Frederick V Louis William Christian, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (30 January 1748,
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe () is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, on the southern slope of the Taunus mountains. Bad Homburg is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. The town's official name is ''Bad Homburg v.d.Höhe'', w ...
– 20 January 1820, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe) was from 1751 to his death
landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg was formed into a separate landgraviate in 1622 by the landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt; it was to be ruled by his son, although it did not become independent of Hesse-Darmstadt until 1668. It was briefly divided into Hesse-Homburg and ...
.
He was born under Europe's
Ancien Regime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word fo ...
but lived to see the
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...
, the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, the fall of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
, the rise and fall of
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
and its establishment of a new geopolitical order in Europe and Germany. Unlike his predecessors and successors, he was not keen on war and instead became one of the patrons of German
Geistesgeschichte
''Geistesgeschichte'' (from German '' Geist'', "spirit" or "mind" ere connoting the metaphysical realm, in contradistinction to the material">metaphysical.html" ;"title="ere connoting the metaphysical">ere connoting the metaphysical realm, in cont ...
, corresponding with
Lavater
Johann Kaspar (or Caspar) Lavater (; 15 November 1741 – 2 January 1801) was a Swiss poet, writer, philosopher, physiognomist and theologian.
Early life
Lavater was born in Zürich, and was educated at the '' Gymnasium'' there, where J. J. Bo ...
and
Klopstock
Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (; 2 July 1724 – 14 March 1803) was a German poet. His best known work is the epic poem ''Der Messias'' ("The Messiah"). One of his major contributions to German literature was to open it up to exploration outsid ...
and visiting
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
,
D’Alembert
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''Encyclopédie ...
and
Albrecht von Haller. He was caustic, conservative but popular with his people.
Life
Regency and accession
He was born in 1748, the only son of
Frederick IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Frederick IV Charles Louis William of Hesse-Homburg (15 April 1724 in Braunfels – 7 February 1751 in Bad Homburg), was Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.
Life
Frederick Charles was born at Castle Braunfels as the first child of Prince Casimir ...
and Princess
Ulrike Louise of Solms-Braunfels
Ulrike Louise of Solms-Braunfels (1 May 1731 in Hungen, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt – 12 September 1792 in Bad Homburg) was a German regent, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg by marriage to Frederick IV of Hesse-Homburg , and regent of Hess ...
(1731–1792), daughter of
Frederick William, Prince of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels (11 January 1696 in Braunfels – 24 February 1761, Braunfels) was the first Prince of Solms-Braunfels. He was the son of Count Wilhelm Moritz of Solms-Braunfels (1651–1724) and his wife Princess Magd ...
. His father died when he was only three and he succeeded to the landgraviate -
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor allowed his mother to become his regent, despite opposition from
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, who had occupied Hesse-Homburg in 1747. Councillor
Friedrich Karl Kasimir von Creutz
Friedrich Karl Kasimir von Creutz (24 November 1724 - 6 September 1770) was a German poet, philosopher, writer and politician. He was born in Bad Homburg, where he also died, and was a councillor and ally of Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg ...
fought on Frederick's behalf and was even imprisoned for 18 months, leading to the case being tried before the
Reichshofrat and Francis himself. Finally in 1756 Louis was ordered out of Hesse-Homburg.
On 22 March 1766 he reached majority early thanks to von Creutz's efforts and began ruling the landgraviate. He ended the dispute with Hesse-Darmstadt via a treaty in which Hesse-Darmstadt renounced all claims to Hesse-Homburg but still represented it on the Reichstag and Kreistag rather than Hesse-Homburg directly representing itself. This new status quo was cemented on 27 September 1768 by Frederick's dynastic and diplomatic marriage to
Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt, the Francophile daughter of
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Ludwig) (15 December 1719 – 6 April 1790) was the reigning Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1768 to 1790.
Louis IX and his wife became the most recent common ancestors of all current European monarchs ...
and
Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken
Caroline of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken (Caroline Henriette Christiane Philippine Louise; 9 March 1721 – 30 March 1774) was Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt by marriage to Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was famed as one of the mo ...
. It was not a love match - in his old age he wrote in his memoirs that he was yet to know love, as is also evidenced by his long absences and by remarks in letters written about him by noble families in the landgraviate.
Education
During his minority Frederick had been educated by his pious
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
,
Pietist
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...
and humanist tutor Alexander von Sinclair (father of the future diplomat
Isaac von Sinclair
Isaac von Sinclair (3 October 1775 – 29 April 1815) was a German writer and diplomat. He was a friend of the poet Friedrich Hölderlin.
Life Youth
Born in Homburg vor der Höhe in 1775, he came from a family of Scottish ancestry whose sur ...
). He was criticised for over-educating Frederick but answered "Is he called to be a huntsman or one of the high-born wastrels with whom Germany is teeming? Should he spend his time gaming, hunting and walking or will he instead need to read the reports and expert opinions of his councillors and make decisions about them?" Sinclair's strict education can be almost wholly reconstructed, using court records and reports to his mother, who showed no interest in her son's education. It formed the foundation for his later convictions that piety and self-knowledge were the routes to salvation.
Frederick stammered, impeding his education in public speaking, but Sinclair taught him philosophy, maths, architecture, chess and pianoforte. A military career was out of the question, however, since Frederick was too dynastically valuable to risk his life. In line with Sinclair's Calvinist-Pietist ideals, Frederick managed the state finances as honestly as he could, though he often had to ask for loans from bankers in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
or
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
. He did not manage to correct the major financial mismanagement he had inherited, despite efforts by specialists such as
Friedrich Karl von Moser. Even as late as 1780 his administration was unable to draw up a list of all debts, receipts and expenditure and Frederick's intent to put all decrees in writing seemed impossible - the mismanagement was handed on to Frederick's successor.
Arts and Freemasonry
Scholars, poets and musicians were always welcome at Frederick's court.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...
stayed there, falling in love there and mentioning the
White Tower in his "Pilgrim's Morning Song". Two of Frederick's main concerns were his library and the state's school system - he even continued to buy books when he was behind on salary payments to court officials. Caroline enjoyed French works, but Frederick preferred non-fiction, collecting works on philosophy, history, military science and theology. A passionate traveler and travel writer, he also collected other people's travel writings. Brauer writes that he "generally liked to write philosophical-political-religious treatises. It seemed to him that the best enlightenment that could be taught in schools was that Christianity was God's will divinely revealed and that life in heaven was the ultimate aim of life on earth - he also felt it best to limit the number of literate people, secondary schools and universities". Despite his piety, he was a strong backer of the Société Patriotique de Hesse-Hombourg, a short-lived project to centre for coordinating Enlightenment ideas from across the whole of Europe, granting it financial support.
On 27 August 1782 he was admitted as a freemason by
Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel
Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel (, German and ; 19 December 1744 – 17 August 1836) was a cadet member of the house of Hesse-Kassel and a Danish general field marshal. Brought up with relatives at the Danish court, he spent most of his life in De ...
just outside the Wilhelmsbader Konvent in the presence of
Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and
Prince Christian of Hesse-Darmstadt. He is said to have failed to keep his promise to seek out a lodge, he reached the fifth grade (Ecuyer) of the
Rectified Scottish Rite
The Rectified Scottish Rite, also known as Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City or Knights Benefactor of the Holy City (french: Chevalier bienfaisant de la Cité sainte) is a Christian Masonic rite founded in Lyon (France) in 1778.
Ori ...
. This informed his encounters with Goethe and Klopstock, who were also Freemasons. The foundation of the "Friedrich zum Nordstern" lodge in Homburg in 1817 would have been inconceivable without his protection and attention - it outlived him, lasting until it was shut down by his anti-Masonic successor Frederick VI.
In 1802 Alexander von Sinclair's son Isaac asked Frederick for a permanent position as court librarian for his old friend
Friedrich Hölderlin
Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticism. Part ...
, who had fallen into melancholy after professional setbacks and the death of his mistress. Frederick had known Hölderlin since 1798 and Frederick agreed, on condition that Sinclair pay Hölderlin's salary himself. Hölderlin took up the post in June 1804 but since Frederick himself assisted in the library, he had little to do. He dedicated his poem ''Patmos'' to Frederick, which may also have been a commission from Sinclair - Frederick had initially hope that Klopstock would write him such a hymn.
Occupation and restoration
He once nicknamed himself "Frederick the Hermit" but even he could not wholly ignore the outside world, especially when in 1795 a French Revolutionary army under
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Count Jourdan (29 April 1762 – 23 November 1833), was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon I in ...
broke through into the Rhein-Main-Gebiet. From then on Homburg was under almost constant military occupation and the state had to pay contributions to France. Generals
Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr (; 13 April 1764 – 17 March 1830) was a French military commander in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire. He is regarde ...
and
Michel Ney
Michel Ney, 1st Duke of Elchingen, 1st Prince of the Moskva (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one o ...
even moved their headquarters into Bad Homburg Castle in 1798, ejecting Frederick and his family to private lodgings in then-neutral Prussia (his six adult sons were already on military service). When
Francis II dissolved the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
, Frederick refused to join the
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria an ...
and so in 1806 Hesse-Homburg was annexed to Hesse-Darmstadt as part of the
German mediatization, despite Frederick's pleas to Napoleon himself. Its administration was relocated to
Gießen
Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 univers ...
and Frederick retreated to landscaping his "Tempe" gardens at the foot of the
Taunus
The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and '' Altkönig'' (798 m).
The Taunus range span ...
, seeking a cure in the
Schlangenbad
Schlangenbad is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
The community, which is a health resort (''Kurort''), lies above sea level in a sheltered location on ...
baths and staying in a suite of rooms at the 'Stadt Ulm' hotel in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
.
After the fall of Napoleon, Hesse-Homburg was one of a few mediatised states which regained their former status, even winning total independence from Hesse-Darmstadt for the first time. This was thanks to his youngest daughter
Marianne
Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty.
Marianne is displayed in ...
(who had married into the Prussian royal family in 1810), his six sons' military service with Prussia and his (albeit minor) family connection to the
House of Hesse
The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918. Burke's Royal Families of the World, ...
. This was confirmed via the
German Confederation Constitution
The Constitution of the German Confederation or German Federal Act (german: Deutsche Bundesakte) was the constitution enacted the day before the Congress of Vienna's Final Act, which established the German Confederation of 39 states, created fr ...
of 1815, which gave Frederick back his original lands and even added the 176 km²
Grand Bailiwick of Meisenheim
Meisenheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. Meisenheim is a state-recognized recreational resort (''Erholungsort'') and it is ...
on the west bank of the Rhine, taken from the French
department of Sarre. He had hoped for better (including an increase to neighbouring
Rosbach vor der Höhe
Rosbach vor der Höhe is a town in the district of Wetteraukreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 kilometres north of Frankfurt am Main, on the eastern side of the Taunus mountain range. The town has a population of approximately 12,000.
Hi ...
and
Oberusel) and complained "What should I do with this district in China?".
[Günther F. Anthes, ''Hessen-Homburg und Meisenheim.'' In: Mitteilungen des Vereins für Geschichte und Landeskunde zu Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Band 35 (1982). Zur 1200-Jahrfeier herausgegeben im Auftrag der Stadt Bad Homburg] However, Hesse-Homburg was now a sovereign state again, joining the
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
as its smallest state on 7 July 1817. In 1818 his eldest son married into the British royal family by his union with
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
's daughter Elizabeth. In 1819 Frederick established the Schwerterkreuz medal for military service in Hesse-Homburg's armies (now rare as it was only awarded sixteen times) and the following year he died in the castle at Bad Homburg.
Issue
He and Caroline had 15 children, of whom the following 11 survived to adulthood:
*
Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Frederick VI (30 July 1769 – 2 April 1829) reigned as Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg from 1820 until his death in 1829.
Biography
Born in Homburg, Hesse, on 30 July 1769, Friedrich Joseph Ludwig Carl August was the eldest son of the incumbent L ...
(1769–1829); married in 1818
Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (1770–1840), a daughter of King
George III of the United Kingdom.
*
Louis William, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Louis William, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (29 August 1770 in Homburg – 19 January 1839 in Luxembourg), was Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg from 1829 until his death.
