Wilhelm I (Nassau)

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Duke Wilhelm I of Nassau
The Erbprinzenpalais in Wiesbaden, built for Prince Wilhelm, but never moved into by him
The Wiesbaden City Palace , built by Wilhelm , has been the seat of the Hessian state parliament since 1946

Wilhelm Georg August Heinrich Belgicus zu Nassau (born June 14, 1792 in Kirchheimbolanden ; † August 20, 1839 in Kissingen ) was from 1816 to 1839 as Wilhelm I, the second Duke of the Duchy of Nassau, founded in 1806 .

Life

Wilhelm came from the house of Nassau-Weilburg . He was the son of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm von Nassau-Weilburg (1768-1816) and his wife Isabelle Countess zu Sayn-Hachenburg (1772-1827). He was born in 1792 in Kirchheimbolanden, which at that time still belonged to Nassau. A few weeks later, the French revolutionary troops under General Adam-Philippe de Custine (1740–1793) marched there and ended the Nassau rule after 400 years.

Since Friedrich August von Nassau-Usingen, who had ruled since the founding of the duchy, had no male heir, it was clear early on that the succession to the throne would fall to his closest relative, Wilhelm's father Friedrich Wilhelm. That is why Wilhelm was specifically prepared for his future office as duke. He had Freiherr Friedrich Heinrich von Dungern (1765-1858) as an educator and studied four semesters in Heidelberg . The Erbprinzenpalais was built for him from 1813 to 1817 in Wilhelmstrasse , Wiesbaden, which was later named after him . However, he no longer related it. In 1815 he was involved in the Battle of Waterloo together with the Nassau troops on the Allied side .

On January 9, 1816, Wilhelm's father Friedrich Wilhelm was killed in an accident in Weilburg Castle - he fell from a staircase - and shortly afterwards, on March 24, 1816, Friedrich August died. Wilhelm succeeded him and became duke at the age of 23. He moved to Biebrich Castle , the Erbprinzenpalais became an administration building.

As a duke, he expressly represented monarchical positions and tried to limit parliamentary participation, for example by suspending convocation of the houses or by pushing pairs.

Wilhelm expanded his Wiesbaden residence into a representative seat of government. In 1823 he had the Platte hunting lodge built on a Taunus heights , and in 1825 the Kurhaus colonnades were added to the old Kurhaus around the bowling green .

In 1824, Wilhelm donated a monumental grave memorial with a dedication inscription to his ancestor Adolf von Nassau in the choir of the Speyer Cathedral , which is now placed in the vestibule of the cathedral. It shows King Adolf in armor, kneeling down in prayer. The planning of the monument was entrusted to Leo von Klenze ; the design was carried out by the sculptor Landolin Ohmacht .

Wilhelm's wife Luise died on April 6, 1825 . He named the classical Luisenplatz , laid out in 1830, after her. Wilhelm promoted the establishment of the Limburg diocese in 1827 in order to obtain a state diocese based on the model of Protestant territories. On April 23, 1829 he married Princess Pauline von Württemberg .

From the 1830s, Wilhelm I wanted to relocate his seat from Biebrich Castle, which is far from the city, on the Rhine , to the city, officially in order to demonstrate more civic spirit. In 1837 the construction of the city ​​palace began . Wilhelm did not live to see the completion. He died of a stroke during a cure in Kissingen on August 20, 1839.

His eldest son Adolf followed him as Duke of Nassau and moved into the new castle in 1841.

Marriages and offspring

Princess Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen
Princess Pauline of Württemberg
Dedicated inscription by the Duke on the grave of his ancestor Adolf von Nassau , 1824, Speyer Cathedral

In his first marriage, Wilhelm was married to Princess Luise von Sachsen-Hildburghausen (* 28 January 1794 - 6 April 1825), daughter of Duke Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen , from June 24, 1813 . The marriage turned unhappy. Luise's husband appeared autocratic not only in politics but also in the family circle and tyrannized his wife and children. There were eight children from the marriage, four of whom survived childhood:

  • Auguste Louise Friederike Maximiliane Wilhelmine (* 1814; † 1814)
  • Therese Wilhelmine Friederike Isabelle Charlotte (April 17, 1815 - December 8, 1871), ⚭ 1837 Prince Peter von Oldenburg
  • Adolph Wilhelm Karl August Friedrich (July 24, 1817 - November 17, 1905), Duke of Nassau (August 20, 1839 - September 20, 1866), Grand Duke of Luxembourg (November 23, 1890 - November 17, 1905)
  • Wilhelm Karl Heinrich Friedrich (* 1819; † 1823)
  • Moritz Wilhelm August Karl Heinrich (* 1820; † 1850)
  • Marie Wilhelmine Louise Friederike Henriette (* 1822; † 1824)
  • Wilhelm Karl August Friedrich (* 1823; † 1828)
  • Marie Wilhelmine Friederike Elisabeth (born January 29, 1825 at Biebrich Castle; † March 24, 1902 in the Segenhaus near Neuwied ), ⚭ 1842 Prince Hermann zu Wied

From the second marriage to Princess Pauline of Württemberg (* February 25, 1810 - July 7, 1856), daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg , there are four children, three of whom survived:

The since 2000 as Grand Duke of Luxembourg reigning Henri of Nassau is three times the great-grandson of William I of Nassau.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Herzog Wilhelm von Nassau  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franz Klimm: Der Kaiserdom zu Speyer , Speyer, 1930, page 44
predecessor Office successor
Friedrich August Duke of Nassau
1816–1839 		Adolph
personal data
SURNAME Wilhelm I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nassau, Georg August Heinrich Belgus too
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Nassau
DATE OF BIRTH June 14, 1792
PLACE OF BIRTH Kirchheimbolanden
DATE OF DEATH August 20, 1839
Place of death Kissingen