Henry I of Hesse "the Child" (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
: ''Heinrich das Kind'') (24 June 1244 – 21 December 1308) was the first
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
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 ...
. He was the son of
Henry II, Duke of
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to:
Place names in Europe
* London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany
Belgium
* Province of Bra ...
and
Sophie of Thuringia
Sophie of Thuringia (20 March 1224 – 29 May 1275) was the second wife and only Duchess consort of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Lothier. She was the heiress of Hesse which she passed on to her son, Henry upon her retention of the territory fol ...
.
Life
In 1247, as
Heinrich Raspe
Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV, but his contested ...
,
Landgrave of Thuringia
This is a list of the rulers of Thuringia, a historical and political region of Central Germany.
Kings of Thuringia
*450–500 Bisinus
*500–530 Baderich
*500–530 Berthachar
*500–531 Herminafried
:''Conquered by the Franks ...
, died without issue, conflict arose about the future of Thuringia and Hesse. The succession was disputed between Heinrich Raspe's nephew and his niece:
Sophie
Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
was the daughter of Heinrich Raspe's brother
Ludwig IV and claimed the territories on behalf of her son Henry, while
Henry the Illustrious
Henry III, called Henry the Illustrious (''Heinrich der Erlauchte'') (c. 1215 – 15 February 1288) from the House of Wettin was Margrave of Meissen and last Margrave of Lusatia (as Henry IV) from 1221 until his death; from 1242 also Landgrave ...
, margrave of Meissen, was the son of Heinrich Raspe's sister
Jutta
The feminine name Jutta (pronounced "yutta") is the German form of Judith. There is also an alternative theory that it could be derived from the Germanic name ''Eutha'', meaning "mankind, child, descendant", or from a short form of ''Henrietta'' ...
. Another competitor were the
Archbishops of Mainz
The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
, who could claim Hesse was a fiefdom of the archbishop and now, after the extinction of the
Ludowingians
The Ludovingians or Ludowingians (german: Ludowinger) were the ruling dynasty of Thuringia and Hesse during the 11th to 13th centuries.
Their progenitor was Louis the Bearded who was descended from a noble family whose genealogy cannot be pre ...
, demanded its return to them. Sophia, supported by the Hessian nobility, succeeded in retaining Hesse against her cousin, who in 1264 accepted the division of the Ludowingian inheritance: Henry of Meissen received Thuringia, while Sophia's son Heinrich would inherit
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 ...
. In the following year, the Archbishop Werner II von Eppenstein acceded to this outcome in the Treaty of Langsdorf, accepting Henry as his liege-man and Landgrave of Hesse.
At this time, the landgraviate of Hesse consisted of the region between
Wolfhagen
Wolfhagen () is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 12 km southeast of Bad Arolsen, and 23 km west of Kassel on the German Timber-Frame Road. In 1992, the town hosted the 32nd Hessentag
The Hessenta ...
,
Zierenberg
Zierenberg is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 19 km east of Bad Arolsen, and 15 km northwest of Kassel on the German Timber-Frame Road.
Local council
The elections from 06. March 2016 showed the foll ...
,
Eschwege
Eschwege (), the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany. In 1971, the town hosted the eleventh ''Hessentag'' state festival.
Geography
Location
The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Wer ...
,
Alsfeld
Alsfeld () is a town in the center of Hesse, in Germany.
Located about north of Frankfurt, Alsfeld is in the center of Hesse and part of the densely populated Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. It is well known for its well-preserved old ...
,
Grünberg,
Frankenberg and
Biedenkopf
Biedenkopf () is a spa town in western Hesse, Germany with a population of 13,491 (2020).
Geography
Location
The town of Biedenkopf lies in the west of Marburg-Biedenkopf district. Ringed by mountains reaching up to above sea level – the ...
. In the same year, Henry acquired a part of the county of Gleiberg with
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 ...
from the
Counts palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
of
Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
. The landgraviate was centred on the towns of
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
, where Henry took up his residence since 1277, and
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
, where his grandmother
Saint Elisabeth
Elizabeth (also spelled Elisabeth; Hebrew: אֱלִישֶׁבַע / אֱלִישָׁבַע "My God has sworn", Standard Hebrew: '' Elišévaʿ'' / ''Elišávaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew: ''ʾĔlîšéḇaʿ'' / ''ʾĔlîšāḇaʿ''; Greek: Ἐλισ ...
was buried and where Henry built the Castle Marburg.
Struggle for possession of Naumburg
Henry again got into conflict with his liege-lord, the Archbishop, about the possession of
Naumburg
Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNES ...
. On behalf of the Archbishop, Henry was outlawed in 1274 by King
Rudolf I of Habsburg
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death.
Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...
, but after Henry had supported Rudolph in the war against
Otakar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his deat ...
and had helped to conquer
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
1276, Rudolph reinstated Henry. In 1290 Henry defeated the Archbishop in the battle of
Fritzlar
Fritzlar () is a small town (pop. 15,000) in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history.
The town has a medieval center ringed by a wall with numerous watch towers. Thirty-eight meters (125& ...
and could henceforth maintain his territory.
Though Henry never relinquished his own claim on
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to:
Place names in Europe
* London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany
Belgium
* Province of Bra ...
, he supported his nephew
John of Brabant against
Guelders
The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.
Geography
The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in pr ...
and
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
in the
Limburg succession war.
Elevation to prince of the realm
On 12 May 1292, Henry was made a ''Reichsfürst'' (prince of the realm) by King
Adolf of Nassau, freeing Hesse of the supremacy of the Archbishop of Mainz. Henry was bestowed with
Eschwege
Eschwege (), the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany. In 1971, the town hosted the eleventh ''Hessentag'' state festival.
Geography
Location
The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Wer ...
and the Boyneburg (with Sontra), strengthening his position in Hesse. By skillful diplomacy he gained the cities of Sooden-Allendorf,
Kaufungen
Kaufungen is a municipality in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated in the narrow valley of the river Losse, surrounded by the steep, wooded hills of the Kaufunger Wald, approx. 10 kilometres east of Kassel.
Geography
Div ...
,
Witzenhausen
Witzenhausen is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeastern Hesse, Germany.
It was granted town rights in 1225, and until 1974, it was a district seat.
The University of Kassel maintains a satellite campus in Witzenhausen at which is ...
,
Immenhausen
Immenhausen () is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 12 km north of Kassel on the German Timber-Frame Road. The town has 7,098 inhabitants as of July 2020, including the northern village of Mariendorf and easte ...
,
Grebenstein
Grebenstein () is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 16 km northwest of Kassel on the German Timber-Frame Road. In 1762 it was the scene of a skirmish between British and French troops during the Seven Years' ...
,
Wanfried
Wanfried is a town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeasternmost Hesse, Germany. It is classified as a ''Landstadt'', a designation given in Germany to a municipality that is officially a town (''Stadt''), but whose population is below 5,000. It ...
,
Staufenberg,
Trendelburg
Trendelburg () is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany with a population of 5,282 on 30 September 2009. It is situated on the river Diemel, north of Kassel.
The town is twinned with Pocklington, England.
Trendelburg is located o ...
and
Reinhardswald
The Reinhardswald () is a range of hills up to and covering an area of over 200 km²
in the .
In 1263 Henry had married Adelheid of Brunswick, daughter of Duke
Otto of Brunswick, who bore him four daughters and the sons Henry ("the Younger") and
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fro ...
. After Adelheid's death in 1274, Henry had married Mechthild, daughter of
Dietrich VI, Count of Cleves
Dietrich VI (also known as Dietrich of Meissen), was Count of Cleves from 1260 through 1275. He was born in 1226 as the son of Dietrich V, Count of Cleves and Hedwig of Meissen.
The County of Cleves (german: Grafschaft Kleve; nl, Graafschap Kl ...
, who bore him another four daughters and the sons
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
and Louis.
