Prima divisio

The coat of arms of the Counts of Nassau

Prima divisio (Latin for first division) is the term historians use for the house contract with the first division of the county of Nassau between the brothers Walram II and Otto I von Nassau from 1255.

history

In the old inheritance law, a kingdom / duchy / county was considered the personal property of the king / duke / count. When the prince died, his property was inherited by all of his sons. This is in contrast to the primogeniture , which was introduced later and where the eldest son inherits everything. The sons could manage the genetic makeup together or share it equally. It will come as no surprise that both managing a country together and agreeing to divide it into equal parts often resulted in conflict. Such conflicts regularly led to wars of succession .

As far as is known, the first Counts of Laurenburg and Nassau always ruled their country together when there were several sons. This was repeated when Count Heinrich II of Nassau died. His sons Walram and Otto followed him and ruled their county together. The sources contradict each other on whether there was a conflict between Walram and Otto over the succession. Whatever the reason, they eventually signed a treaty to partition the county.

The partition contract

Nassau Castle

The distribution contract was signed on December 16, 1255 by the agents of Walram and Otto in Nassau Castle . The county was divided into two parts, with the Lahn forming the border.

The distribution was as follows:

The area north of the Lahn: the lordships of Siegen , Dillenburg , Herborn , Tringenstein , Neukirch and Emmerichenhain , part of the Kalenberger Zent ( Amt Kalenberg) and the provosts Dietkirchen and (Bad) Ems , were assigned to Otto.
The area south of the Lahn: the lords of Wiesbaden , Idstein , the offices of Weilburg (with the Wehrholz) and Bleidenstadt were assigned to Walram.
Nassau Castle and its dependencies (Dreiherrische), the Miehlen and Schönau offices (Schönau monastery near Strüth ) as well as the Quadruple Court , Laurenburg Castle , Esterau (in common ownership with the Count of Diez ) and the fiefs in Hesse remained in common ownership .

The contract was not only signed by Walram and Otto, but also by Count Emich IV. Von Leiningen , B. von Brunsberg and the Abbot of Bleidenstadt.

Later, perhaps soon after the conclusion of this contract, Walram was dissatisfied with individual provisions of it and challenged them. It is unknown whether he was acting under the pressure of the mental illness from which he suffered. What is certain is that in a fit of mental disorder he burned the original copy of the certificate of division made out for him.

The original copy of the partition agreement made for Otto has been preserved. It is now in the Royal Archives in The Hague . It was exhibited in Vianden Castle from May 25 to August 19, 2018 . The current heads of the Walram and Ottonian lines, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands , and their wives, viewed the original of the Prima divisio at Vianden Castle at the opening of the exhibition on May 24, 2018.

Effects of Distribution

Since the division, the house of Nassau has been divided into two lines: the Walramic line and the Ottonian line, named after the two founders. Later there were other divisions. They were all abolished by the extinction of family branches, but the original first division still exists today. Walram became the ancestor of the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg and Otto became the ancestor of the kings of the Netherlands .

Replacement of the contract

The Prima divisio was replaced in 1783 by the renewed Nassau Heritage Association , which Prince Wilhelm V of Orange-Nassau and the Princes Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg , Karl Wilhelm of Nassau-Usingen and Ludwig von Nassau-Saarbrücken had closed. This treaty continues to apply to the succession to the throne in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg .

literature

Eduard Ausfeld: Otto I., Count of Nassau . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, p. 707 f.
E. Becker: Castle and City of Dillenburg. A walk through their history in the Middle Ages and modern times. Published for the commemoration of the city charter on September 20, 1344 . 2nd Edition. The City Council of Dillenburg, Dillenburg 1983.
AWE Dek: Genealogy van het Vorstenhuis Nassau . Europese Bibliotheek, Zaltbommel 1970 (Dutch).
Michel Huberty, Alain Giraud, F. & B. Magdelaine: l'Allemagne Dynastique. Tome III Brunswick-Nassau-Schwarzbourg . Alain Giraud, Le Perreux 1981 (French).
Alfred Lück: Siegerland and Nederland . 2nd Edition. Siegerländer Heimatverein eV, Siegen 1981.
Wilhelm Sauer: Count Walram II of Nassau . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 40, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1896, p. 778 f.
FW Theodor Schliephake: History of the Counts of Nassau. From the oldest times to the present. On the basis of documented source research . tape 1 . CW Kreidel & Niedner, Wiesbaden 1866.
Christian Spielmann: History of Nassau (land and house) from the oldest times to the present. Part 1. Political Stories . P. Plauen, Wiesbaden 1909.
AA Vorsterman van Oyen: Het vorstenhuis Oranje-Nassau. Van de vroegste tijden dead . AW Sijthoff & JL Beijers, Leiden & Utrecht 1882 (Dutch).
Arwied von Witzleben: Genealogy and history of the entire Princely House of Nassau, Royal Dutch and Ducal Nassau House from ancient to modern times . Ed. Hallberger, Stuttgart 1854.
The hereditary association of the Princely House of Nassau was renewed in 1783 . MJ Molitor, 1786.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Huberty, et al. (1981).
↑ Huberty, et al. (1981): "Before 1224 the Counts of Nassau had transferred half of the city of Siegen to the Archdiocese of Cologne."
↑ Huberty, et al. (1981): "Heinrich I von Nassau-Siegen owned the entire Herborner Mark in 1342."
↑ Huberty, et al. (1981): "Nassau castle and office were called Dreiherrische because until 1778 it was owned by the Ottonian line and two branches of the Walram line (Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg)."
↑ Huberty, et al. (1981): “The offices of Miehlen and Schönau remained in common ownership until 1303. Then they were moved to the Walram line, where both side lines owned them together until 1778. "
↑ Huberty, et al. (1981): “The four-man court was named after its four owners, the Counts of Katzenelnbogen (Hesse), Diez (Nassau-Diez), Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg. In 1774 these areas, which had come together around the town of Nastatten and consisted of 38 villages, were divided. "
↑ ^a ^b Prima divisio Auf: Official website of the Royal Dutch Collections .
^ Sauer (1896).
↑ Archive 2018 on: Official website of Vianden Castle .
^ State visit to Luxembourg On: Official website of the Dutch royal family .
↑ Exhibitions On: Official website of the Royal Dutch Collections .
↑ Willem-Alexander treedt met bezoek aan kasteel Vianden in voetspoor voorgangers On: Royal Blog.nl .
^ The hereditary association renewed in 1783 for the Princely House of Nassau (1786).
↑ Article 3 of the Constitution of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

[1] Huberty, et al. (1981).

[2] Huberty, et al. (1981): "Before 1224 the Counts of Nassau had transferred half of the city of Siegen to the Archdiocese of Cologne."

[3] Huberty, et al. (1981): "Heinrich I von Nassau-Siegen owned the entire Herborner Mark in 1342."

[4] Huberty, et al. (1981): "Nassau castle and office were called Dreiherrische because until 1778 it was owned by the Ottonian line and two branches of the Walram line (Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg)."

[5] Huberty, et al. (1981): “The offices of Miehlen and Schönau remained in common ownership until 1303. Then they were moved to the Walram line, where both side lines owned them together until 1778. "

[6] Huberty, et al. (1981): “The four-man court was named after its four owners, the Counts of Katzenelnbogen (Hesse), Diez (Nassau-Diez), Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg. In 1774 these areas, which had come together around the town of Nastatten and consisted of 38 villages, were divided. "

[prima-7] Prima divisio Auf: Official website of the Royal Dutch Collections .

[8] Sauer (1896).

[9] Archive 2018 on: Official website of Vianden Castle .

[10] State visit to Luxembourg On: Official website of the Dutch royal family .

[11] Exhibitions On: Official website of the Royal Dutch Collections .

[12] Willem-Alexander treedt met bezoek aan kasteel Vianden in voetspoor voorgangers On: Royal Blog.nl .

[13] The hereditary association renewed in 1783 for the Princely House of Nassau (1786).

[14] Article 3 of the Constitution of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.