Amalie Louise of Courland

Duchess Amalie Louise of Courland (23 July 1687 – 18 January 1750), , official titles: Herzogin in Livland, zu Kurland und Semgallen, Fürstin zu Pilten, was a duchess from the House of Kettler and through marriage Fürstin of Nassau-Siegen. She was regent of the Principality of Nassau-Siegen (part of the County of Nassau) for her stepson Frederick William II in the period 1722–1727.

Biography Amalie Louise was born in Mitau on 23 July 1687 as the third daughter of Duke Frederick Casimir of Courland and his first wife Princess Sophie Amalie of Nassau-Siegen.

Fürst Frederick William Adolf of Nassau-Siegen, the husband of Amalie Louise. Anonymous portrait, first quarter 18th century. Siegerlandmuseum, Siegen. Amalie Louise married at the in Bayreuth on 13 April 1708 (, Siegen, 20 February 1680 – Nassauischer Hof, Siegen, ), the eldest son of Fürst William Maurice of Nassau-Siegen and Princess Ernestine Charlotte of Nassau-Schaumburg. Amalie Louise was not only a first cousin of her husband Frederick William Adolf, but also of his first wife Elisabeth Juliana Francisca.

On the death of his father in 1691, Frederick William Adolf succeeded his father as the territorial lord of the Protestant part of the principality of Nassau-Siegen and co-ruler of the city of Siegen. Frederick William Adolf also succeeded his father as count of Bronkhorst, lord of , , and , and hereditary knight banneret of the Duchy of Guelders and the County of Zutphen. Following the death of Frederick William Adolf in 1722 he was succeeded by Frederick William II, the only son from the first marriage. But because the latter was still a minor, he was under the custody and regency of his stepmother Amalie Louise until 1727.

Amalie Louise' stepson Frederick William II died in the Nassauischer Hof in Siegen on 2 March 1734, he was only 27 years old. On 19 June, his widow Sophie Polyxena Concordia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein gave birth to the fifth daughter. Thus, there were no male heirs and the Dowager Fürstin was compelled to accept that the Catholic Fürst William Hyacinth would take possession of the Reformed lands and the city of Siegen. However, the Fürsten Christian of Nassau-Dillenburg and William Charles Henry Friso of Nassau-Diez also laid claim to the inheritance. Their soldiers occupied the Nassauischer Hof in Siegen, while William Hyacinth was in Spain. In order to drive out this occupation by Nassau-Dillenburg and Nassau-Diez, Elector Clemens August of Cologne called in the Landesausschuß in his countries bordering the Siegerland. On 20 August 1735, peasants from Cologne crossed the borders of the Principality of Nassau-Siegen and plundered "was ihnen vorkam" ("what was in front of them"). On 23 August they were admitted to the (Catholic) castle and advanced with two to three thousand men to the (Reformed) Nassauischer Hof. But the armies of Nassau-Dillenburg and Nassau-Diez, united with the citizens of Siegen, forced the troops from Cologne to flee. Thus, the Reformed part of Siegerland remained under the rule of Nassau-Dillenburg and Nassau-Diez, and the Catholic part remained under the imperial administration.

During the visits to his German lands in 1741 and 1742, Prince William IV of Orange-Nassau stayed with Amalie Louise and her daughter-in-law Sophie Polyxena Concordia in the Nassauischer Hof in Siegen.

Issue From the marriage of Amalie Louise and Frederick William Adolf the following children were born: Sophia Wilhelmine Adolphina (Nassauischer Hof, Siegen, 28 February 1709 – Nassauischer Hof, Siegen, 16 December 1710 ("The death occurred on 17‑12‑1710 in Europäische Stammtafeln and on 16‑(burial on 17)12‑1710 in Dek (1970).) The parish registers of Siegen give 16th as the date of death. See also Royal House Archive of the Netherlands (IV/1561 I‑II), two letters of condolence from which it can be deduced that the death took place in Siegen and in which the date of the 16th is confirmed: a) letter of condolence in response to a notification from Siegen dated 17‑12‑1710, b) letter of condolence in response to a notification in which the death was announced «am 16ten letztverwichenen Monaths Morgendts ein Viertel nach acht Uhren»." (Nassauischer Hof, Siegen, 25 April 1711 – Untere Schloss, Siegen, 7 March 1771). Augusta Amelie (Siegen, 9 September 1712 – Wittgenstein Castle, Laasphe, 22 February 1742), married in Siegen on 6 May 1738 to Count Frederick of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein (Berlin, 29 January 1708 – 9 June 1756). He later remarried the youngest sister of Augusta Amelie. Louis Ferdinand (Nassauischer Hof, Siegen, 29 March 1714 – Nassauischer Hof, Siegen, 26 February 1715). Caroline Amelie Adolphina ("The baptismal certificate names her Charlotte Amélie Adolphine.) In the notification of death «Charlotte» is changed into «Caroline»." Great-great-grandparents Gotthard of Courland(ca. 1517–1587)⚭ 1566Anne of Mecklenburg-Güstrow(1533–1602)

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