Gustav Adolph, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken
Encyclopedia
Gustav Adolf of Nassau-Saarbrücken (27 March 1632, Saarbrücken
– 9 October 1677, Strasbourg
) was Count of Saarbrücken and Major General
at the Rhine of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation.
He was the second son of Count William Louis of Nassau-Saarbrücken
(1590 — 22 August 1640) and Countess Anna Amalia of Baden-Durlach
(1595–1651), who named him after king Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, who was still alive at the time.
During the Thirty Years' War
(1618–1648), the family fled to Metz
, where his father died in 1640. In 1643 his mother returned to Saarbrücken with the children.
From 1645 to 1649 he studied in Basel
.
He then fought on the French side against Spain. In 1658 he fought against Denmark in the service of the Swedish king Charles X Gustav
, who was a duke of the house Palatinate-Zweibrücken
. Later, he served in the imperial army, possibly until 1659.
Until 1651 his mother had been Regent of his behalf; from 1651 to 1659, his older brother John Louis had been regent. In 1660, Gustav Adolf and his brothers John Louis and Walrad
divided the territory and Gustav Adolf took up the reign of the counties of Saarbrücken and Saarwerden.
He set about rebuilding the war-ravaged country, brought back refugees and recruited settlers for agriculture and skilled workers for the glass industry in Klarenthal (named after his wife, Eleonore Klara; now a district in the west of Saarbrücken).
He could not resist King Louis XIV
's "reunion policy
". He refused to swear the required oath of fealty from the king, even when he was captured in 1673 by the French and taken to Metz. After his release the following year he was not allowed to return to his country.
So he enrolled in the imperial army in 1676 in the participated in 1677 in the battle of Phillipsburg in the Alsace
. He died of injuries he suffered in combat on Mount Kochersberg (northwest of Strasbourg). He was finally buried, after several temporary graves, in the St. Thomas Church at Strasbourg. His mummified corpse was on display there from 1802 to 1990 in a glass sarcophagus. His body was transferred and buried in the tomb erected by his wife in the castle church in Saarbrücken in 1998.
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
– 9 October 1677, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
) was Count of Saarbrücken and Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
at the Rhine of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation.
He was the second son of Count William Louis of Nassau-Saarbrücken
William Louis, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken
William Louis of Nassau-Saarbrücken , was a Count of Saarbrücken.- Life :His parents were Louis II of Nassau-Weilburg and Landgravine Anna Maria of Hesse-Kassel...
(1590 — 22 August 1640) and Countess Anna Amalia of Baden-Durlach
Anna Amalia of Baden-Durlach
Anna Amalia of Baden-Durlach was a daughter of Margrave George Frederick of Baden-Durlach and his first wife, Countess Juliana Ursula of Salm-Neuville...
(1595–1651), who named him after king Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, who was still alive at the time.
During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
(1618–1648), the family fled to Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, where his father died in 1640. In 1643 his mother returned to Saarbrücken with the children.
From 1645 to 1649 he studied in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
.
He then fought on the French side against Spain. In 1658 he fought against Denmark in the service of the Swedish king Charles X Gustav
Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Charles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who...
, who was a duke of the house Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Palatinate-Zweibrücken is a former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Zweibrücken.-Overview:→ History before 1394 see main article County of Zweibrücken→ History before 1444 see main article County of Veldenz...
. Later, he served in the imperial army, possibly until 1659.
Until 1651 his mother had been Regent of his behalf; from 1651 to 1659, his older brother John Louis had been regent. In 1660, Gustav Adolf and his brothers John Louis and Walrad
Walrad, Prince of Nassau-Usingen
Walrad Usingen of Nassau , was from 1659 Count, and from 1688 Prince of Nassau-Usingen and founder of Usingen line of the House of Nassau.- Family :...
divided the territory and Gustav Adolf took up the reign of the counties of Saarbrücken and Saarwerden.
He set about rebuilding the war-ravaged country, brought back refugees and recruited settlers for agriculture and skilled workers for the glass industry in Klarenthal (named after his wife, Eleonore Klara; now a district in the west of Saarbrücken).
He could not resist King Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
's "reunion policy
War of the Reunions
The War of the Reunions was a short conflict between France and Spain and its allies. It was fueled by the long-running desire of Louis XIV to conquer new lands, many of them comprising part of the Spanish Netherlands, along France's northern and eastern borders...
". He refused to swear the required oath of fealty from the king, even when he was captured in 1673 by the French and taken to Metz. After his release the following year he was not allowed to return to his country.
So he enrolled in the imperial army in 1676 in the participated in 1677 in the battle of Phillipsburg in the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. He died of injuries he suffered in combat on Mount Kochersberg (northwest of Strasbourg). He was finally buried, after several temporary graves, in the St. Thomas Church at Strasbourg. His mummified corpse was on display there from 1802 to 1990 in a glass sarcophagus. His body was transferred and buried in the tomb erected by his wife in the castle church in Saarbrücken in 1998.
Marriage and issue
On 14 June 1662 he married Landgravine Eleonore Klara of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein (1632–1709), daughter of the Count Crato of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein, with whom he had seven children:- Louis CratoLouis Crato, Count of Nassau-SaarbrückenLouis Crato, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken was the son of Count Gustav Adolph of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Clara Eleanor, Countess of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein. He was educated at Neuenstein with his uncle, Count Wolfgang Julius of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein, and later in Tübingen...
(1663–1713) - Charles LouisCharles Louis, Count of Nassau-SaarbrückenCharles Louis, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken was the son of Count Gustav Adolf of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Countess Clara Eleanor of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein....
(1665–1723) - Sophie Amalia (1666–1736)
- Gustav Adolph (1667–1683)
- Sophie Eleonore (1669–1742)
- Sophie Dorothea (1670–1748)
- Philip William (1671-1671)