Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Encyclopedia
Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Adolph/Adolf Wilhelm August Karl Friedrich of Nassau[-Weilburg]) (Biebrich
, 24 July 1817 – Hohenburg Castle, 17 November 1905) was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg
.
(1792–1839) and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
. Adolphe's half-sister, Sophia of Nassau, married King Oscar II of Sweden
.
Adolph became Duke of Nassau on 20 August/30 August 1839, after the death of his father. He supported the Austrian Empire
in the Austro-Prussian War
of 1866. After Austria's defeat, Nassau was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia
and he lost his throne on 20 September 1866.
In 1879, Adolphe's niece Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
, the daughter of another of his half-sisters, married her distant relative King William III of the Netherlands. In 1890, their only daughter Wilhelmina
succeeded on his death without surviving male issue to the Dutch throne, but was excluded from the succession to Luxembourg by the Salic Law
. The Grand Duchy, which had been linked to the Netherlands since 1815, passed to the Dutch royal family's distant relative - the dispossessed Duke Adolphe - on 23 November 1890, in accordance with the Nassau Family Pact
. The Grand Dukes of Luxembourg are still descendants of Adolphe, although cognatically, since the very independence of the Grand-Duchy required an alteration of the succession laws at the absence of male heirs.
On 31 January 1844, Adolphe married firstly in St. Petersburg Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia
, niece of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
. She died less than a year afterwards in childbirth with a stillborn daughter. She was aged 19 then. Adolphe built the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth 1847 to 1855 as her funeral church.
On 23 April 1851, he remarried in Dessau
Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau (Dessau
, 25 December 1833 – Schloss Königstein, 24 November 1916), a daughter of Friedrich, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, of whom only two lived to the age of eighteen and to become prince and princess of Luxembourg:
In 1892, Grand Duke Adolphe conferred the hereditary title Count of Wisborg
on his Swedish nephew, Oscar
, who had lost his Swedish titles after marrying without his father's approval. Wisborg (also spelled Visborg
) was the old castle in the city of Visby within Prince Oscar's lost Dukedom of Gotland, but the title itself was created in the nobility of Luxembourg.
, Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, was organized in the Grand Duke's castle at Biebrich
on the Rhine. He was named the Protector of the organization. The Verein was responsible for the large emigration of Germans to Texas
in the 19th Century, and on January 9, 1843, established the 4,428 acre Nassau Plantation
in Fayette County, Texas
and named it after the Grand Duke.
Biebrich
Biebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
, 24 July 1817 – Hohenburg Castle, 17 November 1905) was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Grand Duke of Luxembourg
The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the sovereign monarch and head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was elevated from a duchy when placed in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
.
Biography
He was a son of William, Duke of NassauWilliam, Duke of Nassau
Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg was the father of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Queen Sophia .-Biography:Wilhelm was the eldest son of Frederick...
(1792–1839) and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Princess Charlotte Luise Friederike Amalie Alexandrine of Saxe-Hildburghausen, full German name: Charlotte Luise Friederike Amalie Alexandrine, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Hildburghausen was a member of the House of Saxe-Hildburghausen and a Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen Princess Charlotte Luise...
. Adolphe's half-sister, Sophia of Nassau, married King Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
.
Adolph became Duke of Nassau on 20 August/30 August 1839, after the death of his father. He supported the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
of 1866. After Austria's defeat, Nassau was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and he lost his throne on 20 September 1866.
In 1879, Adolphe's niece Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont was Queen consort of William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg...
, the daughter of another of his half-sisters, married her distant relative King William III of the Netherlands. In 1890, their only daughter Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
succeeded on his death without surviving male issue to the Dutch throne, but was excluded from the succession to Luxembourg by the Salic Law
Salic law
Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...
. The Grand Duchy, which had been linked to the Netherlands since 1815, passed to the Dutch royal family's distant relative - the dispossessed Duke Adolphe - on 23 November 1890, in accordance with the Nassau Family Pact
Nassau Family Pact
The Nassau Family Pact was a mutual pact of inheritance and succession made in 1783 by princes of the old German noble and sovereign family of Nassau. It confirmed Salic Law to operate in favor of all agnatic lines of the family, divided into first surviving lines which existed in the Middle Ages...
