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William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen

1487–1559

Born
19 Apr 1487, Dillenburg
Country of birth
Germany
Died
16 Oct 1559, Dillenburger Schloss
facts
6
sources
2
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth19 Apr 1487, DillenburgProbable1 source
  • Death16 Oct 1559, Dillenburger SchlossProbable1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Dillenburg

    Birth, Dillenburg

  2. Child born: William the Silent

    Birth, Dillenburg

  3. Child born: John VI, Count of Nassau-Siegen

    Birth, Dillenburg

  4. Child born: Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg

    Birth, Dillenburg

  5. Child born: Elisabeth of Nassau-Dillenburg

    Birth, Dillenburg

  6. Child born: Juliana of Nassau-Dillenburg

    Birth, Dillenburg

  7. Child born: Magdalena of Nassau-Dillenburg

    Birth, Dillenburger Schloss

  8. Died · Dillenburger Schloss

    Death, Dillenburger Schloss

What was it like?

The world around Dillenburg, 1487: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Local messengers, known as Amtsboten, were responsible for regional deliveries and were often compensated simply with food and beer.

Known for

William I of Nassau-Siegen, nicknamed the Elder or the Rich, was Count of Nassau-Siegen and half of Diez from 1516 to 1559. He was a descendant of the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau.

News and letters

Local Courier Compensation

Local messengers, known as Amtsboten, were responsible for regional deliveries and were often compensated simply with food and beer.

Long-Distance Messenger Travel

Saxon court messengers could travel 183 Saxon miles, approximately 1500 kilometers, on horseback to deliver letters and were paid 8 pence per mile plus expenses.

During their lifetime

  1. 1517

    Luther posts the Ninety-five Theses

    Martin Luther sparked the Reformation by posting his Ninety-five Theses in Wittenberg, fundamentally changing the religious and social lives of ordinary people.

  2. 1524

    The Great Peasants' War occurs

    Tens of thousands of peasants participated in a massive uprising across the German lands, demanding the abolition of feudal burdens and serfdom.

  3. 1534

    Public access to the postal system

    The postal system opened to the general public in the Holy Roman Empire, allowing anyone to send mail for a fee and transforming communication routines.

  4. 1555

    Peace of Augsburg enacted (1555)

    The 1555 Peace of Augsburg established the legal principle that local princes could determine the religion of their subjects as either Lutheran or Catholic. If subjects disagreed with their ruler's choice, they were granted the right to emigrate with their property and families.

Family

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.