History
The line of Landgraves was founded by William IV, surnamed the Wise, eldest son of Philip I. On his father's death in 1567 he received one half of the Landgraviate of Hesse, with Kassel as his capital; and this formed the Landgraviate. In 1604 additions were made when Maurice, inherited the Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg from his childless uncle, Louis IV.
In 1605 turned Protestant, became involved later in the Thirty Years' War, and, after being forced to cede some of his territories to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, abdicated in favour of his son William V, his younger sons receiving apanages which created several cadet lines of the house, of which that of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Rotenburg survived till 1834. On the death of William V, whose territories had been conquered by the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, his widow Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, as regent for her son William VI, reconquered the country and, with the aid of the French and Swedes, held it, together with part of Westphalia.
At the Peace of Westphalia, accordingly, Hesse-Kassel was augmented by the larger part of the County of Schaumburg and by the Hersfeld Abbey, secularized as a principality of the Empire. The Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt introduced the rule of primogeniture. William VI, who came of age in 1650, was an enlightened patron of learning and the arts. He was succeeded by his son William VII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, an infant, who died in 1670, and was succeeded by his brother Charles I.
Charles's, chief claim to remembrance is that he was the first ruler to adopt the system of hiring his soldiers out to foreign powers as mercenaries, as a means of improving the national finances. Frederick I of Sweden, the next landgrave, had become by marriage King of Sweden, and on his death was succeeded in the landgraviate by his brother William VIII, who fought as an ally of Kingdom of Great Britain during the Seven Years' War.
From his successor Frederick II, who had become a Catholic, 22,000 Hessian troops were hired by Kingdom of Great Britain for about £3,191,000, to assist in the war against the Thirteen Colonies. This action, often bitterly criticized, has of late years found apologists . It is argued that the troops were in any case mercenary, and that the practice was quite common. Whatever opinion may be held as to this, it is certain that Frederick II spent the money well: he did much for the development of the economic and intellectual improvement of the country.
Since the early years of the Reformation the House of Hesse was clearly Protestant, with only a few exceptions. Landgraves Philip I, William V, and Maurice married descendants of King George of Bohemia. From William VI onwards, mothers of the heads of Hesse-Kassel were always descended from William the Silent, the leader of the Dutch to independence on basis of Calvinism.
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel expanded in 1604 when Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, inherited the Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg from his childless uncle, Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg (1537–1604).
During the Thirty Years' War, Calvinist Hesse-Kassel proved to be Sweden's most loyal German ally. Landgrave William V and, after his death in 1637, his widow Amelia of Hanau, a granddaughter of William the Silent, as regent supported the Protestant cause and the French and Swedes throughout the war and maintained an army, garrisoning many strongholds, while Hesse-Kassel itself was occupied by Imperial troops.
William V was succeeded by Landgraves William VI and William VII. Under King Frederick I of Sweden, Hesse-Kassel was in personal union with Sweden from 1730–51. But in fact the King's younger brother, Prince William, ruled in Kassel as regent until he succeeded his brother, reigning as William VIII until 1760.
Although it was a fairly widespread practice at the time to rent out troops to other princes, it was the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel who became infamous for hiring out contingents of their army as mercenaries during the 17th and 18th centuries. Hesse-Kassel maintained 7% of its entire population under arms throughout the eighteenth century. This force served as a source of mercenaries for other European states.
Frederick II, notably, hired out so many troops to his nephew King George III of Great Britain for use in the American War of Independence, that "Hessian" has become an American slang term for all German soldiers deployed by the British in the War. One of these regiments that saw service in America was the Musketeer Regiment Prinz Carl.
During the 17th century, the landgraviate was internally divided for dynastic purposes, without allodial rights, into:
- the Landgraviate of Hesse-Rotenburg (1627–1834)
- the Landgraviate of Hesse-Wanfried-(Rheinfels) (1649–1755)
- the Landgraviate of Hesse-Philippsthal
- Landgraviate of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld
These were reunited with the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel when each particular branch died out without issue.
Read more about this topic: Landgraviate Of Hesse-Kassel