County/Principality of Nassau-Dietz

Principality of Orange-Nassau

The County of Dietz was probably founded in the 10th century. It reached its territorial peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, after which it began to decline. Its line died out in 1388 and its territory was divided up among various shifting countries until it was formally split between Nassau-Dillenburg (a unified Ottonian county) and the Electorate of Trier in 1564.

 

In 1607, when Nassau-Dillenburg was partitioned, the County of Nassau-Dietz first emerged consisting of the territory acquired in 1564 except for Gericht Winnen-Höhn, which was assigned to Beilstein. When the Beilstein line died out in 1620, Dietz’s territory was adjusted. Before it became a principality in 1654, its territory was further altered by a trade. The changes were as follows:

 

• from Nassau-Beilstein in 1620: Herrschaft Beilstein (excepting two villages in the Mengerskirchen parish) and Herrschaft zum Westerwald, which were combined to form Amt Beilstein;
• to Nassau-Hadamar in 1620: the Dehrner Zent;
• trade with Nassau-Hadamar in 1628:
  • to Hadamar—the other two villages in the Mengerskirchen parish;
  • to Dietz—Hadamar’s 25 percent share of Amt Camberg.

 

In 1702, the prince inherited the title of Prince of Orange, after which I move Dietz out of the nation of Ottonian Nassuvian Germany and into the nation of Orange Nassuvian Germany. Over the next 41 years, all of the other Ottonian lines died out and their territories became Landesteile of Nassau-Dietz. By the end of that period, Orange Nassuvian Germany had completely replaced Ottonian Nassuvian Germany. The acquisitions by Dietz (by inheritance of extinguished lines, unless otherwise indicated) were as follows:

 

• from Hadamar in 1717: Amt Stuhlgebiet (temporarily traded to Catholic Siegen in 1742) and the Ottonian share of Amt Kirberg;
• from Calvinist Siegen in 1734: Stadt Siegen and the neighboring Ämter of Freudenberg, Vierdorfschaften, Ferndorf-Krombach, and Hilchenbach;
• From Dillenburg in 1739:
  • all Ämter in the 1607 County of Dillenburg,
  • territory acquired from Beilstein in 1620 (Amt Driedorf and the Ottonian shares of Freier Grund and Amt Wehrheim),
  • territory acquired from Hadamar in 1717 (Amt Mengerskichen-Ellar, temporarily traded to Catholic Siegen in 1742);
• From Catholic Siegen in 1742 (in exchange for the Ämter of Stuhlgebiet and Mengerskirchen-Ellar): the Haingericht and Amt Netphen;
• from Catholic Siegen in 1743: Amt Hadamar and the two Ämter that Dietz traded away the previous year.

 

In 1747, the Prince of Nassau-Dietz became the hereditary Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. I therefore change the name of the nation to Netherlandic Germany (“Dutch Germany” is too similar to “Deutsch Germany”, and so could be interpreted as redundant). I also (somewhat arbitrarily) choose that date to drop the Nassau-Dietz country name and replace it with Orange-Nassau (which the prince had been using since the 1743 reunification). When France conquered the Netherlands in 1795, the personal union ended and the nation name reverts to Orange Nassuvian Germany (so for 11 years, the country and nation names are redundant).

 

Orange-Nassau was divided into Landesteile based largely on the post-1620 county boundaries. Exceptions to that rule were created in 1782, when Amt Beilstein (part of Nassau-Dietz after 1620) was abolished. The Beilstein parish itself was moved to Landesteil Dillenburg. The rest of the eastern portion of the Amt (Herrschaft Beilstein) was moved to Landesteil Hadamar. The western portion of the Amt (Herrschaft zum Westerwald) underwent a boundary adjustment. Prior to 1782, the boundary between Herrschaft zum Westerwald and Amt Rennerod (in Landesteil Hadamar) ran along an east-west axis, with Westerwald to the north and Rennerod to the south. After 1782, the boundary ran along a north-south axis, with Rennerod to the east and a new Amt Marienberg (in Landesteil Dietz) to the west.