– NASSAU –

The precursors of the counts of Nassau took their cognomen from Laurenburg castle on the Lahn river. The brothers Rupert I and Arnold I emerge in 1124, but Count Dudo of Laurenburg, whose relationship with them is undocumented, is sighted as early as 1081. The emergence of Counts Rupert and Arnold of Laurenburg coincides approximately with the death of Count Udalrich of Idstein, whose office of count in the pagus of Königssundern undoubtedly passed to the brothers, even while a significant part of the Königssundern jurisdiction fell to the lords of Eppenstein. Not very long afterwards the counts of Laurenburg also inherited a healthy share of comital jurisdiction in Einrich in negotiation with other heirs of the house of Arnstein.

The original comital title: Since the Katzenelnbogen dynasty acquired a comital title through those negotiations, clearly the Einrich title did not fall to the counts of Laurenburg. Indeed, Laurenburg already held a title well before their Idstein succession, as evidenced by the appearance of two counts of Laurenburg in 1124. But from whence did this original title spring? Far into the thirteenth century the house of Nassau carried only two comital titles, distributed according to promogeniture or lineal seniority. If a particular generation saw many surviving sons, only two sons would accept office: the others were destined for the church or military orders.

There is no reasonable possibility for derivation of the original Laurenburg title from pagi of the Lahn or further south, for those jurisdictions are otherwise well accounted for. To the north and northeast lay Hessengau, which suffered extensive fragmentation, during the Konradiner domination that lasted until 939 as well in the early eleventh century. Should we seek the title here, or are there other possibilities? As the Nassau ancestors become established, excellent possibilities will also emerge for inherited right in Ripuaria. Yet no Ripuarian pagi are available for association of the Laurenburg title. We sight the Laurenburg ancestors not infrequently on the lower Rhine, but certainly they are not counts there. A Hessengau fragment appears to be our only recourse.

The Siegerland is the Hessengau region in question. Coins were minted in Siegen for Rupert III, and since he represented the senior Laurenburg line, we might suppose that he was proud to inherit the original county. While no information applicable to the Laurenburg dynasty’s position in this region is available from an earlier time, during the period of Konradiner ascendancy we find reference in a document of 914 to a comitatus of Haiger. Evidently a county was based on the Haiger deanery, with seat of justice at Haiger south of Siegen.

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