Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
During Philip's reign, the Nassau-Weilburg part of the County of Nassau consisted of the districts of Weilburg, Merenberg, Usingen, Sonnenberg and Gleiberg.
Co-owners of those territories included the Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Nassau-Wiesbaden and the Landgrave of Hesse.
Because his father had left a huge debt, John Louis of Nassau-Saarbrücken was appointed as Philip's guardian and regent of Nassau-Weilburg.
He began by dividing the Lordships of Stauf, Eisenberg and Kirchheim; these were jointly owned by Nassau-Weilburg and Nassau-Saarbrücken.
The imperial field marshal Reinhard of Solms then mediated a reconciliation between Philip III and Emperor Charles V. After he had ceased his support for the Schmalkaldic League, Philip III worked to recreate the Wetterau Association.
Architect Nicholas Schickedanz from Frankfurt built the east wing, a prestigious residential building.
Balthasar Wolff from Heilbronn added the south and west wings, which were used as commercial buildings.
Even today, the alliance coat of arms of Philip III of Nassau-Weilburg and Amalie of Isenburg-Büdingen is attached to the stair tower of the east wing.
Below the schloss, a stone bridge across the Lahn was built in 1555, connecting the dominions of Weilburg and Merenberg.
The Reformation was rapidly implemented in the areas Philip III held jointly with Philip I of Hesse, such as the Hüttenberg district and the area along the river Lahn, with the towns Heuchelheim, Kinzenbach, Launsbach, Wißmar, Rodheim and Fellingshausen.
During the German Peasants' War, Philip sided with the Archbishops of Mainz and Trier, who attempted to crush the uprising.
The Protestant faith was addressed at the meeting of the Wetterau Association in 1525 in Butzbach in the presence of Count Herman of Neuenahr the Elder.
Philip ordered the dissolution of the small Pfannstiel monastery and the sale of some valuable liturgic vessels from the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Walpurga in Weilburg.
In 1540, Philip founded a free school in Weilburg, which quickly became a center of education.
After Heinrich Stroß's death, Kasper Goltwurm was appointed as court chaplain at Weilburg in 1546.
In 1547, Goltwurm organized a synod of the clergy in the county of Nassau-Weilburg and lent his hand to the free school.
Goltwurm encouraged priests to resist the Catholic Counter-Reformation operated by the Archbishops of Mainz and Trier.
The Counter-Reformation failed, because the bishops did not have enough priests to serve all the parishes and therefore had to leave some reformed pastors in office.
Goltwurm travelled to Wittenberg and wrote entitled the beautiful and comforting history of Joseph, which he dedicated to Philip.
After Elizabeth's death, Philip married in 1536 with Anne of Mansfield (born: 1520; died: 26 December 1537).
