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 Walmarian 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. 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, restoring to Diez its Hadamar lands. In 1739, the Dillenburg line died out and the Ottonian lands were reunited under Diez.

 

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.

 

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 Nassau-Diez became the Netherlandic Stadholder. I move that country to Netherlandic Germany in that year under the name “Principality of Orange-Nassau”—a name the Prince had been using for a while. I retain that country name in 1795, when French occupation of the Netherlands ended the personal union.

 

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.

 

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 (Netherlandic; 1795-1806)

 

Fringe German countries (with personal unions)
  • County of Spiegelberg (1631-1803)
    • in personal union with Dillenburg-Diez (1631-1747)
    • in personal union with Orange-Nassau (1747-1806)
  • 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 (1734-1747)
  • Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-present)

 

French countries
  • Principality of Orange (1530-1702)

 

Ottonian participation in condominia outside of Nassuvian Germany
  • Diez (condominium with Eppstein/Katzenelnbogen/Hesse-Darmstadt; 50% share; in personal union with Dillenburg-Dillenburg) see Jointly-Ruled Germany (1386-1530)
  • Freier Grund (condominium with Sayn-Wittgensteinian entities; 50% share) see Jointly-Ruled Germany (1478-1561-1806)
    • Dillenburg (1561-1607)
    • Beilstein (1607-1620)
    • Dillenburg (1620-1739)
    • Diez (1739-1747)
    • Orange-Nassau (1747-1806)
  • Birlenbach (condominium with Leiningen-Westerburg; 50% share) see Jointly-Ruled Germany (1597-1643)
    • Dillenburg (1597-1643)

 

Netherlandic Germany

 

 

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