René of Châlon
Encyclopedia
René of Châlon also known as Renatus of Châlon, was a Prince of Orange
and stadtholder
of Holland, Zeeland
, Utrecht and Gelre.
René was born in Breda
, the only son of Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda
and Claudia of Châlon
. Claudia's brother, Philibert of Châlon
, and the ancestor of modern royals of Great Britain was the last Prince of Orange from the house of Châlon
. When Philibert died in 1530, René inherited the Princedom of Orange on condition that he used the name and coat of arms of the Châlon-Orange family. History knows him therefore as René of Châlon instead of as "René of Nassau-Breda."
René of Châlon married Anna of Lorraine
(1522-1568) on 20 August 1540 at Bar-le-Duc
. They had only one child, a daughter named Maria, who lived only 3 weeks and was buried in the "Grote Kerk" in Breda
.
In 1544, René took part in the siege of St. Dizier in the service of Emperor Charles V
. He was mortally wounded in battle and died with the Emperor attending at his bedside. René was buried in Grote Kerk in Breda, near the resting-place of his short-lived daughter. A commemorative cenotaph
stands in the church of St. Etienne in Bar-le-Duc.
René of Châlon, as the last descendant of the original princes, left the principality to his first cousin William of Nassau-Dillenburg (better known as "William the Silent"), who was not a descendant of the original Orange family but the legal heir to the principality of Orange, and inheritor of all of René's lands.
The principality of Orange had already passed, through the female line, from the first dynasty of Orange to the families Les Baux
, and De Châlon
.
William added the name of Orange to his own paternal dignities and thus became in 1544 the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau.
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
and stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
of Holland, Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
, Utrecht and Gelre.
René was born in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, the only son of Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda
Henry III of Nassau-Breda
Count Henry III of Nassau-Dillenburg-Dietz , Lord of Breda, Lord of the Lek, of Diest, etc. was a count of the House of Nassau....
and Claudia of Châlon
Claudia of Châlon
Claudia of Châlon-Orange was the second wife of Henry III of Nassau-Breda, whom she had married in 1515. She was the mother of René of Châlon, lord of Breda, the first Nassau to be Prince of Orange....
. Claudia's brother, Philibert of Châlon
Philibert of Châlon
Philibert de Châlon was the last prince of Orange from the house of Châlon.Born at Nozeroy to John IV of Chalon-Arlay, Philibert served Emperor Charles V as commander in Italy, fighting in the War of the League of Cognac. He took part in the Sack of Rome and was killed during the final stages of...
, and the ancestor of modern royals of Great Britain was the last Prince of Orange from the house of Châlon
House of Châlon
-Notable members:*Claudia of Châlon*Philibert of Châlon, Claudia's brother*René of Châlon , also known as Renatus of Châlon, Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Gelre....
. When Philibert died in 1530, René inherited the Princedom of Orange on condition that he used the name and coat of arms of the Châlon-Orange family. History knows him therefore as René of Châlon instead of as "René of Nassau-Breda."
René of Châlon married Anna of Lorraine
Anna of Lorraine
Anna of Lorraine was a French princess of the House of Lorraine. She was Princess of Orange by her first marriage to René of Châlon, and Duchess of Aarschot by her second marriage to Philippe II of Croÿ....
(1522-1568) on 20 August 1540 at Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc, formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the préfecture . The department is in Lorraine in north-eastern France-Geography:...
. They had only one child, a daughter named Maria, who lived only 3 weeks and was buried in the "Grote Kerk" in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
.
In 1544, René took part in the siege of St. Dizier in the service of Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
. He was mortally wounded in battle and died with the Emperor attending at his bedside. René was buried in Grote Kerk in Breda, near the resting-place of his short-lived daughter. A commemorative cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
stands in the church of St. Etienne in Bar-le-Duc.
René of Châlon, as the last descendant of the original princes, left the principality to his first cousin William of Nassau-Dillenburg (better known as "William the Silent"), who was not a descendant of the original Orange family but the legal heir to the principality of Orange, and inheritor of all of René's lands.
The principality of Orange had already passed, through the female line, from the first dynasty of Orange to the families Les Baux
House of Baux
The House of Baux is a French noble family from the south of France. It was one of the most pretigious and powerful families of Medieval Provence, known as the 'Race d’Aiglon'. They were independent Lords as castellan of Les Baux and Arles and wielded very considerable authority at local level...
, and De Châlon
House of Chalon-Arlay
This page is a list of the lords of Chalon-Arlay and the principality of Orange.The lords of Chalons and Arlay were a cadet branch of the ruling house of the county of Burgundy, the Anscarids or House of Ivrea....
.
William added the name of Orange to his own paternal dignities and thus became in 1544 the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau.