Hesse (Hessen in German) is a region of west-central Germany. Originally the western part of the Landgraviate of Thuringia, in the mid 13th century it was inherited by the younger son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant, and became a distinct political entity. From the late 16th century it was generally divided into several branches, the most important of which were those of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) and Hesse-Darmstadt. In the early 19th century the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel was elevated to Elector of Hesse (1803), while the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt became the Grand Duke of Hesse (1806), later Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Electoral Hesse (Hesse-Kassel) was annexed by Prussia in 1866, while Grand Ducal Hesse (Hesse-Darmstadt) as lasted until the end of the German monarchies in 1918.
Landgraves of Hesse, 1264–1567
Landgraves of Hesse, 1264–1458
- Henry I the Child, 1264–1308
- Otto the Elder, son of Henry I, 1308–1328 in Upper Hesse (Marburg), reunited Hesse in 1311
- John, son of Henry I, 1308–1311 in Lower Hesse (Kassel)
- Henry II the Iron, son of Otto I, 1328–1376
- Louis the Junker, son of Otto I, 1336–1345 residing in Grebenstein
- Hermann I the Elder, son of Otto I, 1336–1370 residing in Nordeck
- Otto the Younger, son of Henry II the Iron, co-regent 1340–1366
- Hermann II the Learned, son of Louis the Junker, 1376–1413, co-regent since 1367
- Louis I the Peaceful 1413–1458
Landgraves of Lower Hesse (Kassel), 1458–1500
- Louis II the Frank, eldest son of Louis the Peaceful, 1458–1471
- William I the Elder, son of Louis II, 1471–1493
- William II the Middle, son of Louis II, 1493–1509, reunited Hesse in 1500
Landgraves of Upper Hesse (Marburg), 1458–1500
- Henry III the Rich, younger son of Louis the Peaceful, 1458–1483
- Louis III the Younger (died 1478)
- William III the Younger, 1483–1500
- 1500 reunited with Lower Hesse under William II
Landgraves of Hesse, 1500–1567
- Philip I the Magnanimous, son of William II, 1509–1567. Eldest son William IV the Wise, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel; second son Louis IV Landgraves of Hesse-Marburg; third son Philip the Younger Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels; fourth son George I Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.
Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel, 1567–1803
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| Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| William IV Wilhelm IV |
31 March 1567 | 25 August 1592 | eldest son of Philip the Magnanimous. Called "the Wise." |
| Maurice Moritz |
25 August 1592 | 17 March 1627 | |
| William V Wilhelm V |
17 March 1627 | 21 September 1637 | |
| William VI Wilhelm VI |
21 September 1637 | 16 July 1663 | |
| William VII Wilhelm VII |
16 July 1663 | 21 November 1670 | |
| Charles Karl |
21 November 1670 | 23 March 1730 | |
| Frederick I Friedrich I |
23 March 1730 | 25 March 1751 | also King of Sweden from 1720. Hesse-Kassel under the regency of his brother, William, later Landgrave William VIII. |
| William VIII Wilhelm VIII |
25 March 1751 | 1 February 1760 | brother of Frederick I; already regent from 1730 |
| Frederick II Friedrich II |
1 February 1760 | 31 October 1785 | |
| William IX Wilhelm IX |
31 October 1785 | 15 May 1803 | became elector of Hesse as William I in 1803. |
Landgraves of Hesse-Rotenburg, 1627–1834
- Hermann, third son of Maurice, 1627–1658
- Ernest, fifth son of Maurice, 1658–1693
- William, 1693–1725
- Ernest Leopold, 1725–1749
- Constantine, 1749–1778, inherited Eschwege in 1755
- Emanuel, 1778–1806 (died 1812)
- 1806 annexed by the Kingdom of Westphalia, 1813 restored under the supremacy of the Elector of Hesse
- Victor Amadeus, 1813–1834
- 1834 extinct, reunited with Hesse-Kassel
Landgraves of Hesse-Wanfried, 1627–1755
- Frederick,Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried-Eschwege, fourth son of Maurice, 1627–1646
- Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels, fifth son of Maurice, 1646–1693
- Charles, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried, son of Ernest, 1693–1711
- William, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried, son of Charles, 1711–1731
- Christian, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried, son of Charles, 1711 and 1731–1755
- 1755 united with Hesse-Rotenburg
Landgraves of Hesse-Rheinfels, 1627–1754
- Ernest, fifth son of Maurice, 1627–1693
- 1658 united with Hesse-Rotenburg, 1754 with Hesse-Kassel
Landgraves of Hesse-Philippsthal
- Philip, son of William VI, 1663–1721
- Charles I, 1721–1770
- William, 1770–1806 (died 1810)
- 1806 annexed by the Kingdom of Westphalia, 1813 restored under the supremacy of the Elector of Hesse
- Louis, 1813–1816
- Ernst Constantine, 1816–1849
- Charles II, 1849–1866
- 1866 annexed by Prussia
Landgraves of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld
- William, son of Philip, 1721–1761
- Frederick, 1761–1772
- Adolf, 1772–1803
- Charles, 1803–1806
- 1806 annexed by the Kingdom of Westphalia, 1813 restored under the supremacy of the Elector of Hesse
- Charles, 1813–1854 (restored)
- Alexis, 1854–1866
- 1866 annexed by Prussia
Landgraves of Hesse-Marburg, 1567–1604
| Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louis IV Ludwig IV |
31 March 1567 | 9 October 1604 | second son of Philip the Magnanimous. |
- 1604 extinct and disputed between Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt, 1648 divided between the two lines
Landgraves of Hesse-Rheinfels, 1567–1583
| Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip II | 31 March 1567 | 20 November 1583 | third son of Philip the Magnanimous. Called "the Younger." |
- 1583 extinct and divided between Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Marburg and Hesse-Darmstadt
Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1567–1806
| Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| George I Georg I |
31 March 1567 | 7 February 1596 | fourth son of Philip the Magnanimous |
| Louis V Ludwig V |
7 February 1596 | 27 June 1626 | son of George I. |
| George II Georg II |
27 June 1626 | 11 June 1661 | son of Louis V. |
| Louis VI Ludwig VI |
11 June 1661 | 24 April 1678 | son of George II |
| Louis VII Ludwig VII |
24 April 1678 | 31 August 1678 | first son of Louis VI |
| Ernest Louis Ernst Ludwig |
31 August 1678 | 12 September 1739 | second son of Louis VI |
| Louis VIII Ludwig VIII |
12 September 1739 | 17 October 1768 | son of Ernest Louis |
| Louis IX Ludwig IX |
17 October 1768 | 6 April 1790 | son of Louis VIII |
| Louis X Ludwig X |
6 April 1790 | 13 August 1806 | son of Louis IX. Became Grand Duke of Hesse 1806. |
Landgraves of Hesse-Butzbach, 1609–1643
- Philip, second son of George I of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1609–1643
Landgraves of Hesse-Homburg, 1622–1866
- Frederick I, third son of George I of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1622–1638
- William Christoph, 1638–1681, sold Homburg to his brother George Christian in 1669, but retained Bingenheim (Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg-Bingenheim)
- Margareta Elisabetha of Leiningen-Westerburg-Schaumburg, Regent 1638–1648
- George Christian, 1669–1671 Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
- Under mortgage to two merchants (1671–1673) and the Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt (1673–1679)
- Frederick II, son of Fredrick I, 1679–1708, Commander general of the army of Brandenburg (The Prince of Homburg), redeemed Homburg in 1679, regained Bingenheim in 1681
- Frederick III Jacob, 1708–1746, Cavalry general in the Netherlands
- Frederick IV, 1746–1751
- Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, 1751–1806
- Ulrike Louise von Solms-Braunfels, Regent 1751–1766
- 1806 Annexed by Hesse-Darmstadt, 1815 restored on the Congress of Vienna
- Frederick V, 1815–1820 (restored)
- Frederick VI, 1820–1829, Cavalry general in Austria
- Louis, 1829–1839, Infantry general in Prussia
- Philip, 1839–1846, Field marshall in Austria
- Gustav, 1846–1848, Cavalry general in Austria
- Ferdinand, 1848–1866, Cavalry general in Austria
- 1866 annexed by Prussia
Landgraves of Hesse-Braubach, 1625–1651
- John, son of Louis V, 1626–1651
Landgraves of Hesse-Itter, 1661–1676
- George III, second son of George II, 1661–1676
Electors of Hesse (-Kassel), 1803–1866
| Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| William I Wilhelm I |
15 May 1803 | 28 August 1807 | previously Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel as William IX; deposed |
| to the Kingdom of Westphalia, 1807-1813 | |||
| William I Wilhelm I |
30 October 1813 | 27 February 1821 | restored |
| William II Wilhelm II |
27 February 1821 | 20 November 1847 | His son Frederick William acted as regent from 30 September 1831 |
| Frederick William Friedrich Wilhelm |
20 November 1847 | 20 September 1866 | regent for his father from 30 September 1831. The electorate was annexed by Prussia in 1866 |
- 1866 annexed by Prussia
Grand Dukes of Hesse (-Darmstadt) and by Rhine, 1806–1918
| Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louis I Ludwig I |
13 August 1806 | 6 April 1830 | previously Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt as Louis X from 1790 |
| Louis II Ludwig II |
6 April 1830 | 16 June 1848 | |
| Louis III Ludwig III |
16 June 1848 | 13 June 1877 | |
| Louis IV Ludwig IV |
13 June 1877 | 13 March 1892 | |
| Ernest Louis Ernst Ludwig |
13 March 1892 | 9 November 1918 | abdicated |
- 1918 abdicated as the revolution transformed Hesse into a Volkstaat (People's State)
Heads of the non-reigning House of Hesse
Line Hesse-Kassel (since 1866)
- Frederick William, the former Elector, 1866–1875
- Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, 1875–1884, son of Prince William of Hesse-Kassel.
- Landgrave Frederick William II of Hesse, 1884–1888
- Landgrave Alexander Frederick, 1888–1925 (d.1945)
- Landgrave Frederick Charles, 1925–1940, elected king of Finland in 1918 but renounced the throne the same year
- Landgrave Philip, 1940–1980
- Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse (born 1926), 1980-present
Line of Hesse-Philippsthal (1866-1925)
- Karl the former Landgrave, 1866-1868
- Ernst 1868-1925
1925 the Line of Hesse-Philippsthal became extinct
Line of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (since 1866)
- Alexis the former Landgrave, 1866-1905
- Chlodwig 1905-1954
- Wilhelm 1954-present
Line Hesse-Darmstadt (1918–1968)
- Ernest Louis the former Grand Duke, 1918–1937
- George Donatus 1937
- Louis 1937–1968
- In 1968 the Line of Hesse-Darmstadt became extinct
See also
External links
- The History Files: Rulers of Hesse
- Genealogy of the Hessian noble family
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