Ernst Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz (Dillenburg

Dillenburg

Dillenburg is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis....

, 22 December 1573 – Roermond

Roermond

Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...

, 2 June 1632) was count of Nassau-Dietz

House of 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. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...

 and Stadtholder

Stadtholder

A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...

 of Friesland

Friesland

Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...

, Groningen

Groningen (province)

Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...

 and Drenthe

Drenthe

Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...

.

Biography

He was the eleventh child of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg and Countess Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg

Countess Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg

Elisabeth of Leuchtenberg was the daughter of Landgrave George III of Leuchtenberg and Margravine Barbara of Brandenburg-Ansbach.-Marriage and issue:...

.

After the death of his father, the county of Nassau was divided among his five living sons, Ernst Casimir followed him as Count of Nassau-Dietz.

Ernst Casimir was primarily known as an outstanding military leader during the Eighty Years War.
He served under Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange

Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange

Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...

 in the siege of the cities of Steenwijk

Steenwijk

Steenwijk is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland. It is the largest town of the municipality.Steenwijk received city rights in 1327...

 and Oldenzaal, and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...

 during the Siege of Groenlo (1627)

Siege of Groenlo (1627)

The Siege of Grol in 1627 was a battle between the Army of the Dutch Republic commanded by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and the Spanish controlled fortified city of Grol , during the Eighty Years War in 1627. The Spanish army led by Hendrik van den Bergh came to relieve Grol, but it came too...

 and the Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch

Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch

The Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch was in 1629 an action of the Eighty Years' War in which a Dutch Republican army captured the city of 's-Hertogenbosch which had been loyal to the King of Spain since 1579 and thus part of the Spanish Netherlands.-Background:...

. As Stadholder of Groningen he founded the Nieuweschans

Nieuweschans

Bad Nieuweschans is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Oldambt, about 12 km east of Winschoten. In April 2009 the municipality of Reiderland changed the name from Nieuweschans, to promote the town as a spa...

 fortress in 1628. Although he owned little in Friesland, he was popular there, and people granted his heir the right to rule after his death.

Death

He was killed by a bullet at the Siege of Roermond while he was inspecting the trenches in June 1632. His son, Hendrik Casimir I succeeded him as count of Nassau-Dietz and as stadholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe.

Family

In 1607 Ernst Casimir married Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg, daughter of Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Henry Julius was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1589 until his death. In 1576 he had become the first rector of the Protestant University of Helmstedt.- Life :...

. From this marriage nine children were born:

• stillborn daughter (1608)
• stillborn son (1609)
• unnamed son (1610-1610)
• Hendrik Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz (Arnhem, 1612-1640)
• Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz
  Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz
  Willem Frederik , Count of Nassau-Dietz, Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe.-Family Life:...
  
   (Arnhem, 1613-1664), married Albertine Agnes of Orange-Nassau.
• Elisabeth (Leeuwarden, July 25, 1614 - Leeuwarden, 18 Sept, 1614)
• Johan Ernst (Arnhem, March 29, 1617 - May 1617)
• Maurice (Groningen, February 21, 1619 - Groningen, 18 Sept, 1628)
• Elisabeth Friso (Leeuwarden, 25 Nov, 1620 - Groningen, 20 September 1628)