Countess Henriette Charlotte of Nassau-Idstein

Henriette Charlotte of Nassau-Idstein
Duchess consort of Saxe-Merseburg
Reign	1711-1731
Born	9 November 1693 Idstein Castle, Idstein
Died	8 April 1734 (aged 40) Delitzsch Castle, Delitzsch
Spouse	Maurice Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg
Issue	Princess Fredericka Ulrike
Father	George August, Count of Nassau-Idstein
Mother	Henriette Dorothea of Oettingen-Oettingen

Henriette Charlotte of Nassau-Idstein (9 November 1693 - 8 April 1734), was a German noblewoman member of the House of Nassau and by marriage Duchess of Saxe-Merseburg.

Born in Idstein Castle, Idstein, she was the fourth of twelve children born from the marriage of George August, Count and since 1688 Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken-Idstein and Henriette Dorothea of Oettingen-Oettingen. From her eleven older and younger siblings, only four survive adulthood: Christine Louise (by marriage Princess of East Frisia), Albertine Juliane (by marriage Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Eisenach), Auguste Fredericka (by marriage Princess of Nassau-Weilburg) and Johannette Wilhelmine (by marriage Countess of Lippe-Detmold).^[1][2]

Life

In Idstein on 4 November 1711, Henriette Charlotte secretly married Maurice Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg.

After eight years of childless union, on 23 June 1720 the Duchess gave birth a daughter, Fredericka Ulrike, who died within hours.^[3][4] Although officially appears as the Duke's daughter, is highly probable that she was product from the affair of her mother with Friedrich Carl von Pöllnitz, Henriette Charlotte's Hofmarshal and lover for several years.^[5]

After her husband's death in 1731, Henriette Charlotte retired to Delitzsch Castle, Delitzsch, where she openly lived with von Pöllnitz^[6] until her death three years later, aged 40. She was buried in the Stadtkirche SS Peter und Paul, Delitzsch.^[7]

References

1. Georg August Samuel Fürst v.Nassau-Idstein in: Genealogy Database by Herbert Stoyan [retrieved 12 October 2014].
2. Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of the House of Nassau". genealogy.euweb.cz. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
3. Friederike Ulrike Herzogin v.Sachsen-Merseburg in: Genealogy Database by Herbert Stoyan [retrieved 12 October 2014].
4. Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of the House of Wettin (Merseburg line)". genealogy.euweb.cz. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
5. Manfred Wilde: Zwischen Ehebruch und Staatsräson. Das außereheliche Verhältnis von Herzogin Henriette Charlotte von Sachsen-Merseburg als diplomatisches Ränkespiel [in:] Martina Schattkowsky/Manfred Wilde (ed.): Sachsen und seine Sekundogeniturfürstentümer. Schriften zur Sächsischen Geschichte und Volkskunde, vol. 33. Leipziger University, Leipzig 2010, pp. 257−287.
6. Manfred Wilde: Liebeslust und Standesdünkel [in:] Manfred Wilde und Nadine Kinne (ed.): Barockschloss Delitzsch. Edition Leipzig, Leipzig 2007, pp. 42−46.
7. Nassau-Weilburg line in: Royaltyguide.nl [retrieved 12 October 2014].