William of Nassau-Hilchenbach
Encyclopedia
William of Nassau-Siegen ( August 13, 1592, Dillenburg
– July 18, 1642 in Rheinberg
) was Count of Nassau in Hilchenbach.
(1558–1599).
William was educated in the Reformed faith, and studied in Heidelberg
and Sedan. After the death of his father in 1623, he was moved after the death of his elder brother Adolf in 1608, to second place in the succession, and inherited the castle of Ginsburg, Hilchenbach
and other places. He thus became the founder and sole representative of the line Nassau-Siegen, Hilchenbach. William lived at first in Ginsburg, and from 1623 in Hilchenbach. The local water-tower was named after him: William Castle.
Like many of his family members, he was involved in the Dutch Revolt
and in the Uskok War
(1617) against the Habsburgs and Catholic Spain
, where he received the rank of Marshal
. Especially in the campaigns of 1629 and 1632 as 's-Hertogenbosch
and Maastricht
were captured, he distinguished himself and became governor of Heusden
and Sluis
. During attempted attack on Antwerp, he was devastatingly defeated in the Battle of Kallo
(1638), in which his only son, 17-year-old Maurice, was killed. At the siege of Gennep
in 1641, he suffered a serious abdominal wound, in consequence of which he died a year later. He was buried in Heusden.
Dillenburg
Dillenburg is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis....
– July 18, 1642 in Rheinberg
Rheinberg
Rheinberg is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. north of Moers and south of Wesel....
) was Count of Nassau in Hilchenbach.
Life
William was the fourth son of John VII, Count of Nassau (1561–1623) and his wife Magdalena von Waldeck-WildungenCountess Magdalena of Waldeck
Countess Magdalena of Waldeck was a daughter of Philip IV of Waldeck-Wildungen and his wife, Jutta of Isenburg .- First marriage :...
(1558–1599).
William was educated in the Reformed faith, and studied in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and Sedan. After the death of his father in 1623, he was moved after the death of his elder brother Adolf in 1608, to second place in the succession, and inherited the castle of Ginsburg, Hilchenbach
Hilchenbach
Hilchenbach is a town in the Siegen-Wittgenstein Kreis of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Location: The map shows Hilchenbach's location in Siegen-Wittgenstein district. It is about 15 km northeast of Siegen...
and other places. He thus became the founder and sole representative of the line Nassau-Siegen, Hilchenbach. William lived at first in Ginsburg, and from 1623 in Hilchenbach. The local water-tower was named after him: William Castle.
Like many of his family members, he was involved in the Dutch Revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
and in the Uskok War
Uskok War
The Uskok War, also known as War of Gradisca was fought between the Austrian and Spanish on one side and the Venetians, Dutch and English on the other. Based out of Senj The Uskok War, also known as War of Gradisca was fought between the Austrian (Croatian Habsburg soldiers - Uskoci) and Spanish...
(1617) against the Habsburgs and Catholic Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where he received the rank of Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
. Especially in the campaigns of 1629 and 1632 as 's-Hertogenbosch
Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch
The Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch was in 1629 an action of the Eighty Years' War in which a Dutch Republican army captured the city of 's-Hertogenbosch which had been loyal to the King of Spain since 1579 and thus part of the Spanish Netherlands.-Background:...
and Maastricht
Capture of Maastricht
The siege of Maastricht was fought between June 9, 1632 to August 22, 1632 where the Dutch commander Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange eventually captured the city from Spanish forces.-Background:...
were captured, he distinguished himself and became governor of Heusden
Heusden
Heusden is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. It is located between the cities Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch.- Population centres :...
and Sluis
Sluis
Sluis is the name of both a municipality and a town located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western part of the Netherlands....
. During attempted attack on Antwerp, he was devastatingly defeated in the Battle of Kallo
Battle of Kallo
The Battle of Kallo was a major battle of the Eighty Years' War. It was fought on 20 June of 1638 near the fort of Kallo, located on the left bank of the Scheldt river, between a Dutch army under the command of William of Nassau-Hilchenbach, and a Spanish army led by the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand,...
(1638), in which his only son, 17-year-old Maurice, was killed. At the siege of Gennep
Gennep
Gennep is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Aaldonk, Dam, De Looi, Diekendaal, Gennep, Heijen, Hekkens, Milsbeek, Ottersum, Smele, Ven-Zelderheide and Zelder.- The city of Gennep :...
in 1641, he suffered a serious abdominal wound, in consequence of which he died a year later. He was buried in Heusden.
External links
- http://www.siwikultur.de/khb/1/1/912.htm
- http://home.arcor.de/nuw-mengerskirchen/Nassau.pdf (PDF file, 54 kB )