Willem Adriaan van Nassau-Odijk
Willem Adriaan van Nassau-Odijk , also Willem Hadriaan van Nassau-Odijk Count of Nassau-Odijk, (* 1632 ; † September 21, 1705 in The Hague ) was a Dutch officer and diplomat.
Life
His father was Lodewijk van Nassau-Beverweerd (1602–1665), an illegitimate son of Moritz von Oranien , his mother Isabella van Hornes. Willem Adriaan van Nassau was a second cousin of Wilhelm III. of Orange , governor of the Netherlands from 1672. He studied at the University of Leiden and lived in Paris, where he had to flee from his creditors because of high gambling debts. He was experienced in court intrigues, knew how to shine in court circles and was able to buy a captain's patent for a company of infantry through a gift from his friend Charles II in 1660, which he exchanged in 1664 in favor of a patent as a cavalry officer (major) in the Dutch army, where he under Wilhelm III. of Orange, of which he was confidante. 1668 he was by Wilhelm III. appointed First Noble of Zeeland and one of its representatives at the States General (where he attracted attention by selling offices). In this position he gave up his military career and bought the Cortgene reign. In 1672 he was sent to Louis XIV in Keppel with Johan van Gent and Pieter de Groot to negotiate peace. In the same year he was instrumental in the conspiracy to murder Johan de Witt and Cornelis de Witt . In 1679 he and his brother were raised to the rank of imperial count. He was envoy of the States General in Cologne (1673), London (1674), Paris (1679) and Nijmegen (1677/78, during the peace negotiations). In 1677 he bought the Zeist estate . There he had a palace built based on the model of Versailles. The reign (which he never pledged) later went to his brother Maurits Lodewijk I van Nassau-LaLecq , while his own descendants continued to oppress the debts left by their father. The relationship with Wilhelm III. cooled down because he wrongly used the Nassau coat of arms (even the title Herr von Odijk, which he used throughout his life, was actually illegal). In 1698 he was part of the Legation of the States General in Paris. After the death of Wilhelm III. In 1702 he lost his offices and his influence and was harassed by creditors.
In 1664 he married Elizabeth van der Nisse (1639–1698), daughter of the mayor of Goes, in The Hague . His children (four sons and four daughters) included:
- Lodewijk Adriaan van Nassau-Odijk (1670-1742). Other sons were Cornelis, Willem Hendrik and Maurits.
- Elisabeth Wilhelmina van Nassau-Odijk (1671-1729); she married Maurits Lodewijk II van Nassau-LaLecq in 1692
- Charlotte van Nassau-Odijk (1677-1715); she married Willem Maurits van Nassau-Ouwerkerk in 1708
- Mauritia Margaretha, she married Count Huguetan van Guldenstein
- Emilia, unmarried (she died after 1710)
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literature
- Reinildis van Ditzhuyzen: Oranje-Nassau: Een biografisch woordenboek, Haarlem 2004, pp. 272–275
- F. Tuinstra: Willem Adriaan van Nassau-Odijk (1632–1705), in: Utrechtse biografien, Utrecht 2004,
Web links
- Willem Adriaan van Nassau-Odijk in the Find a Grave database (English)
- Biographical Portaal van Nederland
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nassau-Odijk, Willem Adriaan van |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nassau-Odijk, Willem Hadriaan van |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch officer and diplomat |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1632 |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 21, 1705 |
| Place of death | The hague |