Countess Henriette Catherine of Nassau
| Henriette Catherine of Nassau | |
|---|---|
| Princess consort of Anhalt-Dessau | |
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| Born |
10 February 1637 The Hague |
| Died | 3 November 1708 (aged 71) |
| Spouse | John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau |
| Issue | Frederick Casimir, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Elisabeth Albertine, Countess of Barby Henriette Amalie, Princess of Nassau-Dietz Marie Eleonore, Duchess of Olyka Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Johanna Charlotte, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt |
| House | House of Orange-Nassau |
| Father | Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange |
| Mother | Amalia of Solms-Braunfels |
Henriette Catherine of Nassau (10 February 1637 – 3 November 1708) was princess consort of Anhalt-Dessau by marriage to John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, and regent of Anhalt-Dessau from 1693 to 1698 during the minority of her son Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau.
Henriette was born in The Hague as a member of the House of Orange-Nassau, being the seventh of nine children born to Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. Some of her siblings died in childhood. Henriette and four other siblings lived to adulthood, her surviving siblings were: William II, Prince of Orange, Luise Henriette of Nassau, Albertine Agnes of Nassau and Maria of Nassau.
The Thirty Years War had left Germany in ruins but the Netherlands under the reign of Henriette's father, Frederick Henry, had made great progress since the assassination of William the Silent. Her father wanted to make peace with Germany and so married some of his daughters off to German nobles.
Her mother, continuing this policy had Henriette married to John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau in Groningen on 9 September 1659. Henriette's consent cannot have been taken for granted: she was a woman of spirit and independence, who had already refused to marry a cousin whom she disliked, and for a time considered marrying her brother-in-law Charles II of England. Judging by his letters Charles may have been genuinely in love, but later said that he believed Henriette and John had married for love.
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