Nassau-Siegen

Nassau-Siegen
State of the Holy Roman Empire
1303–1328 and 1606–1743
Capital		Siegen
Government		Principality
Count
•	1303–1328	Henry
•	1606–1623	John VII
•	1699–1743	William Hyacinth
History
•	Split off from N-Dillenburg	1303
•	reunited with N-Dillenburg	1328
•	Split off from N-Dillenburg again	1606
•	Divided into Catholic and Protestant parts	1626
•	C and P parts reunited	1734
•	Fell to Orange-Nassau-Dietz	1743

Nassau-Siegen was a principality within the Holy Roman Empire that existed briefly between 1303 and 1328 and again from 1606 to 1743. From 1626 to 1734, it was subdivided into a Catholic and a Protestant part. Its capital was the city of Siegen, founded in 1224 and initially a condominium jointly owned by the archbishopric of Cologne and Nassau.

It was located some 50 km east of Cologne, and contained the modern localities of Freudenberg, Hilchenbach, Kreuztal, Siegen, and Wilnsdorf.

Nassau-Siegen was first created when the sons of Otto I divided their inheritance:

John died childless in 1328 and Henry inherited Nassau-Dillenburg. Henry moved to Dillenburg and his descendants are known as the Nassau-Dillenburg line.

After John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg died in 1606, Nassau-Dillenburg was divided among his five surviving sons:

This division created a new principality of Nassau-Siegen. It belonged to the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle.

After John VII died in 1628, the country was divided:

John Maurice spent most of his time away from Siegen, since he was governor of Dutch Brazil and later of the Prussian province of Cleves, Mark and Ravensberg. Between 1638 and 1674, his brother George Frederick ruled the Protestant part of the country.

In 1652, John Francis Desideratus of the Catholic line was elevated to Imperial Prince. Count Henry II of the Protestant line married Marie Elisabeth of Limburg-Styrum, who brought the Lordship of Wisch in the County of Zutphen into the marriage. In 1664, John Maurice of the Protestant line was also elevated to Imperial Prince.

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Wikipedia