Ludwig Heinrich (Nassau-Dillenburg)
Ludwig Heinrich von Nassau-Dillenburg (born May 9, 1594 in Saarbrücken , † July 12, 1662 in Dillenburg ) was count, from 1652 prince, of Nassau-Dillenburg as well as high-ranking officer during the Thirty Years' War, most recently general sergeant in Protestant and since 1635 in imperial Services.
Origin and family
He was the son of Count Georg von Nassau-Beilstein (or Nassau-Dillenburg). His mother was Anna Amalie Countess of Nassau-Saarbrücken . He himself married Countess Katharina von Sayn-Wittgenstein (1588–1651) for the first time in 1615 . In 1653, he married Elisabeth from the house of the Wild and Rhine Counts (1593–1656) in his second marriage . In his third marriage, Ludwig Heinrich married Sophie Magdalene von Nassau-Hadamar (1622–1658) in 1656 . The first marriage had five sons, two of whom died early and eight daughters. Of these, four died early. The third marriage had three more sons, two of whom died early.
Early years
An initial training at the court of Dillenburg was followed by a time at the high school in Herborn . Then Ludwig-Heinrich went on a grand tour through France and the Netherlands. He received his military training under Prince Moritz von Nassau-Orange . As early as 1614 he was one of the relief troops of the city of Emmerich, which was besieged by the Spaniards .
In 1623 Ludwig Heinrich and his brother Albrecht became heirs of the County of Nassau-Dillenburg. After the death of his brother in 1626, he became sole regent.
Domestic Policy and Counselor Hoen
For alleged support of Friedrich von der Pfalz , the emperor Nassau-Dillenburg and has Nassau-Hadamar the outlawry pronounced. The lands were to fall to the convert Johann von Nassau-Siegen . Due to the efforts of Johann Ludwig von Nassau-Hadamar , among other things , it was not carried out in 1629. The military occupation of Nassau from 1622 onwards, however, meant high burdens for the country. Ludwig Heinrich's main task was therefore to reduce this damage. He himself only played a relatively minor role. The actual politics was carried out by his advisor the Privy Council , lawyers and former professor Heinrich Hoen (Hoenosius). He administered the county even during Ludwig Heinrich's long absence. Hoen represented the interests of Nassau and the Wetterau Imperial Counts College in the negotiations on the Peace of Westphalia .
In Protestant service
In terms of imperial politics, Ludwig Heinrich initially supported the Protestant Union . He joined as Colonel Gustav Adolf of Sweden . To this end, he set up an infantry and later a cavalry regiment. His troops distinguished themselves in various theaters of war on the Protestant side. Ludwig Heinrich himself showed personal bravery. He excelled especially when storming fortified cities and fortresses. The capture of Braunfels in 1635 became known.
In imperial service
When the war situation seemed to be turning against the Swedes in the same year, Ludwig Heinrich went over to the imperial camp. He also served the emperor as a high-ranking officer. He united his troops with those of Landgrave Georg von Hessen-Darmstadt and marched to Saxony in 1637 with the rank of general security officer. Afterwards he enjoyed imperial favor at the court in Prague . Because of his merits, he and his legitimate descendants of both sexes were raised to the rank of imperial prince in 1652. In 1654 Emperor Ferdinand III decreed . his admission with a seat and vote in the Imperial Council of Prince .
Domestic politics after 1649
After Hoen's death (1649), Ludwig Heinrich tried to implement an absolutist policy that was only effective to a limited extent within the county of Dillenburg . He tried to support the Herborn State School , which was badly affected by the war , but eventually lost interest in it.
After his death, the inheritance fell through his eldest son Georg Ludwig, who died in 1656, to his son Heinrich .
family
Ludwig Heinrich was married three times. First marriage to Katharina von Sayn-Wittgenstein (1588–1651), youngest daughter of Count Ludwig I of Sayn-Wittgenstein . Katharina was the sister of Ludwig Heinrich's stepmother and consequently his aunt. The couple had the following children:
- Anna Amalie (1616–1649), ⚭ I) 1638 Count Philipp Ludwig von Wied († 1638), ⚭ II) 1646 Count Christian von Sayn-Wittgenstein (1621–1675)
- Georg Ludwig (1618–1656), Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg ⚭ 1638 Anna Augusta daughter of Duke Heinrich Julius of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
- Elisabeth (1619–1665)
- Juliana (1620-1622)
- Albrecht (1621-1622)
- Catherine (1622–1631)
- Luise (1623–1665), ⚭ 1646 Count Johann Ludwig von Isenburg-Offenbach (1622–1685)
- Daughter (1624)
- Heinrich (1626–1627)
- Magdalena (1628–1663), ⚭ 1662 Count Christian Moritz von Isenburg-Offenbach (1626–1664)
- Adolf (1629–1676), Prince of Nassau-Schaumburg, ⚭ 1653 Charlotte von Holzapfel (1640–1707) daughter of Peter Melander von Holzappel
- Philip (1630–1657, fallen)
- Twins (1631)
- Maria Eleonora (1632-1633)
After the death of his first wife, in 1653 he married his cousin Elisabeth von Salm-Dhaun (1593–1656), daughter of Count Adolf Heinrich von Salm-Dhaun and Juliana von Nassau-Dillenburg . At the time of the marriage, Elisabeth was already sixty years old and a widow of two. She died soon after the wedding.
His third wife was his cousin Sophie Magdalene von Nassau-Hadamar (1622-1658) in 1656 , a daughter of his uncle Johann Ludwig von Nassau-Hadamar . She died shortly after giving birth to twins. The couple had the following children:
- August (1657–1680)
- Karl (1658-1659)
- Ludwig (1658–1658)
literature
- Gerhard Menk: Ludwig Heinrich von Nassau-Dillenburg. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-428-00196-6 , p. 403 f. ( Digitized version ).
- Ernst Joachim: Ludwig Heinrich von Nassau-Dillenburg . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1884, p. 566 f.
- Kamill von Behr, Genealogy of the Princely Houses ruling in Europe together with the order of all the Popes , p. 112, digitalized family tree
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz inventory 47, number 10708.
- ↑ Kayser's Ferdinandi III. Decretum to the Chur-Maynzische Reichs-Directory to introduce Prince Ludwig Henrichen zu Nassau-Dillenburg to the Reichs-Fürsten-Rath, and to allow his session and vote, de Anno 1654 [26. February]. Printed in: Lünnig, Johann Christian: Das Teutsche Reichs-Archiv. [Volume 10] The second continuation of the other continuation. In which to find I. The same basic laws and regulations […] II. The most remarkable recesses, concordata, comparisons, contracts, […] III. Now the most highly-reported and well-reported Chur princes [...] privileges and freedoms, also other diplomas [...] which are useful and necessary for explaining the German Reich state. Leipzig [approx. 1710], p. 483. Available online on the pages of the Augsburg University Library ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on November 16, 2015.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| George |
Count of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1652 Prince 1623–1662 |
Heinrich |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ludwig Heinrich |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nassau-Dillenburg, Ludwig Heinrich Graf von (full name); Nassau-Dillenburg, Prince of |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Count / Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg and officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 9, 1594 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saarbrücken |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 12, 1662 |
| Place of death | Dillenburg |