William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg


William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg was a count of Nassau-Dillenburg from the House of Nassau. His nickname the Rich refers to him having many children. However, he owned a number of counties: Nassau-Dillenburg, Nassau-Siegen, Nassau-Dietz and Vianden.
William was born in Dillenburg as the younger son of Count John V of Nassau-Dillenburg and Landgravine Elisabeth, 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 William I of Orange.
His eldest son William the Silent inherited the principality of Orange in Southern France from his cousin René of Chalon, as well as the vast properties of the House of Nassau-Dillenburg in the Netherlands from his father, which Engelbert I of Nassau had received by marriage in 1403. The early House of Orange-Nassau descends from William I., the Silent, while the later House of Orange-Nassau descends in the male line from his younger brother John, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, and from the latter's fifth son, Count Ernst Casimir of Nassau-Dietz, however in the female line also from William of Orange.

Family and children

William of Nassau was married twice. Firstly, he married on 29 October 1519 Countess Walburga of Egmont, daughter of John III of Egmont. She gave him two daughters:
  1. Elisabeth
  2. Magdalene, married on 16 July 1538 to Count Herman of Neuenahr and Moers
After her death, he married on 20 September 1531 Countess Juliane of Stolberg-Wernigerode. They had twelve children:
  1. William I of Orange
  2. Hermanna, died young
  3. John VI "The Elder"
  4. Louis of Nassau
  5. Maria, married on 11 November 1556 to Count William IV of Berg-s'Heerenberg
  6. Adolf
  7. Anna, married on 16 June 1559 to Count Albert of Nassau-Weilburg
  8. Elisabeth, married 16 June 1559 to Count Conrad of Solms-Braunfels
  9. Catharine, married on 17 November 1560 to Count Günther XLI of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt
  10. Juliana, married 14 June 1575 to Count Albrecht VII of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  11. Magdalena, married on 27 January 1567 to Count Wolfgang of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim
  12. Henry