The Frisian Nassaus

[Marengo]

This thread deals with the Nassau-Dietz line of the family of Nassau. This family is usually called the 'Frisian' Nassau's as they were hereditairy tadholders in Friesland and later also in Groningen. The first one who received the stadholdership of Friesland was Count Willem-Lodewijk of Nassau-Dillenburg, son of Count Jan VI of Nassau-Dillenburg who was a younger brother of Willem I of Orange.

 

[Marengo]

Willem-Lodewijk, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg (born March 13, 1560, Dillenburg, Hesse; died July 13, 1620, Leeuwarden, Netherlands) was Count of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1606-1620, and stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe. He was the eldest son of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg.
William Louis served as a cavalry officer under William the Silent. Together with his cousin Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, he helped plan the military strategy of The Netherlands against Spain from 1588-1609.

Read the entire article here.

 

[Marengo]

Willem Lodewijk (1560-1620), married Anna of Orange-Nassau (1563-1588), Read more about her here.

 

[Marengo]

A drawing of the capture of House te Wedde by Count Willem-Lodewijk on Aug. 30th 1593.

Willem-Lodewijk and his brother-in-law Count Phillip of Hohenlohe:

 

[Marengo]

Ernst Casimir (1573-1632) Count of Nassau and Dietz, stadholder of Frisia 1620, Groningen and Drenthe 1625, was killed fighting in the Eighty Years War, married 1607 Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolffenbüttel (1592-1642. Ernst Casimir was the son of Jan the Middle and the younger brother of Willem-Lodewijk.

 

[Marengo]

Ernst-Casimir married Duchess Sophia-Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfensburtel (20-02-1592, Wolfensburtel- 23 januari 1642 in Arnhem ). She was the daughter of Duke Heinrich-Julius of Brunswick-Wolffensburtel and Princes Elisabeth of Denmark.

 

[Marengo]

The couple got six children, only two of those (the eldest sons) made it into adulthood:

Hendrik Casimir I (31-1-1612, Arnhem- 12-7-1640, Hulst)
Willem-Frederik (07-08-1613, Arnhem- 31-10-1664, Leeuwarden)
Elisabeth (25-07-1614, Leeuwarden- 18-09-1614, Leeuwarden)
Johan Ernst (29-03-1617, Arnhem- ??-05-1617, Arnhem)
Maurits (21-02-1619, Groningen- 18-09-1628, Groningen)
Elisabeth-Friso (25-11-1620, Leeuwarden- 20-09-1628, Groningen)

 

[Marengo]

Hendrik Casimir I (1612-1640), stadholder of Frisia, Groningen and Drenthe 1631. He was the oldest son of Count Ernst-Casimir and Countess Sophia-Hedwig of Nassau-Dietz.

During Hendrik Casimirs rule it went economically well with Frisia. Politically however Hendrik-Casimir had very little to say: he received limited instructions and was more a hing civil officer. The mistruts against the stadholder and the local people in power was growing because of the costs and the allocation of the the 80-years war.

Hendrik Casimir was an able soldier but he never demanded the main stage. He was involved in the capture of Breda in 1638, together with his cousin Stadholder Frederik-Hendrik. On July 12th 1640 he got wounded in St. Jansteen during the battle of Hulst. He died the next day and is burried has been burried at Leeuwarden. Hendrik-Casimir never married and had no children. He was succeeded by his brother Willem-Frederik (below).

 

[Marengo]

Stadholder Frederik-Hendrik with his cousin Stadholder Hendrik-Casimir I:

 

[Marengo]

Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz (1613-1664), stadholder of Frisia 1640, Groningen and Drenthe 1650, He was the second son in the marriage of Ernst-Casimir of Nassau-Dietz and Sophia-Hedwig of Brunswick. In 1640 he succeeded his brother as Stadholder of Frisia. In 1645 he took part in the capture of Hulst. After the death of his father-in-law Frederik-Hendrik he joined his brother-in-law Willem II. He stood by him when Willem II tried to force Amsterdam on its knees. After the death of Willem II and during the immaturity of Willem III Willem-Frederik tried to take his brothe-in-laws position but without much succes. He did however succeed to become stadholder of Groningen and Drenthe in 1650. In 1652 he married Albertina Agnes (1634-1696), the 5th daughter of Fredrik Hendrik. Willem-Frederik died in 1664 after an accident with a gun: he shot himself.

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[Marengo]

Prince Willem-Frederik of Nassau-Dietz, married 1652 Albertine Agnes of Orange-Nassau (1634-1696), 5th daughter of Frederick Henry of Orange-Nassau. You can read more about here in this thread. The couple got following two children:

- Amalia (1655-1695) married 1690 Johann Wilhelm of Saxe-Eisenach (1666-1729)
- Henry Casimir II of Nassau-Dietz (1657-1696), see below.

 

[Marengo]

Hendrik Casimir II (The Hague 18 Jan 1657 - Leeuwarden 25 March 1696), Count of Nassau-Dietz, Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen (1664-1696), eldest son of Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz and Albertine Agnes of Nassau. He followed, under protection of his mother, his father as Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen. In 1675 the State of Friesland voted to make the Stadtholdership hereditary in the house of Nassau-Dietz. He was married in 1683 to his cousin Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau.

- Willem George Friso (1685-1686)
- Henriette Albertine (1686-1754)
- Johan Willem Friso (1687-1711)
- Maria Amalia (1689-1771)
- Sophia Hedwig (1690-1734) married 1708, divorced 1710 Karl Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1678-1747). Only 5 days after he obtained a divorce, Karl Leopold contracted a morganatic marriage and in 1711 he obtained his second divorce. In 1716 he married 3rdly Catharine Ivanovna of Russia (1692-1733) and their daughter, Anna Leopoldovna, gave birth to Tsar Ivan VI of Russia (1740-1764).
- Isabella Charlotte (1692-1757) married 1725 Christian of Nassau-Dillenburg (1688-1739)
- Johanna Agnes (1693-1765)
- Louisa Leopoldina (1695-1758)
- Henrietta Casimira (1696-1738)

Hendrik-Casimir II and his wife Henriette-Amalia:

 

[Marengo]

 

[Marengo]

 

[Marengo]

Hendrik-Casimir II and his wife & some of their children:

 

[Marengo]

Johan Willem Friso (4 August, 1687 -14 July, 1711) was stadholder of Friesland until his untimely death by drowning in the Hollands Diep in 1711. He was the son of Prince Henrdrik Casimir II of Nassau-Dietz and a member of the House of Nassau and through the testamentary dispositions of Prince William III (King of England, Scotland and Ireland) became the progenitor of the new line of the house of Orange-Nassau. Read more about Johan-Willem-Friso and his family in this thread.

 

[Marengo]

Here a wikipedia article in Dutch about the tomb of the Nassau family in Leeuwarden

The mob violated the graves of various Nassau's in 1795:

Here a painting of the Jocobijnerchurch:

 

[Marengo]

This website (in Dutch) has an article about the Frisian Nassau's and their residences. The most important one was the Prinsessehof in Leeuwarden.

Design by Marot of the Prinsessehof
Map, where to put which familyportrait by Marot

A picture of the Princessehof

 

[lucien]

The Prinsessehof at present:

http://www.royaltyguide.nl/images-countries/netherlands/leeuwarden/1560%20Willem%20Lodewijk1.JPG

Arms of the Frisian Nassaus
http://www.royaltyguide.nl/images-countries/netherlands/leeuwarden/jacobijnerkerk/interior.JPG

Courtesy dear Mardam.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Albertine Agnes of Orange-Nassau in 1668
http://www.alamy.com/albertine-agnes-von-oranien-nassau-image184773871.html