Portrait of Louis of Nassau, Lord of den Lek and Beverweerd (1602-1665)about 1650.
Louis at 18 months of age in 1604, by Daniël van den Queborn, 1604/5
Arms of Louis of Lecke, Lord of Beverweerd.

Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd (1602 – The Hague, 28 February 1665) was a Dutch soldier. He was the illegitimate son of Margaretha van Mechelen and Maurice, Prince of Orange, and so a collateral member of the House of Orange-Nassau. He was a Lord of the heerlijkheid van De Lek (which he inherited on the death of his older brother, William of Nassau on his death in 1627), as well as the Beverweerd Castle and its heerlijkheid from his father.[1]

Career

He joined the army which had claimed his brother William's life and served with distinction in 1629 in the battle near Den Bosch. In 1632 he was advanced to Colonel and after 1635 was in charge of a regiment. In 1640 during the battle for Hulst he prevented the cannons from falling into enemy hands. In the same year he was sent to Paris to advise the French king of the forthcoming marriage of the 14-year-old William II of Orange to the 9-year-old English Princess Mary Stuart. Also, when the young Prince proceeded to England to fetch his bride, he was accompanied by Louis of Nassau. In 1643 he became General-Major and Governor of the city of Bergen-op-Zoom.

Despite his mother's objections he married Isabella van Hornes in the spring of 1630 and from this marriage ten children were born. Lodewijk was highly regarded by his uncle, Prince Frederick Henry, and took part in the Prince's family life.

Louis was originally a supporter of his next of kin, the Princes of Orange. After the death of William II he made his peace with the anti-Orangist regents of the cities of the Dutch Republic and worked with the administration of Johan de Witt, becoming First Noble of Holland. In 1658 Louis of Nassau became Governor of Den Bosch and in 1660 was sent as a special ambassador to England. In addition to his representing the Dutch republic, two of his daughters married British noblemen. Isabella married Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, one of King Charles II's ministers; and Emilia married Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory, the heir apparent of the Duke of Ormond. By 1662 Louis had forged an apparently strong relationship between England and the Dutch Republic and returned to Holland where he died on 28 February 1665. [2]

Marriage and children

He married Countess Isabella of Hornes in the spring of 1630, and had ten children.

He and Countess Isabella of Hornes had three surviving sons:

He also had seven daughters of whom the three eldest were:

Louis of Nassau died in The Hague and was buried there, 6 March 1665, in de Great, or St. James Church.[3] His descendants are buried in the family crypt at Ouderkerk aan den IJssel.

Family tree of the House of Nassau-den Lek
William I
"the Silent"
(1533–1584)
Prince of Orange 1544, Stadholder of Holland, Zealand & Utrecht

Margaretha van Mechelen
(c. 1580 – 1662)		Maurice
of Nassau
Prince of Orange
(1567–1625)
Prince of Orange
1618, Stadholder of Holland, Zealand, Utrecht, etc.

William of Nassau
(1601–1627)
"Chevalier de Nassau"
Lord of de Lek		Louis of Nassau
(1602– 1665)
Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd
Isabella van Hornes
Willem Jonker van Nassau
(1620–1679)		Maurits Lodewijk van Nassau
(1631–1683)
Lord of den Lecq		William Adrian of Nassau
(1632–1705)
Lord of Odijk		Elisabeth of Nassau
(1633–1718)
married Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington		Emilia
(1635–1688)
married Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory		Wilhelmina
(c. 1638 – 1688)
married Aelbert van Ruytenburgh		Henry of Nassau
(1640– 1708)
Lord of Ouwerkerk
Count of Nassau, 1679
Master of the Horse to William III of England
William of Nassau
(1654-)		Barbara of Nassau
(1659-)		Alida of Nassau
(1661-)		John of Nassau
(1663-)		Maurits Lodewijk of Nassau
(1670–1740)
Lord of den Lek		Lodewijk Adriaan of Nassau
(1670–1742)
Lord of Odijk		Elisabeth Wilhelmina of Nassau
(1671–1729)
married her cousin Maurits Lodewijk II van Nassau-LaLecq		Charlotte of Nassau
(1677–1715)
married her cousin Willem Maurits van Nassau-Ouwerkerk		Isabella of Nassau
(1668–1692)
married Charles Granville, Earl of Bath		Lodewijk van Nassau
(1669–1687)		Lucia van Nassau
(1671–1673)		Henry of Nassau
(1673–1754)
Earl of Grantham		Cornelis van Nassau
(1675–1712)
Lord of Woudenberg		Willem Maurits van Nassau
(1679–1753)
Lord of Ouwerkerk
married his cousin Charlotte of Nassau		Frans van Nassau
(1682–1710)		Lucia Anna van Nassau
(1684–1744)
married Nanfan Coote, Earl of Bellomont
Willem Hendrik van Nassau
(1693–1762)
Lord of Ouderkerk		Anna Isabella van Nassau
1695–1765)
married Mattheus Hoeufft Jr.		Hendrik Carel van Nassau
(1696–1781)
Lord of Beverweerd and Odijk		Lodewijk Theodoor van Nassau
1701–1748)		Jan Nicolaas Floris van Nassau
(1709–1782)
Lord of Ouderkerk		Alida Cornelia van Nassau
(1705-170?)		Willem Adriaan II van Nassau
(1704–1759)
Graaf van Nassau, Lord of Odijk, vrijheer van Bergen (1708)		Henry of Nassau
(1697–1718)
Viscount Boston
1698		Thomas of Nassau
(1700–1730)
Viscount Boston
1718		Frances of Nassau
(1711–1772)
married Captain (later Lieutenant-Colonel) William Elliot of Wells		Emilia Mary of Nassau
(1702–1712)		Henrietta de Nassau
(1712–1747)
married William Clavering-Cowper, Earl Cowper		William Henry
(1710–1735)		Elisabeth
(1712-)		Francoise Henriette
(1711-)
Catherina Elisabeth Wilhelmina van Nassau
(1736–1777)		Lodewijk Theodoor II van Nassau
(1741–1795)
Lord of de Lek, Lord of Ouderkerk (1762–1773)		Jan Floris van Nassau
(1751–1814)
Lord of de Lek, Lord of Ouderkerk		Louise Suzanna van Nassau
(1726–1803)
married Frederik Christoffel, Graaf van Degenfeld-Schönburg (1721–1781)		Willem Lodewijk van Nassau
(1727–1792)
Vrijheer van Bergen		Wigbold Adriaan van Nassau
(1729–1797)
Lord of Odijk, etc. and Vrijheer van Bergen
Jan Floris Hendrik Carel van Nassau
(1782–1824)
Count of Nassau-la Lecq

References

  1. ↑ van der Pas, Leo. "Lodewijk van Nassau Heer van Beverweerd". Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Rowen, Herbert H. (1978). John de Witt, grand pensionary of Holland, 1625-1672. Princeton University Press.
  3. ↑ Molhuysen, Dr. P.C. and Blok, Prof. Dr. P.J., Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek, volume 1, pages 1365-1366: Lodewijk (Louys) van Nassau. A.W. Sijthoff's Publishers Company, Leiden, 1911

References: See: Reinildis van Ditzhuyzen, Oranje-Nassau: Een biografisch woordenboek, Haarlem 2004, 171-173 (with a portrait, ca. 1650)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.