Uncertainty over succession
In 1292 internal conflict arose about the question of Henry's successor. Mechthild of Cleves demanded on her sons receiving a share of the heritage, while Henry and Otto, Henry's sons by his first wife, insisted on excluding their half-brothers from the inheritance. This led to civil war lasting throughout the rest of Henry's lifetime.
Henry died in
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
during the conflict, and was buried there in
St. Elisabeth's Church, which became the gravesite of the succeeding Landgraves for several more centuries. After his death, the inheritance was divided between
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fro ...
, who received Upper Hesse (''Oberhessen'') around Marburg, and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, who received
Lower Hesse
Lower Hesse is a historic designation for an area in northern Hesse, Germany.
The term Lower Hesse originated in the Middle Ages for the so-called "lower principality" of Hesse, which was separated until 1450 from the so-called "upper principalit ...
(''Niederhessen''), centred on Kassel. John's younger brother Ludwig had entered the clergy and became
bishop of Münster
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
in 1310.
Children
First marriage (1263) to Adelheid, daughter of
Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Otto I of Brunswick-Lüneburg (about 1204 – 9 June 1252), a member of the House of Welf, was the first duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1235 until his death. He is called Otto the Child to distinguish him from his uncle, Emperor Otto IV.
...
(1244–1274)
#Sophia (1264–after 12 August 1331), married 1276 to
Otto I, Count of Waldeck
Otto I, Count of Waldeck (c. 1262 – 11 November 1305) was the count of Waldeck from 1275/76 until his murder in November 1305.
Otto was the youngest son of Henry III of Waldeck and Matilda of Cuyk-Arnsberg, a daughter of Count Gottfried III o ...
.
#
Henry the Younger (1265–23 August 1298), married in 1290 to
Agnes of Bavaria, Margravine of Brandenburg-Stendal
Agnes of Bavaria (1276–1345) was a daughter of Duke Louis II of Upper Bavaria and his third wife, Matilda of Habsburg.
In 1290, in Donauwörth, she married Henry "the Younger" of Hesse (1265 – 23 August 1298), a son of Landgrave Henry I of ...
.
#Matilda (1267–after 1332), married to:
##1283 Count
Gottfried of Ziegenhain;
##after 11 October 1309
Philipp III of Falkenstein-Münzenberg.
#Adelheid (1268–7 December 1315), married 1284 to Count
Bertold VII of Henneberg-Schleusingen.
#Elisabeth (1269/70–19 February 1293), married c. 1287 to Count
Johann of Sayn (bg).
#an unnamed son (c. 1270–c. 1274).
#
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fro ...
(c. 1272–17 January 1328).
Second marriage (1276) to
Mechthild of Cleves,
#
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
(died 1311,
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
).
#Elisabeth (c. 1276–after 6 July 1306), married to
##1290 Duke
William of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel;
##1294
Gerhard of Eppstein Gerhard is a name of Germanic origin and may refer to:
Given name
* Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate
* Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark
* Gerhard Barkhorn (1919–19 ...
.
#Agnes (c. 1277–1335), married to Burgrave
John I of Nuremberg.
#Louis (1282/83–18 August 1357), Bishop of
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
in 1310–57.
#Elisabeth (died after 30 October 1308), married in 1299 to Count
Albert II of Gorizia
Albert II (died in 1327),Wilhelm Baum, I conti di Gorizia (Gorizia: LEG, 2000), 123 a member of the House of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner'' dynasty), ruled as governor of the County of Gorizia from 1323, on behalf of his nephew Count John Henry IV. He ...
.
#Katharina (died 1322), married to Count
Otto IV of Orlamünde.
#Jutta (died 13 October 1317), married 1311 to Duke
Otto of Braunschweig-Göttingen.
Ancestry
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Wikisource: ''Allgemeine Deutsch Biographie'' "Heinrich I. (Landgraf von Hessen)" (in German)
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
1244 births
1308 deaths
House of Hesse
Landgraves of Hesse
Burials at St. Elizabeth's Church, Marburg