Arnold I of Laurenburg
Encyclopedia
Arnold I of Laurenburg an early member of the House of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...

, was from 1123 co-Count of Laurenburg
Laurenburg
Laurenburg is a municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district of Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. The town, a health resort situated in the lower Lahn River valley, belongs to the Diez Municipal Association.-History:...

. The House of Nassau would become an important aristocratic family in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, from which are descended the present-day Kings of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 and Grand Dukes of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

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Biography

Arnold was the second son of Count Dudo-Henry of Laurenburg
Dudo-Henry of Laurenburg
Dudo-Henry of Laurenburg was Count of Laurenburg in 1093 and is considered the founder of the House of Nassau...

 (German: Dudo-Heinrich von Laurenburg) and Anastasia of Arnstein
Arnstein
Arnstein is a town in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...

, daughter of Count Louis II of Arnstein. Count Dudo, considered the founder of the House of Nassau, had already built the castle of Laurenburg
Laurenburg
Laurenburg is a municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district of Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. The town, a health resort situated in the lower Lahn River valley, belongs to the Diez Municipal Association.-History:...

 around 1080, and laid the foundations of Nassau Castle in present day Nassau, Germany
Nassau, Germany
Nassau is a town located in the German Land of Rhineland-Palatinate. It lies in the Lahn River valley between the cities of Bad Ems and Limburg an der Lahn. Nassau is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Nassau. The town is on the German-Dutch holiday road, the Orange Route...

, around 1100. After 1120, Arnold ruled from Nassau Castle together with his brother Robert I
Robert I of Nassau
Robert I of Nassau was from 1123 co-Count of Laurenburg and would later title himself the first Count of Nassau. The House of Nassau would become an important aristocratic family in Germany, from which are descended the present-day rulers of both the Netherlands and Luxembourg.-Biography:Robert...

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In 1124, Arnold became the Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...

 of Idstein
Idstein
Idstein is a town of about 25,000 inhabitants in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Because of its well preserved historical Altstadt it is part of the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße , connecting towns with fine timber-frame buildings and...

. Idstein had come under the control of Count Dudo in 1122. Arnold also later became the Vogt of St. George's Monastery Church in Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....

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Descendants

The name of Arnold's wife is unknown. He had two, and perhaps, children:
  • Henry (Heinrich) I, co-Count of Nassau, 1160 - August 1167
  • Robert (Ruprecht) III
    Robert III of Nassau
    Robert III, the Bellicose was co-Count of Nassau between 1160 and 1191. The House of Nassau would become an important aristocratic family in Germany, from which are descended the present-day Kings of the Netherlands and Grand Dukes of Luxembourg....

    , "the Bellicose", co-Count of Nassau, 1158 - 1191
  • (possibly) Gerhard, Count of Laurenburg, 1148

Sources

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