Marianne van Oranje-Nassau (1810-1883)

Marianne van Oranje-Nassau

PRINCE (THE NETHERLANDS)

BORN 9 May 1810, Berlin - DIED 29 May 1883, Eltville, Hessen: Schloss Reinhartshausen, Erbach
BIRTH NAME Oranje-Nassau, Wilhelmina Frederica Louise Charlotte Marianne van
GRAVE LOCATION Eltville, Hessen: Friedhof, Eberbacher Strasse, Erbach

Marianne van Oranje-Nassau was the daughter of prince Willem Fredeik of Oranje-Nassau, the future king Willem I. Her mother was Wilhelmina of Prussia (1774-1837). She was named after her aunt Marianne von Preussen (1785-1846). Her father had fled to Berlin for Napoleon and there she was born and lived until 1813. In 1813 the family was able to return to the Netherlands and in 1815 her father became king.

In 1828 she was engaged to Gustav of Holstein-Gottorp (1799-1877), whose father was the former king Gustav IV Adolf. But for political reasons the engagement was broken and in 1830 she married her nephew Albert of Prussia (1809-1872), the younger brother of the future emperor Wilhelm I. They had three surviving children, but it was a bad marriage. From 1835 to 1845 she lived at Schloss Kamenz in Silesia and in 1845 Marianne left her husband for good and moved to Voorburg near The Hague. There she bought the estate Buitenplaats Rusthof in 1848 and lived openy with her coachman Johannes van Rossum (1809-1873). When it became known that she was pregnant from her love the courts of The Hague and Berlin agreed to a divorce in 1849 in order to avoid an even worse scandal. Her son Johannes Willem van Reinhartshausen was born on 30 October 1849. Queen Elisabeth of Prussia became the guardian of her children from her marriage.

She travelled with Van Rossum through Europe and in 1851 they settled in Rome at the Villa Celimontana, that she had bought. She sold her estate in Voorburg in 1852. In 1855 she bought Schloss Reinhartshausen in Erbach near Wiesbaden to be nearer to the Prussian border and to her children from her marriage. She still had her posessions in Silesia and during her life she managed to became far richer than she had been when she was young. At Schloss Reinhartshausen she housed her art collection that consisted of over 600 pieces during her lifetime.

Van Rossum's wife Catharina died in 1861 but he and Marianne didn't marry morganatically afterwards. Their son Johannes suddenly died on 25 December 1861 of scarlet fever. Marianne immediately funded a new protestant church in Erbach that was built by Eduard Zais. After the Johannesirche was completed in 1865 her son was buried behind the altar. Van Rossum died of consumption in 1873 and after arguments with the pastor of the Johanneskirche he was buried in the cemetery of Erbach. Marianne died in 1883 at Schloss Reinhartshausen and was buried in the same grave.

Family
• Daughter: Charlotte von Preussen

Related persons
• was the lover of Rossum, Johannes van

Images
The grave of Princess Marianne van Oranje-Nassau at the cemetery in Erbach, Eltville, Hessen. Picture by Androom (31 Jul 2022)	The grave of Marianne van Oranje-Nassau at the cemetery in Erbach in Eltville, Hessen. Her lover Johannes van Rossum was buried her as well and princess Elisabeth Mees is also in this grave. Picture by Androom (31 Jul 2022)