There has been a new development in the search for the grave of Adolf of Nassau – a younger brother of William of Orange. Earlier this year, human remains were found in the mass grave in the St Lamberti Church in Oldenburg, and two of those fit the physical profile of the count who lived during the 16th century. That is the outcome of morphological research which concluded on Tuesday. Further research should reveal whether either of the remains indeed belongs to Adolf of Nassau.
It is one of the greatest mysteries in national history: the final resting place of count Adolf of Nassau. He was killed in 1568 in the Battle of Heiligerlee, in what is now the county of Oldambt, but his grave has never been found. Historian Lammert Doedens, who also works at the University Museum, has devoted himself to looking for Adolf’s final resting place for over 20 years. This finally led him to a mass grave in the St. Lamberti Church in Oldenburg.
Last spring, the grave was carefully uncovered by archaeologists under the watchful eye of Doedens. ‘We could immediately see that there were 20 to 30 people in the grave’, says Doedens. ‘That in and of itself was a big surprise, because up until then people thought there were only five or six people buried there. Moreover, the remains appeared to be in good condition, which is very important for any follow-up research.’
Complicated
Next, the bones were analyse to determine sex and age at the University of Göttingen. This investigation has now concluded and shows that the grave contained the remains of two different men who were between 20 and 30 years old. ‘So now we’re trying to extract usable DNA material from those remains. If we succeed, we can check to see if it matches any of Adolf of Nassau’s immediate family.’
If and when this will happen remains to be seen, says Doedens. ‘A process like that is very complicated. People often think it’s like what they’ve seen on TV, but that’s not how it works. The investigation will take several months.’
Doedens hopes to have definitive answers about count Adolf’s final resting place towards the end of the year. In the meantime, his research continues. ‘We’re still trying to find a letter that was sent to the Van Nassau family which reads: ‘Adolf died. We buried him at [location]. That would be great.’
Count Adolf of Nassau
Count Adolf of Nassau was born in 1540 in Dillenburg, the second youngest brother of William of Orange. In 1568, he and his brother Louis led an army of rebels in the Battle of Heiligerlee. This battle was the first victory of the Dutch rebels in the Eighty Years’ War. Adolf did not survive the fray. After his horse bolted, he ended up in the middle of the cornered Spanish troops and was killed. His grave has never been found.