Constantine of Hessen-Rotenburg (May 24, 1716 in

Rotenburg Rotenburg may refer to: *Rotenburg (district), Lower Saxony, Germany *Rotenburg an der Wümme, capital of the district *Rotenburg an der Fulda, near Kassel in Hesse *Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in the Franconia region of Bavaria *Hersfeld-Rotenburg, ...

– December 30, 1778 in Schloss Wildeck) was

Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg Hesse-Rotenburg is a former German landgraviate created from the landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel in 1627. Its independence ended in 1834 when the estates not bequeathed to princes Victor and Chlodwig of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst were reun ...

from 1749 until his death.

Early life

Constantine was the son of Landgrave

Ernest Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg Ernst Leopold of Hesse-Rotenburg (15 June 1684 – 29 November 1749) was Landgrave of Hessen-Rheinfels-Rotenburg between 1725 and 1749. Born in Langenschwalbach, he was a son of landgrave William, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg and Countess Ma ...

and his wife, Princess Eleonore of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort.

Personal life

Constantine married in 1745 with Countess Marie ''Sophia'' Theresia Hedwigis Eva von

Starhemberg The House of Starhemberg is the name of an old and distinguished Austrian nobility, Austrian noble family originating from Upper Austria, specifically Steyr and :de:Burgstall Steinbach, Steinbach. Members of the family played important polit ...

(1722-1773), sister of

Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg Johann Georg Adam Graf von Starhemberg, since 1765 Fürst von Starhemberg (''prince of Starhemberg'') (10 August 1724 in London – 19 April 1807 in Vienna) was an Austrian diplomat, minister, chief chamberlain and close confidant of Empres ...

and widow of

William Hyacinth, Prince of Nassau-Siegen Prince William Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen (3 April 1667 in Brussels – 18 February 1743 in Hadamar) was a Prince of Nassau-Siegen. He also claimed the Principality of Orange. Early life William Hyacinth was born as the eldest surviving son ...

. He had 11 children from his first marriage, including : * Charles Emmanuel (1746–1812), his successor. * Charles Constantine, a supporter of the French Revolution, better known as ''Citoyen Hesse''. *

Hedwig Hedwig may refer to: People and fictional characters * Hedwig (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Grzegorz Hedwig (born 1988), Polish slalom canoeist * Johann Hedwig, (1730–1799), German botanist * Romanus Adol ...

(1748–1801), married

Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne (Jacques Léopold Charles Godefroy; 15 January 1746 – 7 February 1802) was a member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the sovereign dukes of Bouillon. He was the last Duke of Bouillon succeeding his ...

Duke of Bouillon The Duchy of Bouillon (french: Duché de Bouillon) was a duchy comprising Bouillon and adjacent towns and villages in present-day Belgium. The state originated in the 10th century as property of the Lords of Bouillon, owners of Bouillon Castle. ...

. When his first wife died in 1773, he remarried in 1775 with the French Countess Johanna Henriette de

Bombelles Bombelles is the name of an old French aristocratic family which originated from Lorraine. Members of the family later settled in Austria and Portugal. They held the title of Marquis in France and Count in Austria. Notable members * Jeanne Renee ...

(1751-1822). They had no children.

Reign

Under Constantine,

Hesse-Wanfried The mini-state Hesse-Wanfried existed from about 1700 to 1731. It was a principality (Landgraviate) of the Holy Roman Empire in the area of the today's Land of Hesse. Governed by a cadet line of the House of Hesse under the sovereignty of the land ...

was in 1755 returned to Hesse-Rotenburg after the death of Christian of Hesse-Wanfried. Hesse-Rotenburg, which had been divided in 1648, was now again reunited and remained so until the

Treaty of Lunéville The Treaty of Lunéville (or Peace of Lunéville) was signed in the Treaty House of Lunéville on 9 February 1801. The signatory parties were the French Republic and Emperor Francis II, who signed on his own behalf as ruler of the hereditary doma ...

in 1801. He became a knight in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

in 1759.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine of Hessen-Rotenburg House of Hesse-Kassel 18th-century German people Landgraves of Hesse-Rotenburg Knights of the Golden Fleece 1716 births 1778 deaths