




For further reading : Lines colored in :
ORANGE = line from Dudo-Henry to William III, 1093 - 1702, straight Male succession.
YELLOW = line from John VI "the Eder" to King William III of the Netherlands, 1559 - 1890, straight Male succession.
PINK= line from Queen Wilhelmina to Queen Beatrix, 1890 - present, Female succession.
Otto I began the Countship of Nassau-Dillenburg-Hademar-Siegen-Herborn-Beilstein, which existed to 1890. The descendants of Otto I became known as the Ottonian Line, which would inherit parts of Nassau in France and the Lowlands. The succession by the male line became extinct in 1890, but in The Netherlands the line was continued by females until present.
Walram II and Otto I, divided the Nassau lands between themselves on December 17, 1255. This first division of the Nassau areas was later known as the “Great division.” This began the separate Walramian and Ottonian lines of the House of Nassau.
Otto I of Nassau (c. 1224–1290), Count of Nassau was the younger son of Count Henry II of Nassau and Matilda of Geldern. Otto I became the Count of Dillenburg, Hadamar, Siegen, Herborn and Beilstein after many years of quarrel with his brother Walram II. In the division of 17 December 1255 he received possessions north to the Lahn. And thus began the geographical and political separation of the House of Nassau.
He became the founder of the Ottonian line of the house. He stood against the local aristocracy, particularly the Counts of Greifenstein and of Dernbach and was for many years banished, since he withheld lands of Teutonic Knights, which his uncle had left to him. His opponents were among other the archbishops of Cologne and Trier, who presented the territorial claims. He lost also the lordships in Emsland and Koblenz.
He married Agnes von Leiningen, daughter of Count Emich IV of Leiningen and had following children:
He had also an illegitimate son Heinrich, who was a monk in Arnstein and a priest in Nassau.
| Named | Rule time | Remarks |
| Otto I | 1255-1290 | Founder of the Ottonian line of Nassau |
Henry of Nassau in Siegen was the elder son of Count Otto I of Nassau in Siegen (c.1224-1290) and Agnes von Leunigen. The date of his birth is unknown but because he became Count in 1303,thirteen years after his fathers dead (1290), he must have been a minor, even as his younger brothers Emicho I and John. He was probably born around 1285 and succeeded his father when grown to mans estate, aged 18.
There is no information about his life than only that he married before 1302 with Adelheid von Heinsberg (died 1343), children :
After Otto's death in 1290 the sons of Otto I of Nassau jointly managed) the County but in 1303 they divided the possessions between his three sons :
In 1328 Nassau-Dillenburg became part of the branch of Nassau-Siegen but they call themselves Nassau-Dillenburg. In 1341 Nassau-Dillenburg was divided into Nassau-Dillenburg and Nassau-Beilstein.
After the extinction of the Nassau-Beilstein branch in 1561, all areas of the Ottonian line on the right bank of the Rhine were reunited under Count John of Nassau-Dillenburg, the younger brother of William I "the silent" of Orange.
| Name | Rule time | Remarks |
| Henry (Heinrich) I | 1303-1343 |
| Name | Rule time | Remarks |
| Emicho I | 1303-1334 | Count of Nassau in Driedrof, Estenau, and Hadamar |
| John | 1334-1364 | co-Count |
| Emicho II | 1334-1359 | co-Count |
| Henry | 1364-1369 | co-Count |
| to Nassau-Dillenburg | ||

Otto II of Nassau-Dillenberg (1305-1350) was the son of Henry I of Nassau-Siegen and Adelheid of Heinsberg-Blankenberg. Otto married in 1331 Adelheid (1309-1373), daughter and heiress of Filips II of Vianden, children :
John I of Nassau-Dillenberg was the elder son of Otto II of Nassau-Dillenburg and Adelheid of Vianden. He married in 1357 Margaretha van der Mark-Kleef (?-1409), daughter of Adolf II van der Mark, children :
Engelbrecht I of Nassau was the son of Johan I of Nassau-Dillenburg en Margaretha van der Marck-Kleef. Hij studied in Cologne, in 1389 he became dean at Münster until 1399.
