# Christian of Nassau-Siegen

Count Christian of Nassau-Siegen (16 July 1616 – 1/11 April 1644), German: Christian Graf von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: Graf zu Nassau, Katzenelnbogen, Vianden und Diez, Herr zu Beilstein, was a count from the House of Nassau-Siegen, a cadet branch of the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau. He served as an officer in the Hessian Army and the Imperial Army successively.

## Biography

Christian was born at Siegen Castle [de] on 16 July 1616 as the sixth son of Count John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen and his second wife, Duchess Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.
The will and testament of Count John VII 'the Middle' of 1621 bequeathed John Maurice and his younger brothers from their father's second marriage the district of Freudenberg, some villages in the Haingericht and a third part of the administration of the city of Siegen. After his older half-brother John 'the Younger' had accepted the homage of the city of Siegen for the entire county of Nassau-Siegen on 12 January 1624 and had voluntarily ceded the sovereignty over the Hilchenbach district with Ginsburg Castle [de] and some villages belonging to the Ferndorf [de] and Netphen districts to his younger brother William on 13/23 January 1624, Christian and his brothers, with the exception of the oldest two brothers John Maurice and George Frederick, accepted only modest appanages.
Christian studied in Leiden in 1631. He attended the Siege of Maastricht in 1632. In 1633 he entered the Hessian service. He was wounded in the fight for Hanau in 1636. In 1642 he entered the Imperial Army and became colonel of the cuirassiers. He was killed in action near Düren on 1/11 April 1644 and was buried in the Fürstengruft [nl] in the Evangelische Stadtkirche [de] in Dillenburg on 4/14 June 1644. At a hitherto unknown time his body was transferred to Siegen to be interred in the Fürstengruft [nl] there.
* Siegen in 1617. From Braun & Hogenberg, Civitates orbis terrarum Band 6, Cologne, 1617. On the left Siegen Castle.
* Group portrait of Count William of Nassau-Siegen with his son Maurice Frederick and his halfbrothers William Otto and Christian.
* The Evangelische Stadtkirche in Dillenburg, 2014.
* The entrance to the Fürstengruft in Siegen. Photo: Bob Ionescu, 2009.

## Marriage

Christian married around 1641 to Anna Barbara von Quadt-Landskron-Rheinbach (from the noble family von Quadt [de]). The marriage remained childless.

## Ancestors

Ancestors of Christian of Nassau-Siegen :
| Great-great-grandparents | John V of Nassau-Siegen (1455–1516) ⚭ 1482 Elisabeth of Hesse-Marburg (1466–1523) | Bodo III 'the Blissful' of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1467–1538) ⚭ 1500 Anna of Eppstein-Königstein (1481–1538) | John IV of Leuchtenberg (1470–1531) ⚭ 1502 Margaret of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (1482–1518) | Frederick V 'the Elder' of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1460–1536) ⚭ 1479 Sophia of Poland (1464–1512) | Frederick I of Denmark (1471–1533) ⚭ 1502 Anne of Brandenburg (1487–1514) | Magnus I of Saxe-Lauenburg (?–1543) ⚭ 1509 Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (?–1563) | Philip I of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (ca. 1476–1551) ⚭ 1517 Catherine of Mansfeld (1501–1535) | George I of Pomerania (1493–1531) ⚭ 1513 Amalie of the Palatinate (1490–1524) |
| Great-grandparents | William I 'the Rich' of Nassau-Siegen (1487–1559) ⚭ 1531 Juliane of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1506–1580) | William I 'the Rich' of Nassau-Siegen (1487–1559) ⚭ 1531 Juliane of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1506–1580) | George III of Leuchtenberg (1502–1555) ⚭ 1528 Barbara of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1495–1552) | George III of Leuchtenberg (1502–1555) ⚭ 1528 Barbara of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1495–1552) | Christian III of Denmark (1503–1559) ⚭ 1525 Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1511–1571) | Christian III of Denmark (1503–1559) ⚭ 1525 Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1511–1571) | Ernest V of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1518–1567) ⚭ 1547 Margaret of Pomerania (1518–1569) | Ernest V of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1518–1567) ⚭ 1547 Margaret of Pomerania (1518–1569) |
| Grandparents | John VI 'the Elder' of Nassau-Siegen (1536–1606) ⚭ 1559 Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg (1537–1579) | John VI 'the Elder' of Nassau-Siegen (1536–1606) ⚭ 1559 Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg (1537–1579) | John VI 'the Elder' of Nassau-Siegen (1536–1606) ⚭ 1559 Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg (1537–1579) | John VI 'the Elder' of Nassau-Siegen (1536–1606) ⚭ 1559 Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg (1537–1579) | John 'the Younger' of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1545–1622) ⚭ 1568 Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1550–1586) | John 'the Younger' of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1545–1622) ⚭ 1568 Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1550–1586) | John 'the Younger' of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1545–1622) ⚭ 1568 Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1550–1586) | John 'the Younger' of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1545–1622) ⚭ 1568 Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1550–1586) |
| Parents | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) | John VII 'the Middle' of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623) ⚭ 1603 Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1583–1658) |