Biography
Louis was the second son of Landgrave Frederick V and his wife Carol ...
(1770–1839); married in 1804 Princess Augusta of
Nassau-Usingen
Nassau-Usingen was a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the Upper Rhenish Circle that became a principality in 1688.
The origin of the county lies in the medieval county of Weilnau that was acquired by the counts of Nassau-Weilburg in 1602.
Tha ...
(1778–1846), divorced 1805.
*
Landgravine Ulrike Louise ''Karoline'' of Hesse-Homburg (1771–1854); married in 1791
Louis Frederick II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Louis Frederick II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Rudolstadt, 9 August 1767 – Rudolstadt, 28 April 1807) was from 1793 to 1807 reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
Life
Louis Frederick was born on 9 August 1767 in Rudolstadt and ...
(1767–1807).
* Landgravine Louise Ulrike of Hesse-Homburg (1772–1854); married in 1793 Prince Charles Günther of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany, with its capital at Rudolstadt.
History
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands. Since t ...
(1771–1825).
*
Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg
, title = Hereditary Princess of Anhalt-Dessau
, image = Johann Friedrich August Tischbein - Christiane Amalie Erbprinzessin von Anhalt-Dessau.jpg
, caption =
, reign =
, coronation =
, predecessor =
, successor =
, ...
(1774–1846); married in 1792
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau (27 December 1769 – 27 May 1814), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and heir to the principality (and from 1807 the duchy) of Anhalt-Dessau.
He was born in Dessau, the only surviving child of Leopold III, ...
(1769–1814).
*
Landgravine Auguste of Hesse-Homburg
, title = Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
, image = Landgravine Auguste of Hesse-Homburg.jpg
, caption =
, reign =
, coronation =
, predecessor =
, successor =
, s ...
(1776–1871); married in 1818
(1778–1819).
*
Philip, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (1779–1846); married (
morganatically
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spou ...
) in 1838 Rosalie Antonie, Baroness
Schimmelpfennig von der Oye, née Pototschnig (1806–1845), "Countess of Naumburg".
*
Gustav, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (1781–1848); married in 1818
Princess Louise of Anhalt-Dessau (1798–1858).
*
Ferdinand, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Ferdinand Heinrich Friedrich (26 April 1783 – 24 March 1866) was a German nobleman and the last landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.
Life
He was born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe in 1783, the fifth of six sons born to Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse- ...
(1783–1866)
*
Landgravine Marie Anna of Hesse-Homburg
Princess Maria Anna of Hesse-Homburg (13 October 1785, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe – 14 April 1846, Berlin) was a German noblewoman. She was the most senior woman at the Prussian court from 1810 to 1823. She was styled as "Princess Wilhelm of Pru ...
(1785–1846); married in 1804
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Karl of Prussia (1783–1851)
*
Landgrave Leopold of Hesse-Homburg (1787–1813); killed at the
Battle of Großgörschen
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
.
Ancestry
References
* Ursula Brauer: ''Friedrich V. Ludwig, Landgraf von Hessen-Homburg''. In:
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon
The ''Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon'' (''BBKL'') is a German biographical encyclopedia covering persons related to the history of the church, philosophy and literature, founded 1975 by Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz
Friedrich Wilhelm B ...
(BBKL). Band 27, Bautz, Nordhausen 2007, , p. 321–327.
* Johann Georg Breidenstein: ''Todesfeier des weiland durchlauchtigsten Fürsten und Herrn Friedrich Ludwig souverainen Landgrafen von Hessen.'' Frankfurt a.M. 1820
Digitalisat
* Werner Kirchner:
'. In:
Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 5, Duncker & Humblot, Berlín 1961, , p. 506 f.
* Friedrich Lotz: ''Geschichte der Stadt Bad Homburg vor der Höhe.'' Band II. Kramer, Frankfurt a. M. 1964
* Fried Lübbecke: ''Kleines Vaterland Homburg vor der Höhe.'' Kramer, Frankfurt am Main 1981,
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 05 of Hesse-Homburg, Landgrave
1748 births
1820 deaths
House of Hesse-Homburg
Landgraves of Hesse