Albert was the only son of
Philip III of
Nassau-Weilburg and his second wife, Countess Anna of
Mansfeld. His mother died in childbirth. On 16 June 1559, Albert married
Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg, a daughter of Count
William "the Rich" of Nassau-Siegen and sister of
William I of Orange. In the same year, on 4 October 1559, his father, Philip III died. Albert inherited part of the county of Nassau-Weilburg jointly with his younger half-brother,
Philip IV. Albert initially ruled jointly with Philip IV. They had inherited a high debt, which hampered their ability to rule. They were however, able to slowly improve their financial position. On 15 May 1561, the brothers split their territory for the first time. Albert was given
Schloss Weilburg and the district of Weilburg, Philip received castle and district of Neuweilnau. The largest part of the territory and their father's debts, however, remained the common property. Albert moved into the new Schloss Weilburg, which he continued to expand. In 1571, they split the rest of the territory. Apart from Weilburg, Albert received Gleiberg, Cleen, Wehen and Burgschwalbach. Albert and Philip concluded several treaties with
Hesse, in which they gradually divided their shared possessions. Albert was a member of the
Wetterau Association of
Imperial Counts. He often travelled to the
Imperial Diet and to the Emperor
Maximilian II as a representative of the Wetterau Association, to discuss freedom of religion for the Calvinist princes. From 1583 to 1588, Albert fought in the
Cologne War on the side of the Wetterau Association. When Count
John III of Nassau-Saarbrücken died in 1574 without a male heir, the Counties of
Saarbrücken,
Saarwerden and
Ottweiler passed to Albert and Philip. They divided them: Philip received Saarbrücken and Saarland; Albert received Ottweiler, the districts of
Homburg and
Kirchheim and the Lordships of
Lahr and
Mahlberg in the Black Forest. Albert built a new castle in Ottweiler, which became his residence. As the eldest member of the Walram line of the
House of Nassau, Albert took up guardianship of
John Louis of Nassau-Wiesbaden. As head of the house, he set guidelines for foreign policy. The Saarbrücken inheritance was contested by various sides. Duke
Charles of Lorraine claimed the county of Saarwerden. Albert, however, prevailed before the
Reichskammergericht. Elector Palatine
Frederick III also claimed some of the Nassau territories; Albert was able to settle this issue out of court. Albert and Frederick concluded several treaties, in which the exact rights and boundaries of the various territories were defined. After Frederick III died in 1576, Albert was the executor of his last will and testament. In 1579, Albert extended his influence in
Rhenish Hesse by purchasing a share of
Jugenheim. Albert died on 11 November 1593 at his castle in Ottweiler. After his death, his three sons jointly ruled his territory. However, two of them died shortly after their father so that the surviving son of
Louis II ruled alone from 1602 onwards.
Reformation In his childhood at
Neuweilnau Castle, he was educated in the Protestant faith by
Kasper Goltwurm. Through Goltwurm, Albert became acquainted with
Philipp Melanchthon, with whom he had lively correspondence. Kasper Goltwurm was succeeded in 1560 by Jacob Charsisius, who worked in Nassau-Weilburg as Superintendent until his death. At the request of Charsisius, some Catholic customs, such a celebrating
carnival and lighting a
bonfire on
St. John's Eve were made punishable offenses in the Nassau-Weilburg territories. Lorenz Stephani was appointed as superintendent in the areas administered jointly by Hesse and Nassau. He also succeeded as superintendent of Weilburg in 1572, and in Ottweiler in 1574. In Ottweiler, Albert and Lorenz Stephani took measures to enforce the Reformation. Catholic priests were converted to the new faith or removed from office; monasteries were dissolved; church property was confiscated; schools were set up and
jus patronatus was purchased. In 1567 and 1568, Albert met his brother-in-law
William of Orange several times. Albert supported him in the
Dutch War of Independence against the "Iron Duke"
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba. The invasion of the Netherlands in 1568, however failed. Albert vouched for the wages of the mercenaries William had hired.
Construction policy Albert initiated several large construction projects. After the first division of the county, he began converting the castle at Weilburg into a palace. To this end, he commissioned the architect Ludwig Kempf. During this phase, the north wing and the
Stadtpfeiferturm (City Piper Tower) were added. The joint coat of arms of Albert and Anna is still attached to the tower. Around this time, he also founded a game park in Weilburg, which still exists. After he inherited Ottweiler, Albert commissioned the architect Christmann Strohmeyer to construct a
Renaissance style castle at Ottweiler. This castle was abandoned in 1753 due to disrepair. Albert probably also initiated the expansion of
Gleiberg Castle in the late 16th century, after it had fallen entirely to the House of Nassau. == Issue ==