Background
René was born in Breda, the only son of Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda and Claudia of Châlon.
René was born in Breda, the only son of Count Henry III of Nassau-Breda and Claudia of Châlon.
Claudia"s brother, Philibert of Châlon, was the last Prince of Orange from the house of Châlon. When Philibert died in 1530, René inherited the Princedom of Orange on condition that he used the name and coat of arms of the Châlon-Orange family. History knows him therefore as René of Châlon instead of as "René of Nassau-Breda."
René of Châlon married Anna of Lorraine (1522–1568) on 20 August 1540 at Bar-le-Duc.
They had only one child, a daughter named Maria, who lived only 3 weeks and was buried in the Grote Kerk in Breda.
In 1544, René took part in the siege of Saint Dizier in the service of Emperor Charles V. He was mortally wounded in battle and died with the Emperor attending at his bedside. A commemorative cenotaph stands in the church of Saint Etienne in Bar-le-Duc.
The principality of Orange had already passed, through the female line, from the first dynasty of Orange to the families Les Baux, and De Châlon.