He became counselor of the Duke of Brabant, first for Anton of Burgundy, later for his son John IV of Brabant. Engelbrecht also played an important role in the creation of the marriage of John IV, Duke of Brabant and Jacoba of Bavaria, which would eventually lead to the Hook and Cod wars in Holland and Flanders. As a result, in 1430 he eventually joined Philip the Good. Engelbrecht I of Nassau renounced the deanery because his two brothers were childless. He married in Breda on August 1, 1403 with Johanna of Polanen van der Leck (1392 to 1445), the wealthy heiress of Jan van Wassenaar-Polanen, born circa 1350, died 11-08-1394, Lord of Breda. Married twice :
Engelbrecht's wife Joanna van Polanen was Baroness of Breda, Lady of Drimmelen in 1411, and Grimbergen. The Polanen were one of the richest families in the Netherlands, after their union with the Duvenvoordes, thus all their titles.
Engelbert I aquired the following titles on his marriage with Johanna of Polanen (August, 1 1403) : Lord of Breda, Lord of Polanen, Lord of Grimbergen, Lord of Geertruiden, Niervaart, Klundert, Oosterhout, Naaldwijk, Steenbergen, Castricum, Monster, Rijswijk, Princenhage, Sprundel, Dongen.
In 1411 : Lord of Drimmelen.
In 1416 : Count of Vianden, Lord of Sankt-Vith, Butgenbach, Daasberg, 1/2 Grimberger, Corry, Frasnes, and Londerzeel.
In 1420 : Count of Nassau in Siegen, Dillenburg, Hadamar, and Herborn.
In 1425 : Count of Nassau in Herborn.
Engelbrecht was also Member of the Council in Brabant, 1405-1406, 1409-1418 and 1421-1442, Member of the Council of Holland from 1405-1420.
Engelbrecht resided at the Castle of Breda. He had also houses in Brussels and Mecheln. He died on May 3, 1442 at Breda and was buried in the Grote or Church of our lady in Breda, children :
Johm IV was the elder son of Engelbrecht I and Johanna of Polanen van der Leck, he was born 1410, married 1440 Marie von Loon-Heinsberg, heiress of Millen, Gangelt, Vucht, Lummen and Steijn (1424-1502), children :
Johann V was born in 1455, married 1482 Elisabeth of Hesse (1466-1523). In 1504 he inherited Vianden and Breda from his brother Engelbert II of Nassau. After his death his son Henry III of Nassau inherited his Dutch possessions. The German possessions went to his son William the Rich. He had the following children:
Henry III was the son of Count John V of Nassau-Dillenburg and Elisabeth of Hesse. His younger brother was William I "the Rich", Count of Nassau-Dillenburg (father of William the Silent).
In 1499 Henry's uncle, Count Engelbert II, invited Henry III to the Burgundian Netherlands as his heir. He travelled with Duke Philip the Handsome to Castile in 1501-1503. Upon the death of his uncle in 1504 Henry inherited the Nassau possessions in the Netherlands, including the wealthy lordship of Breda in the Duchy of Brabant.
The next year (1505) he was chosen a knight of the Golden Fleece. He again travelled to Spain in 1505-1506. He became a close confidant of the young future Emperor Charles V as well as his Chamberlain (1510), becoming his Upper Chamberlain upon the death of William of Croÿ-Chièvres in 1521. The good relation between Charles and Henry is evident in the fact that Charles did not name a new Upper Chamberlain after Henry's death.
In 1519 he was part of the delegation that had Charles chosen king of the Romans. He was also prominently present at Charles' coronation to Emperor in Bologna in 1530. He was a member of the Privy Council of Charles since 1515 and of the Privy Council of Archduchess Margaret of Austria between 1525-1526.
He temporarily served as Stadtholder of the conquered parts of Guelders and was Stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland between 1515 and 1521. Henry was again in Spain between 1522 and 1530 (accompanying Charles) and in 1533-1534 (with his wife Claudia and son Rene of Chalon).
