Maurice Henry, Prince of Nassau-Hadamar


Maurice Henry, Prince of Nassau-Hadamar was — after his father — the second ruler of the younger Nassau-Hadamar line of the Ottonian branch of the House of Nassau.

Background

Maurice Henry was born on 23 April 1626 in Hadamar as the son of Prince John Louis of Nassau-Hadamar and his wife Countess Ursula of Lippe, the daughter of Count Simon "the Elder" of Lippe. John Louis died in 1653, and Maurice Henry succeeded him.

Construction policies

Maurice Henry continued the development of the city of Hadamar his father had begun. He played a significant role in the development of infrastructure, civil order, public health, and social services. Unlike his father, he did not exert influence over neighboring principalities.
On 17 July 1663, he officially continued the construction of the St. Elisabeth Hospital at the Upper Market Square, for which his father had laid the foundation. The building was completed on 21 November 1663.

Religion

After his father had converted to Catholicism, Maurice Henry was raised as a Catholic and he supported the Counter-Reformation in Hadamar. He was also responsible for the construction, between 1658 and 1666, of the Franciscan church at the spot where the church of St. Giles had been demolished. The princely family owned a crypt below the choir of this church; the first burial there took place in May 1661.
In the second half of 1675, he built the octagonal Herzenberg chapel, which later became the choir of the Herzenberg church.

Marriages and Issue

Maurice Henry married three times and was the father of 13 children.
His first marriage was on 30 January 1650 in Siegen with his cousin Ernestine Charlotte, the daughter of Count John VIII of Nassau-Siegen. They had the following children:
His second marriage was on 12 August 1669 in Siegen with Maria Leopoldine. She was a daughter of Count John Francis Desideratus of Nassau-Siegen and a niece of his first wife. They had the following children:
  • Leopold Francis Ignatius
  • Francis Alexander, who succeeded Maurice Henry as Prince of Nassau-Hadamar
  • Hugh Lothar Lamorald Augustus
His third marriage was on 24 October 1675 in Hachenburg with Anna Louise, the eldest daughter of Count Salentin Ernest of Manderscheid-Blankenheim. They had the following children: