Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
Encyclopedia
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire
. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse
between the four sons of Philip I
, the last Landgrave
of Hesse
.
The capital of this new state was Darmstadt
, hence the name. As a result of the Napoleonic wars
, the landgraviate was elevated to grand duchy
following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.
, youngest of the four sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
.
The Hesse-Marburg
line was extinct by 1604 and the succession dispute to these lands along with the sectarian differences between Calvinist Hesse-Kassel
and Lutheran Hesse-Darmstadt, led to a bitter, decades-long rivalry. Because the University of Marburg had become Calvinist, Hesse-Darmstadt founded the University of Giessen
as a Lutheran University in 1607. The conflict was continued in the broader contest of the Thirty Years' War
in which Hesse-Kassel sided with the Protestant cause and Hesse-Darmstadt sided with the Emperor.
Hesse-Darmstadt gained a great deal of territory by the secularizations and mediatizations authorized by the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803. Most notable was the acquisition of the duchy of Westphalia
, formerly owned by the Archbishop of Cologne, as well as territories from the Archbishop of Mainz and the Bishop of Worms.
In 1806, upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
and the dispossession of his cousin, the Elector of Hesse-Kassel
, the Landgrave took the title of Grand Duke of Hesse.
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a unity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided between the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.-History:...
between the four sons of Philip I
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I of Hesse, , nicknamed der Großmütige was a leading champion of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany....
, the last Landgrave
Landgrave
Landgrave was a title used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
.
The capital of this new state was Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, hence the name. As a result of the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, the landgraviate was elevated to grand duchy
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.
History
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt came into existence in 1567, as the portion of GeorgeGeorge I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
George I of Hesse-Darmstadt was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1567 to 1596.Born on 10 September 1547 in Kassel, he was the fourth son of Philip I the Magnanimous of Hesse and Christine of Saxony....
, youngest of the four sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I of Hesse, , nicknamed der Großmütige was a leading champion of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany....
.
The Hesse-Marburg
Hesse-Marburg
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg was a German landgraviate, and independent principality, within the Holy Roman Empire, that existed between 1485 and 1500, and between 1567 and 1604/1650....
line was extinct by 1604 and the succession dispute to these lands along with the sectarian differences between Calvinist Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
and Lutheran Hesse-Darmstadt, led to a bitter, decades-long rivalry. Because the University of Marburg had become Calvinist, Hesse-Darmstadt founded the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
as a Lutheran University in 1607. The conflict was continued in the broader contest of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
in which Hesse-Kassel sided with the Protestant cause and Hesse-Darmstadt sided with the Emperor.
Hesse-Darmstadt gained a great deal of territory by the secularizations and mediatizations authorized by the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803. Most notable was the acquisition of the duchy of Westphalia
Duchy of Westphalia
The Duchy of Westphalia was a historic territory in the greater region of Westphalia, located in the east of modern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Originally, Westphalia formed with Angria and Eastphalia one of the three main regions of Saxony...
, formerly owned by the Archbishop of Cologne, as well as territories from the Archbishop of Mainz and the Bishop of Worms.
In 1806, upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and the dispossession of his cousin, the Elector of Hesse-Kassel
William I, Elector of Hesse
William I, Elector of Hesse was the eldest surviving son of Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, the daughter of George II.-Early life:...
, the Landgrave took the title of Grand Duke of Hesse.