Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg (1541–1616)

Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg (21 September 1541 in Dillenburg – 12 February 1616 in Weilburg) was a countesses of the House of Nassau. She married her cousin Albert, Count of Nassau-Weilburg and settled in Schloss Weilburg, where he ruled the district of Weilburg.

Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg
Born	(1541-09-21)21 September 1541 Dillenburg
Died	12 February 1616(1616-02-12) (aged 74) Weilburg
Noble family	House of Nassau
Spouse(s)	Albert, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
Father	William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen
Mother	Juliana of Stolberg

Dillenburg in 1575, showing the old castle at the top of the hill and the St. Johanniskirche below it

Schloss Weilburg

Castle of Ottweiler.

Life

Anna was a daughter of Count William "the Rich" of Nassau-Dillenburg and his second wife, Countess Juliana of Stolberg. She was the seventh child in their marriage, the fourth daughter. The eldest was William I of Orange (1533–1584), known as William the Silent. She had the same name as her aunt Anna of Nassau-Siegen (1440/41–1514), who had died twenty seven years before she was born.

She married Count Albert, Count of Nassau-Weilburg on 16 June 1559 in the Castle of Dillenburg. On that day in Dillenburg two other marriages in the House of Orange took place: Johann VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg married Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg, and Elisabeth of Nassau-Dillenburg married Conrad, Count of Solms-Braunfels.

Over the years their house inherited part of the county of Nassau-Weilburg. After his fathers dead in 1561 Albert gained part of territory and his father's debts: Weilburg, Gleiberg, Cleen, labor and Burgschwalbach.

In 1574 he inherited another part of Nassau-Saarbrücken after the death of Count John III. In 1574 a new castle was built in Ottweiler, which became their residence.

Family

Albert and Anna had the following fourteen children:

• Anna Amalia (1560–1635), married Count Otto of Solms-Sonnewalde
• Juliane (1562)
• Catherine (1563–1613), died unmarried
• Louis II, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1565–1627); inherited Ottweiler
• George Philip (1567–1570)
• Albert (1569–1570)
• William (1570–1597); inherited Weilburg
• Elizabeth (1572–1607), married Count George II of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
• Juliane (born: 1574)
• John Casimir (1577–1602), married Elisabeth, a daughter of George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt; inherited Gleiberg
• Anna Ottilie (1582–1635), married Count William III of Sayn-Wittgenstein
• Anna Sibylla (born: 1575), married Baron Peter Ernest II of Kriechingen-Püttlingen
• Magdalena (1580–1658), died unmarried
• Ernestina (1584–1665), married Louis Philip of Wied