Henry served as an important military commander in the Lowrlands, defending Brabant from Guelders in 1508. He was Captain General in the war with Guelders between 1511 and 1513, and fought with Maximilian of Austria against France until 1514, participating in the battle of Guinegate (1513). He again commanded the armies against Guelders and France between 1516 and 1521, defeating the Black Band (Landsknechts), which was in the employ of Charles of Guelders, in 1518 and defeating Robert van der Marck, Lord of Sedan in 1521. He also repelled Francis I of France, who invaded Hainaut that same year. Subsequently Henry conquered Tournai (Doornik).
Although Henry, who attended the Dietss of Augsburg in 1530, was at first not averse to Martin Luther and his teachings, he later followed Charles' example and remained a staunch Catholic. He didn't approve the choice of his brother William I "the Rich", who did become a Lutheran, but remained supportive of him throughout his life. He was very impressed with the Renaissance and especially its arts, examples of which he enCountered on his journeys to Spain and Italy. For example, he commissioned Italian architect Tomasso Vincidor da Bologna to completely rebuild his castle at Breda in a renaissance style in 1536, one of the first of such buildings north of the Alps. However, his interests seem to have been superficial. Desiderius Erasmus only considered him a "platonic friend of science".
Henry married three times:
With Claudia of Châlon he had one son, René of Chlon, born February 5, 1519), who became prince of Orange in 1530 on the death of Claudia's brother Philibert. Henry had no further legitimate children, although he is known to have had some bastard offspring. Upon his death in 1538 he was succeeded by his only son, but René was himself slain in battle only a few years later in 1544.
His marriage to Mencia de Mendoza y Fonseca was mainly encouraged by Charles V, as part of his plan to make the nobility of Spain and the Low Countries mix. Henry was however never really liked by the Spaniards, who regarded him as a loud and barbarian German parvenu.
Henry lies buried beneath the huge grave monument he had erected for his uncle Engelbrecht II in the Grote Kerk at Breda, children :
René of Châlon (5 February 1519 – 15 July 1544), also known as Renatus of Châlon, was a Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Gelre. He was born in Breda as the only son of Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda and Claudia of Châlon. Her brother, Philibert of Châlon, was the last Prince of Orange from the house of Châlon. When Henry III died in 1530, René inherited the Princedom on condition that he used the name and coat of arms of the Châlon.
History knows him therefore as René of Châlon instead of "of Nassau-Breda". René of Châlon married, on 20 August 1540, at Bar-le-Duc with Anna of Lorraine (1522-1568). They had a daughter, Maria, who lived only 3 weeks and was buried in the "Grote Kerk", Breda. While in the service of Emperor Charles V he was killed during the siege of Saint-Dizier in 1544. The Emperor was at his deathbed. René of Châlon was buried in the Grote Kerk at Breda. In the church of Saint Etienne at Bar-le-Duc is a cenotaph for him. He left no children and all his possessions were transferred to the elder son of his uncle William I "the rich" of Nassau-Dillenburg.
Although William I "the Rich" of Nassau-Dillenburg was the legal heir to the possessions of Rene of Chalon after his dead in 1544, Emperor Charles V interfered and Rene's possessions went to his elder son William "the Silent" on condition that he would come to Brussels and educated at his court, most likely because William "the Rich" was a Lutheran. William of Nassau-Dillenburg inherited all of René’s lands. Thus, William I of Orange, (in English better known as William the Silent) became the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau (see later).
William of Nassau (Dutch: Willem de Rijke) (10 April 1487– 6 October 1559). He was called William "the Rich". William was born in Dillenburg as the younger son of Count John V of Nassau-Dillenburg and landgravine Elisabeth of Hesse, daughter of Landgrave Henry III of Hesse-Marburg and Anna of Katzenelnbogen.
