Countess Henriette Catherine of Nassau


Henriette Catherine of Nassau 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.

Life

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.

Princess consort of Anhalt-Dessau

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 with her, but later said that he was happy about her marriage, and believed that Henriette and John had married for love.
Henriette and John George were a great influence over the German court at agriculture, construction of ports, levees, architecture and painting. In 1660, John George gave his wife the town of Nischwitz where she built houses, a cemetery, made glass and brought it to fruition.

Regency

John George died in Berlin 1693. Their son, Leopold was still only a minor, so Henriette resumed regency for his son until he came of age, and resigned from regency in 1698. She was first regent during his minority; when he became of age, however, she continued as regent due to his absence from the Principality, and thus did not resign her regency until 1698.
During her regency, she founded a refuge home for children and women and instituted regulations for lawyers and a system for the care of orphans.
Henriette died in 1708.

Issue

  1. Amalie Ludovika.
  2. Henriette Amalie.
  3. Frederick Casimir, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau.
  4. Elisabeth Albertine, Abbess of Herford ; married on 30 March 1686 to Henry of Saxe-Weissenfels, Count of Barby.
  5. Henriette Amalie, married on 26 November 1683 to Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz.
  6. Louise Sophie.
  7. Marie Eleonore, married on 3 September 1687 to Jerzy Radziwiłł, Duke of Olyka.
  8. Henriette Agnes.
  9. Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau.
  10. Johanna Charlotte, Abbess of Herford ; married on 25 January 1699 to Philip William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt.

    Legacy

It is speculated that Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands received the name Catharina after Henriette Catherine.

Ancestors

Henriette Catherine of NassauFather:
Frederik Hendrik of Orange		Paternal Grandfather:
William the Silent		Paternal Great-grandfather:
William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
Henriette Catherine of NassauFather:
Frederik Hendrik of Orange		Paternal Grandfather:
William the Silent		Paternal Great-grandmother:
Juliana of Stolberg
Henriette Catherine of NassauFather:
Frederik Hendrik of Orange		Paternal Grandmother:
Louise de Coligny		Paternal Great-grandfather:
Gaspard de Coligny
Henriette Catherine of NassauFather:
Frederik Hendrik of Orange		Paternal Grandmother:
Louise de Coligny		Paternal Great-grandmother:
Charlotte de Laval
Henriette Catherine of NassauMother:
Amalia of Solms-Braunfels		Maternal Grandfather:
John Albert I, Count of Solms-Braunfels		Maternal Great-grandfather:
Conrad, Count of Solms-Braunfels
Henriette Catherine of NassauMother:
Amalia of Solms-Braunfels		Maternal Grandfather:
John Albert I, Count of Solms-Braunfels		Maternal Great-grandmother:
Elisabeth of Nassau-Dillenburg
Henriette Catherine of NassauMother:
Amalia of Solms-Braunfels		Maternal Grandmother:
Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein		Maternal Great-grandfather:
Louis I, Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein
Henriette Catherine of NassauMother:
Amalia of Solms-Braunfels		Maternal Grandmother:
Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein		Maternal Great-grandmother:
Elisabeth of Solms-Laubach