Charles, Prince of Nassau-Usingen
Prince Charles of Nassau- Usingen (December 31, 1712 Usingen, † June 21, 1775 in Wiesbaden- Biebrich ) was from 1718 to 1775 Prince of Nassau- Usingen.
Family
Charles was the son of William Henry of Nassau- Usingen and Charlotte Amalie, Countess of Nassau- Dillenburg.
On December 26, 1734 Karl married Wilhelmine Christine Duchess of Saxe- Eisenach ( 1711-1740 ), a daughter of Johannes Wilhelm of Saxe- Eisenach. The marriage produced four children:
- Karl Wilhelm, Prince of Nassau- Usingen (* 1735, † 1803)
- Christine ( * 1736, † 1741)
- Frederick Augustus, Prince of Nassau- Usingen and later Duke of Nassau ( * 1738, † 1816)
- John Adolf ( * 1740, † 1793), the Prussian General
In the second morganatic marriage Charles married the Wiesbadenerin Magdalene Gross ( * 1712), the daughter of the Wiesbaden city mayor Large. From this marriage also four children:
- Philippa Catherine of Biburg (* May 17, 1744; † July 17, 1798 ) ∞ Karl Friedrich von Kruse ( 1738-1806 )
- Karl Philipp von Weilnau (* March 25, 1746; † August 15, 1789 )
- Sophie Christine ( June 20, 1750 *, † November 16, 1750 )
- Wilhelm Heinrich ( * February 15, 1755, † April 6, 1755 )
After his death on June 21, 1775 in Biebrich, he was buried in Usingen. He was succeeded by his eldest son Karl Wilhelm claimed as Prince of Nassau- Usingen.
Work in Usingen -Nassau
After the death of his father in 1718, first took over his mother, Charlotte Amalie, as regent government business. From 1729 to 1731 he studied in the University of Giessen. He then went to Paris and returned in 1731 on Lorraine Usingen back. In 1733 he was declared emperor to be of age and led the Principality of Nassau- Usingen until his death in 1775.
With the extinction of the lines fell in 1723 Saarbrücken, 1728 Ottweiler and Idstein back to Nassau- Usingen. 1735 the principality between Charles and his younger brother Wilhelm Heinrich was divided. Saarbrücken was divided again, and Wilhelm Heinrich became Prince of Nassau- Saarbrücken, which belonged with about 22,000 inhabitants on 12 square miles to the small gentry in the Old Kingdom. The course resulted in a significant weakening of the two new countries.
On August 11, 1736 he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle. Residence of the House of Nassau - Usingen was the city Usingen im Taunus since 1659. In 1744, Prince Charles shifted the residence to Biebrich Palace, which was previously used as a summer residence. In Wiesbaden forest, he founded the pheasant and commissioned the building of the local hunting lodge in order, which was completed in 1749. In December 1768, he also received the Elephant Order.
Prince Carl benefited during his reign of the "modern " laws of his mother. He too went to the welfare of his subjects. In particular, he promoted Wiesbaden, the seat of government, was staying in the old castle. In Wiesbaden, a book printer could settle down, and he established a faience and he organized the gambling new. Particularly noteworthy is his prohibition of drinking coffee. Not only aspects of health played a role, but he saw the danger that much money would go abroad by importing the coffee beans.