He was the brother of Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda and the father of the later William I of Orange-Nassau, who inherited the principality of Orange. The early House of Orange-Nassau (until 1702) descends from him, while the later House of Orange-Nassau (1702-1890) and the present Dutch royal family descends from his third son John VI "the Elder". William I was married twice :
First he married October 29, 1506 Countess Walburga van Egmond (1490–1529). She gave him two daughters:
Second he married September 20, 1531 Countess Juliane of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1506–1580). They had twelve children:
Progenitor of the Nassau-Dietssz line
John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg was born November 22, 1535. Other names he had were Jan VI or Jan de Oude. John VI was the second son of Count William I of Nassau-Dillenburg and his second wife Juliane of Stolberg-Wernigerode and brother of William I of Orange.
Count John VI of Nassau was the principal author of the Union of Utrecht, signed on 23 January 1579, unifying the Northern-Lowlands, until then under the control of Habsburg Spain. The treaty was a reaction of the Northern-Provinces to the in 1579 signed Union of Arras (Dutch: Unie van Atrecht), in which the Southern-Provinces of the Lowlands (French speaking part of modern Belgium and Northern France) declared their support for Roman Catholic Spain.
The treaty was signed on 23 January by Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht (but not all of Utrecht) and the province (but not the city) of Groningen. On February 4, 1579 Ghent also signed. In March some cities from Friesland joined it, as well as 3/4 quarters of Guelders. In the summer, Amersfoort from the province of Utrecht also joined, together with Ypres, Antwerp, Breda and Brussels. In February 1580, Lier, Bruges and the surrounding area also signed the Union. The city of Groningen shifted in favor under influence of the Stadtholder for Friesland, George van Rennenberg (de Lalaing), and also signed the treaty. Later on, Zutphen also signed so did Guelders (of which Zutphen is one of the quarters) supported the Union completely. This happened in April 1580, as did the signing of Overijssel and Drenthe.
The Union of Utrecht is regarded as the foundation of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, which was not recognized by the Spanish Empire until the Twelve Years' Truce in 1609.
John VI died on October 8, 1606 in Dillenburg and was buried there. John VI was married three times and had a total of 24 children.
First, he was married on June 16, 1559 with Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg (1537–1579) and had in this marriage the following children :
Second, he married on 13 September 1580 with Kunigunde Jakoba of Simmern of The Palts (1556-1586) and had in this marriage two daughters:
Third, he married on 14 June 1586 to Johannetta of Sayn-Witgenstein (1561-1622) and had in this marriage the following children:
| Named | Rule time | Remarks |
| John (Johann) | 1303-1328 | Count of Nassau-Dillenburg in Beilstein and Herborn, and (from 1320) in Katzenelnbogen |
| Henry I (Heinrich) | 1328-1343 | |
| Otto II | 1343-1350 | |
| John I | 1350-1416 | |
| Adolf | 1416-1420 | |
| John II | 1420-1448 | |
| Engelbert I | 1420-1442 | |
| Henry (Heinrich) II | 1442-1451 | |
| John IV | 1448-1475 | |
| Engelbert II | 1475-1504 | Childless deceased, posessions to Henry III |
| Johann V | 1504-1516 | |
| Henry III | 1516-1538 | Nassau-Breda |
| Rene of Chalon | 1538-1544 | Nassau-Orange |
| William I "the Rich" | 1544-1559 | Father of William I of Orange-Nassau |
| John VI "the elder" | 1559-1606 | Father of Ernst Casimir of Nassau-Dietssz, the present Dutch royal family descends from his grandson Johan Willem Friso. |
| 33.2% | | United States |
| 13.4% | | Netherlands |
| 8% | | United Kingdom |
| 6.2% | | Israel |
| 5% | | Brazil |
| 4.9% | | Canada |
| 4.7% | | Australia |
| 2.3% | | Belgium |
| 1.6% | | Russian Federation |
| 1.5% | | Germany |
| Vandaag: | 1 |
| Gisteren: | 15 |
| Deze Week: | 56 |
| Vorige Week: | 86 |
| Deze Maand: | 229 |
| Vorige Maand: | 533 |
| Totaal: | 169023 |