. The Grand Dukes of Luxembourg are still descendants of Adolphe, although cognatically, since the very independence of the Grand-Duchy required an alteration of the succession laws at the absence of male heirs.
On 31 January 1844, Adolphe married firstly in St. Petersburg Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia was the second child and daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg who took the name Elena Pavlovna upon her conversion to the Orthodox faith...
, niece of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
. She died less than a year afterwards in childbirth with a stillborn daughter. She was aged 19 then. Adolphe built the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth 1847 to 1855 as her funeral church.
On 23 April 1851, he remarried in Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau (Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
, 25 December 1833 – Schloss Königstein, 24 November 1916), a daughter of Friedrich, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, of whom only two lived to the age of eighteen and to become prince and princess of Luxembourg:
- William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1852–1912)
- Prince Friedrich Paul Wilhelm of Nassau (BiebrichBiebrichBiebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
, 23 September 1854 – BiebrichBiebrichBiebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
, 23 October 1855) - Princess Marie Bathildis of Nassau (BiebrichBiebrichBiebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
, 14 November 1857 – BiebrichBiebrichBiebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
, 28 December 1857) - Prince Franz Joseph Wilhelm of Nassau (BiebrichBiebrichBiebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
, 30 January 1859 – ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 2 April 1875) - Princess Hilda Charlotte Wilhelmine (1864–1952), married HRH Friedrich II, Grand Duke of BadenFriedrich II, Grand Duke of BadenFrederick II, Grand Duke of Baden was the last Grand Duke of Baden.-Life:He became Grand Duke on 28 September 1907, after the death of his father Frederick I...
.
In 1892, Grand Duke Adolphe conferred the hereditary title Count of Wisborg
Bernadotte af Wisborg
The title Count of Wisborg is, since 1892, borne by the male-line descendants of four princes of Sweden who married morganatically without the consent of the King of Sweden and thereby lost the right of succession to the throne of Sweden for themselves, their children and their descendants...
on his Swedish nephew, Oscar
Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotland
Prince Oscar Carl August Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg was the second son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sofia of Nassau...
, who had lost his Swedish titles after marrying without his father's approval. Wisborg (also spelled Visborg
Visborg
Visborg refers to a fortress in the town of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland. There was no one fortress called "Visborg", rather it refers to successive fortresses built in Visby...
) was the old castle in the city of Visby within Prince Oscar's lost Dukedom of Gotland, but the title itself was created in the nobility of Luxembourg.
Adelsverein
On April 20, 1842, the AdelsvereinAdelsverein
Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
, Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, was organized in the Grand Duke's castle at Biebrich
Wiesbaden-Biebrich
Biebrich is a borough of the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. With over 36,000 inhabitants, it is the most-populated of Wiesbaden's boroughs. It is located south of the city center on the Rhine River, opposite the Mainz borough of Mombach...
on the Rhine. He was named the Protector of the organization. The Verein was responsible for the large emigration of Germans to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the 19th Century, and on January 9, 1843, established the 4,428 acre Nassau Plantation
Nassau Plantation (Texas)
Nassau Plantation was a endeavor purchased by the Adelsverein on January 9, 1843 in Fayette County, Texas, near what is now Round Top. Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1968, Marker 3550.-Original purchase:...
in Fayette County, Texas
Fayette County, Texas
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 21,804. Its county seat is La Grange. Fayette is named for the Marquis de la Fayette, a French nobleman who became an American Revolutionary War hero...
and named it after the Grand Duke.
Titles an styles
- 24 July 1817 – 20 August 1839: His Highness The Hereditary Prince of Nassau
- 20 August 1839 – 20 September 1866: His Highness The Duke of Nassau
- 20 September 1866 – 23 November 1890: His Highness Adolphe, Duke of Nassau
- 23 November 1890 – 17 November 1905: His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau