Copyright © V. Rozn 1999-2015
Comments and questions can be mailed to
the author
Last updated: Jan 24, 2009
Hesse ( Hessen )
The House of Hesse
descended from the ancient immediate family of Louvain that ruled in the
Duchy of the Lower Lotharingia and Brabant since the 12th century until 1404
(N.1) [12: 1839; p.84-86] [13: tome I; p.52-68] [4: tome
III; p.281-284] [9: 1919;
p.42-43].
After
the extinction of the reigning House of Thuringia, and the War of the Thuringian
Succession (1247–1264), most of the Landgraviate of Thuringia passed to
the Margrave of Misnia; Hesse,
the
Western part
of the
Landgraviate of
Thuringia passed to Heinrich I
"the Child" (+1308), son of Heinrich II (+1248),
Duke
of Lotharingia, Brabant &
Limburg, and Sophie of Thuringia (+1275)
(N.2).
Heinrich I "the Child"
(+1308), became the first Landgrave of Hesse, and in
1292 he was recognized as Imperial Prince [4: tome III;
p.281].
In 1450, Landgrave Ludwig I of Hesse (+1458),
acquired the Counties of Ziegenhain and Nidda [4: tome III; p.282-483] [9: 1919;
p.42].
Four sons of Landgrave
Philip I "the Magnanimous" (+1567) divided his lands and founded four branches,
Kassel, Marburg, Rheinfels and Darmstadt. The branch of Rheinfels became extinct
in 1650, the one of Marburg in 1650; their possessions passed to the Landgraves
of Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt. Wilhelm IV (+1592) and Georg I (+1596),
sons of
Landgrave
Philipp I,
founded, respectively, the branch of Kassel and Darmstadt of the House of
Hesse.
Notes:
1. Jocelyn / Josceline
(+1180), son of Godfrey "the Bearded" of Louvain (+ 1139), Duke of Lower
Lorraine, married Agnes, an heir to the Percy family, and took this surname.
Jocelyn founded the second House of Percy in England that became extinct in the
male line in 1670, with the death of Josceline Percy, Earl of
Northumberland.
2.
When the House of Brabant became
extinct in the male line in 1355, the Landgrave of Hesse advanced claims to
Brabant, but without result.
1. Kassel
-1866] [12: 1839; p.86-89] [9: 1919;
p.44].
Landgrave Wilhelm IV
(+1592) founded the branch of Kassel of the House of Hesse.
Wilhelm V (+1637), Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and
Ernst (+1693), sons of Moritz
(+1632), founded, respectively,
the ruling
Kassel and
appanage Rotenburg
branches [12:
1839; p.96-97] (N.1).
In 1648, by the
Peace of Westphalia, the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel received the secularized
Imperial immediate Abbey of Hersfeld with the title of Prince of
Hersfeld.
Wilhelm VII (+1670), Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel,
and Philipp (+1721), sons of Wilhelm VI
(+1663), founded, respectively,
the ruling
Kassel and
appanage Philippstahl
branches [12:
1839; p.92] (N.2).
In 1730-1751, Hesse-Kassel was united with Sweden
and Pomerania (N.3).
In 1803, the
Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation gave the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
the Dignity of Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman
Empire [3: Abtheilung II; Band I;
p.356].
In Aug 1806,
with the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire, the Elector-Landgrave of
Hesse-Kassel became a sovereign ruler.
In 1806,
Emperor Napoleon I of France dispossessed the Elector of Hesse-Kassel for
his support of Prussia during the War of the Fourth Coalition.
In 1807, the territory
of Hesse-Kassel became a part of the Kingdom of Westphalia.
In 1813, the
Elector of Hesse-Kassel was restored in his possessions following Napoleon's
defeat (N.4).
In 1815, the
Congress of Vienna gave the Elector of Hesse-Kassel the title of Grand Duke
of Fulda.
In 1815, the Elector
of Hesse-Kassel joined the German Confederation.
In 1866,
Elector Friedrich-Wilhelm
of
Hesse-Kassel
(+1875) sided with the Austrian
Empire in the Austro-Prussian War, and after the Prussian victory, he was
dispossessed, and his lands were annexed by
Prussia.
In 1875, with the death of Elector
Friedrich-Wilhelm, the direct Kassel branch became extinct in the male line
(N.5).
Notes:
1. In 1834, the appanage branch of Rotenburg
became extinct in the male line with the death of Victor, Landgrave of
Hesse-Rotenburg, Duke of Ratibor / Racibórz and Prince of
Corvey.
2. Wilhelm (+1761), son of Landgrave Philip of
Hesse-Philippstahl, founded the appanage sub-branch of Barchfeld [12: 1839;
p.95].
3. In 1720, Queen Ulrika-Eleonora of Sweden, and
Duchess of Fore Pomerania, abdicated in favor of her husband Friedrich (+1750),
son of Landgrave Karl I of Hesse-Kassel. In 1730, Friedrich succeeded in
Hesse-Kassel. The union of Sweden and Hesse-Kassel lasted until Friedrich's
death in 1751.
4. Although the Holy Roman Empire was now defunct
after 1806, the rulers of Hesse-Kassel retained their title of
Elector.
5. Elector Friedrich-Wilhelm left children of his
unequal marriage with Gertrud Falkenstein (+1882), who bore the title of Princes
of Hanau.
List of the Rulers
Wilhelm I (IX as Landgrave) (1743-1821) [1760-1806,
1813-1821]
Wilhelm II (1777-1847) [1821-1847]
Friedrich-Wilhelm (1802-1875) [1847-1866]
Titles [13: tome I; p.69]
1751-1803
Landgrave of Hesse;
Prince of Hersfeld;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhain, Nidda,
Schaumburg, Hanau;
1803-1816
HRE Prince-Elector;
Landgrave of Hesse;
Prince of Hersfeld, Hanau,
Fritzlar;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhain, Nidda,
Schaumburg;
1817-1831
Prince-Elector & Sovereign Landgrave of
Hesse;
Grand Duke of Fulda;
Prince of Hersfeld, Hanau, Fritzlar,
Isenburg;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhain, Nidda,
Schaumburg;
1831-1866
Prince-Elector of Hesse,
Grand Duke of Fulda;
Prince of Hersfeld, Hanau, Fritzlar,
Isenburg;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhain, Nidda,
Schaumburg;
Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in
1789 [2: p.13-14]
The Upper Rhine:
= The Bench of Secular
Princes:
- Hesse-Kassel;
- Hersfeld;
= The Bench of Counts &
Lords:
- Hanau-Münzenberg;
Franconia:
= The Bench of Secular
Princes:
- Henneberg-Schmalkaden;
The Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- Schaumburg-Hesse;
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1789
[2: p.3-4, 7, 9]
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Hesse-Kassel;
- Hersfeld;
Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Westphalia
=
- % Schaumburg;
= the Counts of Wetterau
=
- Hanau-Münzenberg (-);
Territorial Possessions in 1789 [2:
p.16-21, 45-46]
The Imperial Circle of the Upper
Rhine:
- % Hesse;
- Nidda;
- % Katzenelnbogen;
- % Ziegenhain;
- Epstein / Eppstein;
- Hersfeld;
- % Hanau;
- % Münzenberg;
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- % Schaumburg / Shauenburg;
- % Hoya;
The Imperial Circle of
Franconia:
- % Henneberg (Schmalkaden);
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1803
[3: Abtheilung II; Band I; p.356-360]
(Changes by the Final Recess of the Imperial
Deputation)
Voices in the Council of
Electors:
- Hesse-Kassel;
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Hanau;
- Hesse-Kassel;
- Hersfeld;
- Fritzlar;
Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since
1789 [13: tome I; p.70, 159-160] [13: tome I;
p.174-175]
- In 1794, the French
armies occupied the possessions of the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel on the left
bank of the Rhine (Rheinfels, St.Goar, Pfalzfeld, etc.). In 1801, the Treaty of
Treaty of Lunéville recognized these territorial
losses.
- In 1803, by the
Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation, the Elector of Hesse-Kassel
acquired some possessions of the secularized Archbishopric
of Mainz (Fritzlar, Naumburg, Neustadt, Amöneburg, etc.) and the Imperial
City of Gelnhausen, the Imperial Village of Holzhausen, etc.
-
1815, by decisions of the
Congress of Vienna,
the Elector of Hesse-Kassel
acquire a
portion of the former Grand Duchy of Frankfurt (Fulda,
etc.), and ceded % the Lower Katzenelnbogen, Plesse,
Frauense with Gosperode, Vacha, Grossauheim, Grosskrotzenburg, Oberrodenbach,
etc.
- In 1815-1816, the
Elector of Hesse-Kassel exchanged some territories with his
neighbors.
2. Darmstadt [9: 1919;
p.43].
Landgrave Georg I (+1596), founded the Darmstadt
branch of the House of Hesse.
Ludwig V and Friedrich I, Georg I's sons,
founded,
respectively, the direct Darmstadt and Homburg branches.
2.1. Darmstadt
-1918] [12: 1839;
p.99-100].
Landgrave Ludwig V (+1626) continued the direct
Darmstadt branch.
In 1803,
after the
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt acquired new territories by
the Final Recess of the Imperial
Deputation, he acepted the titles of Duke of Westphalia
& Angaria, and Count-Palatine of the Rhine.
In July 1806, the Landgrave of
Hesse-Darmstadt became a sovereign ruler and received the title of
Grand Duke when he left the Holy Roman Empire and joined the
Confederation of the Rhine as founding member [3: Abtheilung II; Band I;
p.157].
In 1815, Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt joined the
German Confederation.
In 1867, the Grand
Duke of
Hesse-Darmstadt joined the North German Confederation (only
for his possessions confined to those parts which were situated North of the
Main).
In 1871, the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt
joined the German Empire.
In the course of the
November Revolution of 1918, the Grand Duke of
Hesse-Darmstadt was deposed.
Notes:
1.
2. Prince Alexander (+1888), the third son Grand
Duke Ludwig II of Hesse-Darmstadt, left children of his unequal marriage with
Julia of Hauke (+1895), who bore the title of Princes of Battenberg.
In 1879, Prince Alexander of Battenberg (+1893),
the second son of Alexander and Julia, became Prince of Bulgaria. In 1886, he
resigned the throne, and left Bulgaria.
List of the Rulers
Ludwig IX (1719-1790) [1741-1790]
// 1741 in Hanau-Lichtenberg; 1768 in
Hesse-Darmstadt
Ludwig I (X as Landgrave) (1753-1830) [1790-1830]
Ludwig II (1777-1848) [1830-1848]
Ludwig III (1806-1877) [1848-1877]
Ludwig IV (1837-1892) [1877-1892]
Ernst-Ludwig (1868-1937) [1892-1918]
Titles [13: tome I; p.70]
1768-1803
Landgrave of Hesse;
Prince of Hersfeld;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhain, Nidda,
Hanau, Schaumburg, Isenburg, Büdingen;
1803-1806
Landgrave of Hesse;
Duke in Westphalia, Angaria;
Count-Palatine of the Rhine;
Prince of Hersfeld, Starkenburg;
Count of Arnsberg;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhain, Nidda,
Hanau, Schaumburg, Isenburg, Büdingen;
Lord of Friedberg, Wimpfen;
1806-1816
Grand Duke of Hesse;
Duke in Westphalia;
1816-1918 [12: 1839;
p.100]
Grand Duke of Hesse, the Rhine;
Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in
1789 [2: p.13-14]
The Upper Rhine:
= The Bench of Secular
Princes:
- Hesse-Darmstadt;
= The Bench of Counts &
Lords:
- Hanau-Lichtenberg;
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1789
[2: p.3, 7]
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Hesse-Darmstadt;
Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Wetterau
=
- Hanau-Lichtenberg (-);
Territorial Possessions in 1789 [7:
p.41-42] [2: p.18-21, 46]
The Imperial Circle of the Upper
Rhine:
- % Hesse;
- % Katzenelnbogen;
- % "Hanau-Lichtenberg" with Pirmasens,
Lichtenau, etc.;
The Knightly Circle of Franconia: [3:
Abtheilung I; Band II; p.243]
- Ernsthofen;
Non-sovereign outside the Empire:
= under the French Suzerainty =
- % "Hanau-Lichtenberg"
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1803
[3: Abtheilung II; Band I; p.358-360]
(Changes by the Final Recess of the Imperial
Deputation)
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:- Hesse-Darmstadt;
- Westphalia;
- Starkenburg;
Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since
1789 [13: tome I; p.164-167]
- In 1789, the
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt lost feudal rights in his possessions under the
French Suzerainty.
- In 1794, the French
armies occupied the possessions of the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt on the left
bank of the Rhine (% Hanau-Lichtenberg, Ochsenstein, etc.).
- In 1801, the Treaty
of Treaty of Lunéville
recognized these territorial
losses.
- In 1803, by the
Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation, the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt ceded
Lichtenau, % Katzenelnbogen, Braubach, Bad-Ems, Epstein, Kleeberg,
etc., and
acquired some possessions of the secularized Archbishoprics
of Mainz (Starkenburg, etc.) and of Köln (Westphalia, Arnsberg, etc.), some
possessions of the secularized Bishopric of Worms,
the Imperial Cities of Friedberg
and Wimpfen, and a portion of the Palatinate of the Rhine (Brensbach,
Nieder-Kainsbach, Lindenfels, Otzberg, Umstadt, etc.).
- In July 1806, by the
Confederation of the Rhine Act, the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt
mediatized Hesse-Homburg, the Burgraviate of Friedberg,
Königstein, Wittgenstein with Berleburg, Erbach, Breuberg,
a portion of the of possessions
of the Houses of Solms, the possessions of the Count of Schlitz,
etc.
- In 1810, the Grand
Duke of Baden ceded to Hesse-Darmstadt some of his
possessions:
Amorbach, Miltenberg, Heubach /
Kleinheubach, Umpfenbach, etc.
- In 1815, the
Congress of Vienna restored the independence of the Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg,
and gave to the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt territories that constituted the
Rhine Hesse / Rheinhessen (Mainz, Worms, Alzey,
Wöllstein, Bingen, Oppenheim,
Wörrstadt, Bechtheim,
Nieder-Olm, Ingelheim, etc..
- In 1815-1817, the
Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt exchanged some territories with his neighbors,
ceding Westphalia, Arnsberg, Wittgenstein, Amorbach, Miltenberg, Umpfenbach,
etc., and acquiring Bad-Vilbel, Kreuznach, Mosbach, etc.
- In 1816, the
mediatized Principality of Isenburg came under the sovereignty of
Hesse-Darmstadt.
- In March 1866, the
branch of Hesse-Homburg became extinct in the male line, and Hesse-Homburg
passed to the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, while Meisenheim fell to Prussia.
In September 1866, however, the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt was forced to cede
his new possession to Prussia, as he had supported Austria during the war
between these two powers.
2.2. Homburg +1866
[12: 1839; p.103-104]
In 1622, Friedrich I
(+1638), son of Landgrave Georg I of Hesse-Darmstadt,
received
Homburg as appanage and founded the Homburg branch. His
possessions were under the
Territorial Supremacy of Hesse-Darmstadt.
In 1768, by the
contract between the Darmstadt and Homburg branches known as
Vergleichspunktuation, the Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
became an Imperial immediate
territorial
ruler.
In July 1806,
the Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg lost his status of territorial ruler,
when, by the Confederation of the Rhine Act, Hesse-Darmstadt mediatized
his lands.
In 1815, the
Congress of Vienna restored the Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg as a territorial
ruler, and recognized his sovereignty.
In 1817, the Landgrave
of Hesse-Homburg joined the German Confederation.
In March 1866,
the branch of Hesse-Homburg became extinct in the male
line.
List of the Rulers
Friedrich V (1748-1820) [1751-1806; 1814-1820]
Friedrich VI (1769-1829) [1820-1829]
Ludwig (1770-1839) [1829-1830]
Philipp (1779-1846) [1830-1846]
Gustav (1781-1848) [1846-1848]
Ferdinand (1783- Mar 1866) [1848-Mar 1866]
Titles
>-1806 [13: tome I;
p.70]
Landgrave of Hesse;
Prince of Hersfeld;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Dietz, Ziegenhain,
Nidda, Schaumburg, Isenburg, Büdingen;
1815-1866 [ 12: 1839; p.103] [13: tome I;
p.70, 142]
Sovereign Landgrave of Hesse;
Prince of Hersfeld;
Count of Katzenelnbogen, Dietz, Ziegenhain,
Nidda, Schaumburg, Isenburg, Büdingen;
Territorial Possessions in 1789
The Imperial Circle of the Upper
Rhine:
- % Hesse;
Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since
1789 [12: 1839; p.103]
In 1815, the Landgraves of Hesse-Homburg acquired
Meisenhelm on the left bank of the Rhine.
Bibliography.
1. Büsching, Anton Friedrich. Neue
Erdbeschreibung (Hamburg : Bohn, 1754-).
2. Lancizolle, Carl Wilhelm von Uebersicht
der deutschen Reichsstandschafts- und Territorial-Verhältnisse : vor dem
französischen Revolutionskriege, der seitdem eingetretenen
Veränderungen und der gegenwärtigen Bestandtheile des deutschen Bundes
und der Bundesstaaten (Berlin : Dümmler, 1830).
3. Berghaus, Heinrich. Deutschland seit
hundert Jahren. Geschichte der Gebiets-Eintheilung und der politischen
Verfassung des Vaterlandes (Leipzig : 1859-1862; 5 vols) < I.Abt. Bd. 1-2:
Deutschland vor hundert Jahren 1859/1860. 2. Abt. Bd. 1-3: Deutschland vor
fünfzig Jahren, 1861/1862 >.
4. Stokvis, Anthony Marinus Hendrik Johan.
Manuel d'histoire, de généalogie et de chronologie de tous les
états du globe, depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à
nos jours (Leiden : E.J. Brill, 1887-1893; 3 vols; Reprint. Amsterdam : B.M.
Israël, 1966).
5. Himly, Auguste. Histoire de la
formation territoriale des etats de l'Europe centrale (Paris : Hachette, 1876; 2
vols).
6. Wallner, Emil. Die kreissässigen
Reichsterritorien am Vorabend des Luneviller Friedens (Innsbruck : 1929)
[Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung /
MIÖG; Ergänzungsband 11].
7. Hölzle, Erwin. Der deutsche
Südwesten am Ende des alten Reiches (Stuttgart : Württembergischen
Statistischen Landesamt, 1938).
8. Frank, Karl Friedrich.
Standeserhebungen und Gnadenakte für das Deutsche Reich und die
österreichischen Erblande bis 1806 sowie kaiserlich österreichische
bis 1823. (Senftenegg : 1967–1974; 5 vols).
9. Almanach de Gotha (Gotha : Justus Perthes,
1763-1944).
10. Isenburg, Wilhelm Karl Prinz von;
Freytag von Loringhoven, Frank Baron; Schwennicke, Detlev.
Europäische Stammtafeln (1935-).
11. Hassel, Georg. Statistischer Umriss
der sämtlichen europäischen Staaten in Hinsicht ihrer
Größe, Bevölkerung, Kulturverhältnisse, Handlung, Finanz-
und Militärverfassung und ihrer aussereuropäischen Besitzungen
(Braunschweig : Vieweg, 1805).
12. Genealogisches
Staats-handbuch.
13. Huberty, Michel; Giraud, Alain;
Magdelaine, F.; Magdeleine, B. L'Allemagne Dynastique (1976-).