Countries Based in Siegen

 

This page covers the territory of the County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen as of 1607. Between 1648 and 1743, the territory was partitioned among at least two entities, some of which were temporarily administered by outside parties. Only the shortest-lived of those entities was not based in Siegen itself. In 1717, the Siegen-based entities acquired territory outside of the 1607 boundaries.

 

Index of simplified country name referenced on this page

 

 

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County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen

 

An earlier County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen existed from 1303 to 1328. In that year, the Count inherited Dillenburg-Dillenburg, merged the two counties, and retained the Dillenburg name. That is all outside the temporal scope of the database.

 

 

(1) The proposed partition was contrary to the conditions of the 1607 partition, which explicitly forbad further partitioning. However, the count attempted the partition anyway, because, as a Calvinist, he did not want his Catholic son running the entire country. In that, he largely failed, although the Calvinist line was dominant between 1632 and 1636 while the Catholic count was off fighting in the Thirty-Years War.

(2) The emperor attempted to create a condominium that would satisfy all parties and not violate the terms of the 1607 partition. The practical result, however, was the implementation of the partition.

 

Subdivisions of the County of Siegen (1607-1648)

 

County/Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (condo. btw. Catholic & Calvinist lines/successors)

 

This country consisted entirely of the city of Siegen

 

  • Simplified country name: Dillenburg-Siegen (3)
  • Nation: Nassuvian Germany [Ottonian line]
  • Predecessor: County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen
  • Chronology
    • 1648: Created upon the partition of the County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (4)
    • 1652: Promoted to a principality
    • 1734: Extinction of Calvinist line; interest effectively transferred to Dillenburg-Dillenburg
    • 1743: Terminated upon the extinction of the Catholic line
  • Successor: Principality of Orange-Nassau

 

(3) The usual conventions for creating simplified names of condominia don’t work well when the parties participating in the condominium are based in the same city, so I went with a less ambitious name. I do not change that when Dillenburg assumes the Calvinist interest in 1734.

(4) The city of Siegen was the only place in the original county in which the emperor’s proposed condominium was implemented. Despite the condominium, however, each castle almost certainly exerted exclusive control over neighboring parts of the city.

 

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County/Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen-Hilchenbach

 

  • Simplified country name: Dillenburg-Siegen-Hilchenbach
  • Nation: Nassuvian Germany [Ottonian line]
  • Predecessor: County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen
  • Chronology
    • 1648: Created upon the partition of the County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen
    • 1652: Promoted to a principality
    • 1674: Terminated upon the extinction of the Hilchenbach line
  • Successor: County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (Calvinist line)

 

Subdivisions of the County/Principality of Siegen-Hilchenbach (1648-1674)

 

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County/Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (Calvinist line)

 

  • Simplified country name: Dillenburg-Siegen (Lower) (5)
  • Nation: Nassuvian Germany [Ottonian line]
  • Predecessor: County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen
  • Chronology
    • 1648: Created upon the partition of the County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen
    • 1664: Promoted to a principality
    • 1674: Acquired the territory of Siegen-Hilchenbach upon the extinction of the Hilchenbach line
    • 1691: Lost administrative control to the Catholic line (6)
    • 1707: Regained administrative control from the Catholic line
    • 1712: Assumed administrative control over Catholic line territory
    • 1717: Acquired part of Amt Hadamar upon the termination of Nassau-Dillenburg-Hadamar (7)
    • 1734: Terminated upon the extinction of the Calvinist line
  • Successor: Principality of Nassau-Siegen (Calvinist successor; adm. Dillenburg-Dillenburg)
  • Outsourcings:
    • to Dillenburg-Siegen (Lower) by
      • Principality of Dillenburg-Siegen (Upper) (1712-1734)
    • by Dillenburg-Siegen (Lower) to
      • Principality of Dillenburg-Siegen (Upper) (1691-1707)
      • Principality of Dillenburg-Dillenburg (1734-1743)

 

(5) I use denominational terms like “Catholic” and “Calvinist” in fully-specified country names because that is the convention among historians and because those terms are critical to understanding why the countries exist. I am uncomfortable using those terms in simplified names, however, because simplified names are meant to emphasize the where rather than the why. Instead, I distinguish between the two lines based on the location of their respective castles within the city of Siegen—the so-called “Lower” Castle for the Calvinist line and the so-called “Upper” Castle for the Catholic line.

(6) The change in administrative control was necessary because the Calvinist heir was underage. As with simplified names of condominia, the conventions for simplified names when one country is sovereign but another provides the administration don’t work well when the two countries are based in the same city. Therefore, I do not change the simplified names when the Catholic line administered Calvinist territory and vice versa. (I do, however, acknowledge Dillenburg-Dillenburg administration after the Calvinist line died out.)

(7) I call the portion of Amt Hadamar that fell to the Calvinist line “Quasi-Vogtei Dehrn” and the portion that fell to the Catholic line “Quasi-Vogtei Hadamar” to reflect the pre-1607 naming conventions.

