, title = , image = Porträt Gustav Adolph Prinz zu Hessen-Homburg.jpg , caption = , reign = December 15th 1846–September 8th 1848 , coronation = , predecessor =

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

, successor =

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

, succession =

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 ...

, spouse = Princess Louise of Anhalt-Dessau , issue = Caroline, Princess Reuss of Greiz
Princess Elisabeth
Prince Frederick , house =

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

, father =

Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg Frederick V Louis William Christian, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (30 January 1748, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe – 20 January 1820, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe) was from 1751 to his death landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. He was born under Europe's Ancie ...

, mother =

Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt (2 March 1746, Bouxwiller, Bas-Rhin, Buchsweiler – 18 September 1821, Homburg) was Landgravine consort of Hesse-Homburg by marriage to Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. She had seven siblings who survived to ...

, birth_date = , birth_place = , death_date = , death_place = , place of burial = Gustav, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (17 February 1781 – 8 September 1848) was

landgrave Landgrave (german: Landgraf, nl, landgraaf, sv, lantgreve, french: landgrave; la, comes magnus, ', ', ', ', ') was a noble title used in the Holy Roman Empire, and later on in its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), a ...

of the German state 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 ...

from 1846 to 1848.

Early life

On 17 February 1781, Gustav was born the fourth son of

and his wife,

.''Letters of Princess Elizabeth of England'', pp. 150–51.''Hessen-Homburg, Gustav Adolph Friedrich Landgraf''. Gustav joined the Swedish army in service of his godfather

King Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was Monarchy of Sweden, King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a voca ...

, but left soon after in favour of an Austrian regiment. The prince saw action in the early 19th-century battles of Nördlingen,

Hohenlinden Hohenlinden (meaning "high linden trees"; colloquially: ''Linden''; in the Bavarian dialect: ''Hea-lin'') is a community in the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg. The city of Lynden, Washington is named after it, as is Linden, Alabama. Ho ...

, Ratisbon, Aspern-Essling,

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city limits, about 15 km (9 mi) northeas ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, and

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

. His sister-in-law, Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, later wrote that Gustav "gained as much fame and glory on the battlefield as any of his brothers." In 1818, Gustav married his niece, Princess Louise of Anhalt-Dessau, the same year Elizabeth married his eldest brother

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

. Gustav and Louise lived at Homburg Castle, and would eventually produce three children: Caroline, Elizabeth, and Frederick. The youngest, Frederick, contracted

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

when two-years-old but recovered. Gustav, Louise, and their children kept to themselves and did little socializing with their sister-in-law, Elizabeth, to her dismay. Their eldest child Caroline married

Henry XX, Prince Reuss of Greiz Heinrich XX, Prince Reuss of Greiz (german: Heinrich XX Fürst Reuß zu Greiz; 29 June 17948 November 1859) was Prince Reuss of Greiz from 1836 to 1859. Early life Heinrich XX was born at Offenbach, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, younger surviv ...

, in 1839.

Reign

In 1846, Gustav inherited rule of Hesse-Homburg from his brother,

. In reaction to a petition put forth by his people, in 1848 Gustav emancipated Homburg's Jews, decreeing that "in local and state affairs no difference shall henceforth be made between our

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and our

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish subjects." That same year, Hesse-Homburg was one of nine German states that allowed Jews to be elected to Parliament for the first time.''Revolution and Evolution'', p. 26. Due to an illness, his only son predeceased him; as a result, when Gustav died on 8 September 1848, he was succeeded by his brother

. In 1851, a monument was built in Gustav's honor in Homburg.

Issue

* Princess Caroline (1819–1872); married in 1839 to

(1794–1859) *Princess Elisabeth (1823–1864) *Prince Frederick (1830–1848)

Ancestry

References

Works cited * * * * * {{Authority control 1781 births 1848 deaths Landgraves of Hesse House of Hesse-Homburg Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary