for 12 poor old women and provided for their food and board through donated funds."

Isabelle Charlotte died on September 18, 1757 at her widow's residence in Herborn. She received her final resting place in the Evangelical City Church of Herborn . Around the middle of the 18th century a burial chapel was built for them in the south of the choir. In this burial chapel she was buried in a marble sarcophagus.

literature

Materials on the statistics and history of the Orange Nassauische Lande, Marburg 1792

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ The couple had a total of nine children, including seven girls: Wilhelm Georg Friso (* 1685, † 1686), Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Dietz; Henriette Albertine (* 1686, † 1754), Princess of Nassau-Dietz; Johann Wilhelm Friso (* 1687, † 1711), governor in Friesland and Groningen; Marie Amalie (* 1689, † 1771), Princess of Nassau-Dietz, canoness in Herford ; Sophie Hedwig (* 1690, † 1734) ⚭ 1708 Duke Karl Leopold of Mecklenburg (* 1678, † 1747); Isabella Charlotte (* 1692, † 1757) ⚭ 1725 Prince Christian von Nassau-Dillenburg (* 1688, † 1739); Johanna Agnes (* 1693, † 1765), Princess of Nassau-Dietz; Louise Leopoldina (1695–1758), Princess of Nassau-Dietz; Henriette Casimira (1696–1738), Princess of Nassau-Dietz
  2. ↑ The marriage was divorced in 1710.
  3. ↑ According to other information, the wedding should have already taken place in 1724. The marriage date is also given as "May 15th".
  4. ↑ Theodor Heusler (* 1696, † 1757) was born in Basel and was a banker in Frankfurt / M . He was part of Christian von Nassau-Dillenburg, Isabelle's husband.
  5. ↑ The Isabellenhütte, based in Dillenburg, is the oldest industrial company in Hessen . Today the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of accessories for the automotive and electrical industries.
  6. ↑ Today the Herborn Castle is owned by the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau . It is the seat of the theological seminary in which parish vicars and preachers are trained. The Theological Seminary is the direct successor institution of the High School in Herborn .
  7. ↑ a b Materials on Statistics ..., p. 39 (see literature)
personal data
SURNAME Nassau-Dietz, Isabelle Charlotte von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Nassau princess
DATE OF BIRTH January 22, 1692
PLACE OF BIRTH Leeuwarden , Friesland, Netherlands
DATE OF DEATH September 18, 1757
Place of death Herborn , Nassau