Magdalene of Waldeck


Countess Magdalene of Waldeck-Wildungen,, was a countess from the House of Waldeck and through marriage successively Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg and Countess of Nassau-Siegen.

Biography

Magdalene was born in 1558 as the youngest daughter of Count Philip IV of Waldeck-Wildungen and his third wife Countess Jutta of Isenburg-Grenzau. The exact date and place of Magdalene's birth are unknown.
Magdalene married at on 5 February 1576 to Count Philip Louis I of Hanau-Münzenberg, the eldest son of Count Philip III of Hanau-Münzenberg and Countess Palatine Helena of Simmern. Philip Louis succeeded his father in 1561 and was first under the regency of his uncle Count John VI the Elder of Nassau-Siegen. Politically, the marriage could represent a conscious withdrawal on her groom's part from the politically dominant influence of his guardian, John VI the Elder of Nassau-Siegen. Philip Louis died "Donnerstag nach Purificationis Mariæ, zwischen 4 und 5 Uhr Nachmittag durch eine Ohnmacht, welche ihre Gnaden ganz unversehentlich über Tisch und dem Spielen ankommen".
Magdalena remarried at Dillenburg Castle on 9 December 1581 to Count John VII the Middle of Nassau-Siegen, the second son of Count John VI the Elder of Nassau-Siegen and his first wife Landgravine Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg. Through his marriage to Magdalene, John the Middle strengthened relations within the Wetterauer Grafenverein and thus contributed to the strengthening of the House of Nassau. John the Middle was a cousin of Magdalena's first husband. Magdalena's great-grandmother Countess Joanne of Nassau-Siegen, was an older sister of Count John V of Nassau-Siegen, the great-grandfather of John the Middle. Magdalene's great-great-grandmother Countess Jutta of Eppstein-Münzenberg was a granddaughter of Count Adolf I of Nassau-Siegen, the elder brother of Count Engelbert I of Nassau-Siegen, the grandfather of Count John V.
Magdalene died at Idstein Castle on 9 September 1599, where she stayed for the funeral of her nephew Count John Philip of Nassau-Idstein. She was buried in the in the in Dillenburg on 13 September 1599. Bernhard Textor wrote a Leichenpredigt for Magdalene which was published in Herborn in 1600.
John the Middle remarried at Rotenburg Castle on 27 August 1603 to Duchess Margaret of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, the youngest daughter of Duke John II the Younger of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg and his first wife Duchess Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen.
When his father died on 8 October 1606, John the Middle succeeded his father together with his brothers William Louis, George, Ernest Casimir and John Louis. On 30 March 1607 the brothers divided their possessions. John acquired Siegen, Freudenberg, Netphen, Hilchenbach, and the Haingericht.
John the Middle died aged 62 and was buried in the in Siegen on 5/15 November 1623. There he had planned the construction of a dignified burial vault for the dynasty he founded. For this, there are remarkable notes in Latin, partly in elegiac couplets, for a projected memorial and burial place of the sovereign family, from the time around 1620, with the names of all 25 children from his two marriages, also with details of birth, marriage and death of his relatives. Since the project was not carried out, the burials of the members of the sovereign family between 1607 and 1658 took place in the inadequate burial vault under the choir of the mentioned parish church. At a time hitherto unknown, Magdalene was interred there with her husband John the Middle. On 29 April 1690 Magdalene and John were transferred to the in Siegen.

Issue

First marriage

Magdalene was constantly pregnant during her first marriage with Philip Louis I of Hanau-Münzenberg, giving birth to four children in just four years, although only two of them survived infancy:
  1. Count Philip Louis II, succeeded his father as Count of Hanau-Münzenberg in 1580. Married in Dillenburg on 23 October/2 November 1596 to Countess Catherine Belgica of Nassau, daughter of Prince William I the Silent of Orange and Duchess Charlotte of Bourbon-Montpensier.
  2. Juliane, buried in the choir of the in Hanau.
  3. William, also buried in the choir of St. Mary's Church in Hanau.
  4. Count Albrecht, succeeded his father as Count of Hanau-Schwarzenfels in 1580. Married on 16 August 1604 to Countess Ehrengard of Isenburg-Birstein.

Second marriage

From the marriage of Magdalene was also frequently pregnant during her second marriage with John VII the Middle of Nassau-Siegen, giving birth to 12 more children in just 15 years:
  1. John Ernest, was, among other things, a general in the Venetian army, involved in the Uskok War.
  2. Count John VIII the Younger, succeeded his father as Count of Nassau-Siegen in 1623. Married in Brussels on 13 August 1618 to Princess .
  3. Elisabeth, married in Wildungen in November 1604 to Count Christian of Waldeck-Wildungen.
  4. Adolf, was a captain in the Dutch States Army.
  5. Juliane, married at Dillenburg Castle on 21 May 1603Jul. and in Kassel on 4 June 1603Jul. to Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel.
  6. Anne Mary, married in Dillenburg on 3 February 1611Jul. to Count, Count of Falkenstein and Broich.
  7. John Albert.
  8. Count William, was since 1624 count in a part of Nassau-Siegen and since 1633 field marshal of the Dutch States army. Married at Siegen Castle on 17 January 1619 to Countess Christiane of Erbach.
  9. Anne Joanne, married at near Mülheim an der Ruhr on 19 June 1619 to, Lord of Brederode, Vianen, Ameide and Cloetingen.
  10. Frederick Louis.
  11. Magdalene, married:
  12. # in August 1631 to Bernhard Moritz Freiherr von Oeynhausen-Velmede ;
  13. # on 25 August 1642 .
  14. John Frederick.

Known descendants

Magdalene has many known descendants. All reigning European monarchs, with the exception of the Fürst of Liechtenstein, are descendants of her, and also the heads of the no longer reigning royal houses of Baden, Greece, Lippe, Prussia, Romania and Waldeck and Pyrmont. Other known descendants are:

Literature

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