Wilhelm Hyacinth (Nassau-Siegen)
Wilhelm Hyacinth von Nassau-Siegen (born April 7, 1666 in Brussels , † February 18, 1743 in Hadamar ) was Prince of Orange and Prince of Nassau-Siegen .
Life
Wilhelm Hyacinth was the son of Prince Johann Franz Desideratus von Nassau-Siegen and his second wife, Eleonore Sophie von Baden. In 1695 he took up residence in Siegen . The place was the victim of a great fire in the same year, in which 350 buildings, two churches and the Nassauer Hof, the seat of the ruling family, burned down. From 1696, his father built the Lower Castle in Siegen as the new family seat.
From December 17, 1699 to March 2, 1707 Wilhelm Hyacinth was ruler of Nassau-Siegen . Even as a hereditary prince he had run a lavish court (probably also in trust in the inheritance that came to him). His hope was not so much focused on the paternal legacy of the Principality of Nassau-Siegen. He was also the closest male relative of Wilhelm III. of Orange and thus the potential heir to the English king and ruler of the United Netherlands . William III. however, put the princes of Nassau-Dietz as heirs. Wilhelm Hyacinth therefore later only bore the title Prince of Orange in Brabant.
Even his paternal inheritance should not fall undiminished to him. His father had married Isabella Clara Eugenia de la Serre for the third time and left her and her children with a generous bequest (1,100 thalers p.a. for her, 500 thalers each for the three sons and 200 thalers each for his five daughters). Wilhelm Hyacinth sued the Reich Chamber of Commerce against this legacy and was defeated there in 1702.
In the same year Wilhelm III died. in England. Wilhelm Hyacinth traveled to Paris to secure French support for his inheritance claims. Johann Wilhelm Friso von Nassau-Dietz continued to assert inheritance claims based on the will of Wilhelm III and King Friedrich I of Prussia .
However, King Louis XIV showed little interest in supporting a Protestant prince without military power. Wilhelm Hyacinth then traveled to the Principality of Orange and announced that he was taking possession there. Louis XIV then declared Prince Condé to be the legal heir of the Principality of Orange and occupied the Principality militarily. Condé again assigned the principality to the crown of France. With the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, French rule was finally established.
The keeping of the court, with which he wanted to underline his claim to the Orange inheritance, the trips and gifts cost far more than the income from the Principality of Nassau-Siegen. Wilhelm Hyacinth therefore went into debt with the Frankfurt bankers De Rhön and Schonemann against the pledging of the villages of Wilnsdorf and Wilgersdorf with 20,000 thalers and increased taxes throughout the country to an intolerable level. Another source of income (which further destroyed his reputation in the country) was fines of unprecedented amounts.
His temper and ambition were also feared in his own family. When his cousin (and successor) Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Nassau-Siegen aroused his displeasure, Wilhelm Hyacinth had the cannons of his castle aimed at his cousin's seat to demonstrate his power. This brought his complaint before the assembly of estates of the Westphalian Reichskreis . When Wilhelm Hyacinth solicited support for his inheritance claims at the Viennese court in 1705, Prussian and Nassau troops occupied Siegen. The people used the support for the uprising and looted and disarmed the castle.
The series of complaints about the prince's conduct did not end. On July 15, 1706 Siegen was occupied again (this time on behalf of the Reichshofrat ) by troops from Pfalz-Neuburg and Prussia. The Chancellor Wilhelm Hyacinths, de Colomba, who played an essential part in the tyranny, was arrested and, by judgment of December 20, 1710, banned from the Reich for life. Wilhelm Hyacinth fled to his cousin Franz Alexander in Hadamar.
The uprisings against his reign of terror continued. On March 29, 1707, Wilhelm Hyacinth had an alleged leader of the rebels, Friedrich Flender von der Hardt, beheaded without any negotiation. This incident was used by Emperor Joseph I to declare that Wilhelm Hyacinth had lost his principality. First two imperial councilors were appointed as administrators and the rule was then handed over to Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf . In 1713, the title of Count von Chalon , which he also held, was revoked by France.
Wilhelm Hyacinth received an annual deposit of 4,000 thalers. The remaining assets were used for the claims of the stepmother and half-siblings, the creditors and as a debt of honor against the family of Friedrich Flender. Neither a complaint to the Kaiser nor to the Reichstag in Regensburg for restitution was successful.
family
Wilhelm Hyacinth was married a total of three times. His first wife was Maria Franziska von Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg , daughter of Prince Hermann Egon , whom he married on April 9, 1687 in Liège . She died on June 7, 1691. He had three children with her:
- Josef Hyacinth Prince of Nassau-Siegen (1688–1688)
- Franz Josef Prince of Nassau-Siegen (1689–1703)
- NN Princess of Nassau-Siegen (1691–1692)
The second wife was Maria Anna von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst (1678-1739), whom he married on May 22, 1698 in Frankfurt am Main . With her he had a daughter:
- Maria Anna Josefa Princess of Nassau-Siegen (1704–1723)
Only his third wife, Maria Eva Sophia von Starhemberg , whom he married on July 28, 1740 in Vienna , survived him. At the time of the wedding, Wilhelm Hyacinth was already 74, the bride 17 years old. There were no children from this marriage. She died on December 12, 1773.
literature
- Christian fallow houses : Le Prince Regent d'Orange. Wilhelm Hyazinth Prince of Orange and Nassau-Siegen (1667–1743). Ancient-Mail-Verlag Betz, Groß-Gerau 2010, ISBN 978-3-935910-75-0 .
swell
- EF Keller: Prince Wilhelm Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen, pretender of the Orange inheritance, his government and contemporaries. In: Annals of the Society for Nassau antiquity and historical research. Vol. 9, 1868, pp. 49-122.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Johann Franz Desideratus |
Prince of Nassau-Siegen 1699–1707 |
Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wilhelm Hyacinth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nassau-Siegen, Wilhelm Hyacinth von (full name); Nassau-Siegen, Prince of |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prince of Nassau-Siegen, Prince of Orange |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 7, 1666 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brussels |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 18, 1743 |
| Place of death | Hadamar |