page_title: County of Saarwerden
section_title: Neu-Saarwerden
hierarchical_section_title: County of Saarwerden / History / Neu-Saarwerden
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Louis, Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken (1745-1794) Nederlands: Lodewijk van Nassau-Saarbrücken
context_page_description: The County of Saarwerden was a county located in Lorraine, within the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was in Bockenheim and later in New Saarwerden or Ville Neuve de Sarrewerden, both in the present city of Sarre-Union. Today, the area of the county belongs to Bas-Rhin, Alsace.
context_section_description: After the expansion of France into much of Alsace and the annexation of the Duchy of Lorraine in 1766, the County of Saarwerden was an enclave of the Holy Roman Empire in France. At the time, Nassau-Saarbrücken measured about 12 square miles and it had 22,000 inhabitants. This made it one of the smallest principalities in the Holy Roman Empire.
  Wilhelm Heinrich I reformed the administration and justice, separating these two branches of government. He took measures to standardize taxes and introduced a modern cadastre on the Austrian model. He also promoted modern agricultural methods, such as the potato cultivation and pest control. He was also involved in coal mining and iron smelting and he nationalized the mines . He laid the basis for a proto-industrialized economy, which would later evolve into the highly industrialized Saarland region. Despite the increase in revenues, his financial situation did not improve, due to the high spending on construction activities. After his father's death in 1768, Ludwig took up the business of government in Nassau-Saarbrücken. He largely continued his father's economic policies, but was increasingly subject to financial constraints. He issued new regulations for agriculture and forestry and reformed the school system. He also reformed the penal code and abolished torture. 
  The County came to be divided into three districts in 1783:
  Bouquenom (Bockenheim), went to France in 1766 with the possessions of the Duchy of Lorraine.
  The Bailiwick of Neuf-Sarrewerden (German: Neu-Saarwerden), covered the northern part of the County, consisting of eleven localities: Burbach, Eywiller, Herbitzheim, Keskastel, Neu-Saarwerden, Bischtroff, Rimsdorf, Schopperten, Siltzheim, Vœllerdingen, and Zollingen. These would belong to the princes of Nassau-Weilburg.
  The Bailiwick of Harskirchen (German: Oberamt Harskirchen), covering the rest of the county, consisting of 29 localities, would belong to the princes of Nassau-Saarbrücken.
  When Ludwig V died in 1794, the County was occupied by French troops so his son, Heinrich Ludwig I never reigned. He was the last Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken. Heinrich Ludwig died in 1797, leaving the County to his cousin Karl Wilhelm of Nassau-Usingen. However, under the Treaty of Lunéville, the territories on the left bank of the Rhine were lost to France. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803 compensated Karl Wilhelm.
  The former County of Saarwerden passed into France as the Sarrewerden District of Bas-Rhin in 1793 (See Alsace bossue).
caption: Ludwig V, last ruling Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken (1745–1794).
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