William, Duke of Nassau


Wilhelm was joint sovereign Duke of Nassau, along with his father's cousin Frederick Augustus, reigning from 1816 until 1839. He was also sovereign Prince of Nassau-Weilburg from 1816 until its incorporation into the duchy of Nassau.
Frederick Augustus died in 1816 and Wilhelm inherited the Usingen territories and became sole sovereign of the Duchy of Nassau.
He is the father of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway, consort of King Oscar II and a 3rd cousin of William III of the Netherlands, who left a surviving daughter to rule his main realm, but the crown of Luxembourg went through the male line, looking to 17 generations back, to pass to the Duke of Nassau and then his descendants.

Biography

Wilhelm was the eldest son of Frederick William, Duke of Nassau, and Burgravine Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg. With the Nassau troops, he was involved on the Seventh Coalition's side in the Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon.

Duke of Nassau

On 9 January 1816, he succeeded his father, Duke Frederick William, as the Prince of Nassau-Weilburg and joint Duke of Nassau with his cousin, Frederick Augustus, of the Nassau-Usingen branch of his family. When his cousin and co-Duke died on 24 March 1816, Wilhelm inherited the Usingen territories and became sole ruler of the Duchy of Nassau. He kept the title of Duke of Nassau for the rest of his reign.

Marriages and children

On 24 June 1813 in Weilburg, Wilhelm married his first wife, Princess Louise of Saxe-Altenburg. She was the daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They had eight children:
Wilhelm married, as his second wife, his first wife's niece, Princess Pauline of Württemberg on 23 April 1829 in Stuttgart. Pauline was the daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg and Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
Wilhelm and Pauline had four children: