Ottonian branch of Nassuvian Germany/France/Netherlands

Netherlandic Germany

The original Ottonian county was seated in Dillenburg and I call it the County of Nassau-Dillenburg (although that name did not enter common usage for another half-century). Dillenburg was further partitioned in 1303 between itself (Dillenburg-Dillenburg), Siegen (which remained independent for only 25 years), Hadamar (which remained independent for 90 years), and Beilstein. In 1530, Dillenburg-Dillenburg expanded Ottonian territory in Germany by entering into a personal union with the County of Diez. When, in 1561, the Beilstein line died out, all Ottonian territory was reunited in a single country. I begin the database for Ottonian countries at that time.

 

To facilitate the identification of German Ottonian countries, I include “Nassau-Dillenburg” in the fully-specified name of all such countries. This prefix is used to distinguish the broader Ottonian group from the Walramian (Nassau-Saarbrücken- after 1605) group and to reflect the primary political identity of the era. In simplified names, I retain “Dillenburg-” in the name of Ottonian countries and “Saarbrücken-” in the name of Walramian countries. I do not, however, include “Nassau” in the simplified names because it is redundant with the “Nassuvian Germany” nation name.

 

Nassau-Dillenburg underwent a partition in 1607 into itself (Dillenburg-Dillenburg), and revived counties of Siegen, Beilstein, Hadamar, and Diez. Of those, only Siegen underwent further subdivision. The Beilstein line was the first to die out (1620), and its territory was distributed among the surviving counties. The same happened to Hadamar’s territory in 1717 after its line died out. One of the Siegen lines died out in 1734 and it’s territory was administered by Dillenburg until 1743 (even though Dillenburg’s ruling line died out in 1739.) After a brief trade of territory between the last surviving Siegen line (in which Diez took possession of the Siegen core in exchange for the Diez share of Hadamar), the last Siegen line died out in 1743, restoring to Diez its Hadamar lands. Thus, the Ottonian lands were reunited under Diez, which began calling itself the Principality of Orange-Nassau.

 

The Ottonians were active outside of Germany too. In the Netherlands, the Ottonians began acquiring territories during the early 15th century. With the exception of the County of Vianden, however, those territories quickly lost their independence to the Burgundians and then the Habsburgs. The Ottonians nevertheless held nonsovereign titles and worked closely with the Habsburgs to administer the Netherlands (which at that time included modern Belgium and Luxembourg).

 

In France, an Ottonian obtained through marriage the County of Orange in 1530 and passed it to a relative (William I) in 1544. William adopted the moniker “of Orange” and proceeded to expand his holdings in France and the Netherlands, becoming Stadtholder of Holland and two other counties in 1559. In 1568, he turned on the Habsburgs and led a revolution resulting, in 1581, in an independent Netherlands (roughly corresponding to the modern country). William became the first Stadtholder of the independent Netherlands, and members of the House of Orange-Nassau held that position until the French takeover in 1795 (one of them even serving simultaneously as King of England). In Orange itself, however, Ottonian sovereignty did not survive that long. In 1702, the reigning prince inherited Nassau-Diez. He quickly turned his attention to that territory and allowed Orange to be confiscated by France.

 

In the following list of countries in Nassuvian Germany, countries and dates outside the chronological scope of the database are shown in italics. Countries outside the geographic scope (i.e., in France, the Netherlands or, Jointly-Ruled Germany) are shown in gray. Certain territories that lost their country status are shown in teal, just to clarify where they landed.

 

Ottonian Nassuvian Germany/Netherlands/France

 

Core German countries (with spinoffs, outsourcings, and personal unions)
  • County of Nassau-Dillenburg (1255-1303)
    • County/Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Dillenburg (1303-1561)
    • County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Beilstein (1342-1561)
      • County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Beilstein-Liebenscheid (1380-1414; 1425-1477; 1513-1556)
    • County/Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Hadamar (1303-1394)
    • County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (1303-1328)
  • County of Nassau-Dillenburg (1561-1607)
  • County of Nassau-Diez (1530-1561-1607)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Dillenburg (1530-1561)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg (1561-1607)
  • Principality of Orange-Nassau (1743-1747; Netherlandic; 1795-1806)

 

Fringe German countries (with personal unions)
  • County of Spiegelberg (1631-1803)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Diez (1631-1743)
    • in personal union with Orange-Nassau (1743-1806)
  • County of Holzappel (1656-1700)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Dillenburg (1656-1676)
    • in personal union with Schaumburg (1676-1700)
  • Principality of Schaumburg (1656-1707)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Dillenburg (1656-1676)

 

German condominia with Ottonian and non-Nassuvian participants

 

Netherlandic countries
  • County of Vianden (1417-1561-1747; Netherlandic)
    • In personal union with Dillenburg-Dillenburg (1417-1561; 1606-1620)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg (1561-1606)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Siegen (1620-1648)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Siegen (Calvinist line) (1648-1734)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Diez (1734-1743)
    • in personal union with Orange-Nassau (1743-1747)
  • Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-present)

 

French countries
  • Principality of Orange (1530-1702)

 

Netherlandic Germany

 

Any time the Stadtholder of the Netherlands also ruled a German territory, I place that territory in Netherlandic Germany (“Dutch Germany” is too similar to “Deutsch Germany”, which could be interpreted as redundant). The first German country to which that rule applies was the County of Moers (which had no previous connection to the Nassuvians) between 1594 and 1702, at which time it became Prussian. In 1747, the Prince of Orange-Nassau became the Netherlandic Stadtholder. I move that country to Netherlandic Germany in that year and keep it there until 1795, when French occupation of the Netherlands ended the personal union.

 

Another country that I place in Netherlandic Germany is the City of Emden between the time of the “Emden Revolution” against East Frisia in 1595 and the Prussian takeover of thereof in 1744. Emden was not in personal union with the Stadtholder, but was a protectorate of the United Netherlands that made every effort to function under the rules of that country instead of those of the Holy Roman Empire. Those efforts were ended by Prussia, which considered Emden to be part of East Frisia.

 

 

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