 

Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (Calvinist successor; adm. Dillenburg-Dillenburg)

 

  • Simplified country name: Dillenburg-Siegen (Lower)-Dillenburg
  • Nation: Nassuvian Germany [Ottonian line]
  • Predecessor: County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (Calvinist line)
  • Chronology
    • 1734: Created upon the extinction of the Calvinist Siegen line and the assumption of administrative responsibilities by Dillenburg-Dillenburg
    • 1743: Terminated upon reunification of Ottonian territory
  • Successor: Principality of Orange-Nassau

 

Subdivisions of the Calvinist County/Principality of Siegen (1648-1743)
  • Amt Freudenberg1648 - 1691
  • ___under Catholic Siegen administration1691 - 1707
  • ___back under Calvinist administration1707 - 1734
  • ___under Dillenburg-Dillenburg administration1734 - 1743
  • Amt der Vierdorfschaften1648 - 1691
  • ___under Catholic Siegen administration1691 - 1707
  • ___back under Calvinist administration1707 - 1734
  • ___under Dillenburg-Dillenburg administration1734 - 1743
  • Amt Ferndorf-Krombach1674 - 1691
  • ___under Catholic Siegen administration1691 - 1707
  • ___back under Calvinist administration1707 - 1734
  • ___under Dillenburg-Dillenburg administration1734 - 1743
  • Amt Hilchenbach1674 - 1691
  • ___under Catholic Siegen administration1691 - 1707
  • ___back under Calvinist administration1707 - 1734
  • ___under Dillenburg-Dillenburg administration1734 - 1743
  • Amt Hadamar, Quasi-Vogtei Dehrn1717 - 1734

 

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County/Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (Catholic line)

 

  • Simplified country name: Dillenburg-Siegen (Upper) (8)
  • Nation: Nassuvian Germany [Ottonian line]
  • Predecessor: County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen
  • Chronology
    • 1648: Created upon the partition of the County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen
    • 1665: Promoted to a principality
    • 1691: Assumed administrative control over Calvinist line territory (9)
    • 1707: Suspended upon transfer of administrative control to the Cologne Cathedral Chapter; relinquished administrative control over Calvinist line territory to the Calvinist count (10)
    • 1712: Restored upon transfer of administrative control to Calvinist line
    • 1717: Acquired part of Amt Hadamar upon the termination of Nassau-Dillenburg-Hadamar (11)
    • 1734: Upon the extinction of the Calvinist line, administrative control of Siegen territory transferred to the Electorate of Cologne; Amt Hadamar reunited under Catholic line administration
    • 1742: Surrendered sovereignty over its Siegen territories to Dillenburg-Diez in exchange for the remaining Hadamar territory—Amt Mengerskirchen (from Dillenburg-Dillenburg) and Amt Stuhlgebiet from Dillenburg-Diez
    • 1743: Terminated upon extinction of Catholic line and reunification of Ottonian territory
  • Successor: Principality of Orange-Nassau
  • Outsourcings:
    • to Dillenburg-Siegen (Upper) by
      • Principality of Dillenburg-Siegen (Lower) (1691-1707)
    • by Dillenburg-Siegen (Upper) to
      • Electorate of Cologne (1707-1717; 1734-1742)
      • Principality of Dillenburg-Siegen (Lower) (1717-1734)

 

(8) I use denominational terms like “Catholic” and “Calvinist” in fully-specified country names because that is the convention among historians and because those terms are critical to understanding why the countries exist. I am uncomfortable using those terms in simplified names, however, because simplified names are meant to emphasize the where rather than the why. Instead, I distinguish between the two lines based on the location of their respective castles within the city of Siegen—the so-called “Lower” Castle for the Calvinist line and the so-called “Upper” Castle for the Catholic line.

(9) The change in administrative control was necessary because the Calvinist heir was underage. As with simplified names of condominia, the conventions for simplified names when one country is sovereign but another provides the administration don’t work well when the two countries are based in the same city. Therefore, I do not change the simplified names when the Catholic line administered Calvinist territory and vice versa. (I do, however, acknowledge Dillenburg-Dillenburg administration after the Calvinist line died out.)

(10) The count was permanently stripped of all administrative responsibilities over Siegen territories by the Emperor for egregious behavior toward his subjects. He was, however, allowed to administer Hadamar territories acquired in 1717 and later.

(11) I call the portion of Amt Hadamar that fell to the Calvinist line “Quasi-Vogtei Dehrn” and the portion that fell to the Catholic line “Quasi-Vogtei Hadamar” to reflect the pre-1607 naming conventions.

 

County/Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (Catholic line; adm. Electorate of Cologne)

 

  • Simplified country name: Dillenburg-Siegen (Upper)-Bonn (12)
  • Nation: Nassuvian Germany [Ottonian line]
  • Predecessor: County of Nassau-Dillenburg-Siegen (Catholic line)
  • Chronology
    • 1707: Created upon the Catholic line’s loss of administrative control over its own territory to the Cologne Cathedral Chapter
    • 1712: Suspended upon transfer of administrative control to the Calvinist line
    • 1734: Restored upon extinction of Calvinist line; administrative control transferred to the Electorate of Cologne
    • 1742: Terminated upon surrender of sovereignty to Dillenburg-Diez
  • Successor: Principality of Nassau-Dillenburg-Diez

 

(12) Although the Electorate of Cologne (or its auxiliary, the Cathedral Chapter) exercised administrative control, I use “-Bonn” (where the archbishop was actually seated) in the simplified name, to avoid confusion with the Imperial City of Cologne.

 

Subdivisions of the Catholic County/Principality of Siegen (1648-1743)

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