For armorial/coats of arms see: Armorial of the House of Nassau
| House of Nassau | |
|---|---|
 Arms of Nassau: Azure billetty or, a lion rampant of the last armed and langued gules | |
| Country | Germany, Netherlands, England, Scotland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Nassau, Orange |
| Founded | 1093 |
| Founder | Dudo-Henry of Laurenburg |
| Current head | Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands |
| Titles |
|
| Estate(s) | Nassau Castle |
| Dissolution | Since 1985 extinct in the original agnatic line |
| Cadet branches | House of Nassau-Weilburg House of Orange-Nassau |
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With the fall of the Hohenstaufen in the first half of the 13th century royal power within Franconia evaporated and the former stem duchy fragmented into separate independent states. Nassau emerged as one of those independent states as part of the Holy Roman Empire. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count of Nassau", but were subject only to the Emperor, and then elevated to the princely class as "Princely Counts" (in German: gefürstete Grafen, i.e. Counts who are granted all legal and aristocratic privileges of a Prince).
At the end of the Holy Roman Empire and the Napoleonic Wars, they proclaimed themselves with the permission of the Congress of Vienna "Dukes of Nassau", forming the independent state Nassau (capital city: Wiesbaden), a territory which is at present mainly part of the German Federal State of Hesse (Hessen), and partially of the neighbouring State of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz). The Duchy was annexed in 1866 after the Austrian-Prussian War as an ally of Austria by Prussia. It was subsequently incorporated into the newly created Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau.
Today the term Nassau is used in Germany as a name for a geographical, historical and cultural region, but has no longer any political meaning. All Dutch and Luxembourgish monarchs since 1815 were senior members of the House of Nassau. However, in 1890 (for the Netherlands), respectively in 1912 (for Luxembourg), the male line of heirs to the two thrones became extinct, so that since then they descended in the female line from the House of Nassau.
According to German tradition, the family name is passed on only in the male line of succession. The House would be therefore, from this (German) perspective, extinct since 1985.[1] However, both Dutch and Luxembourgish monarchic traditions, constitutional rules and legislation in that matter differ from the German one, and thus both countries do not consider the House extinct. The Grand Duke of Luxembourg uses "Duke of Nassau" as his secondary title and a title of pretense to the dignity of Chief of the House of Nassau (being the most senior member of the eldest branch of the House), but not to lay any territorial claims to the former Duchy of Nassau which is now part of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- ^ Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated in 1964, but she died in 1985