Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (german: Moritz; 25 May 1572 – 15 March 1632), also called Maurice the Learned or Moritz, was the

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 ...

Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...

(or Hesse-Cassel) in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

from 1592 to 1627.

Life

Maurice was born in

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 ...

as the son of

William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William IV of Hesse-Kassel (24 June 153225 August 1592), also called ''William the Wise'', was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day. Life Lan ...

, and of his wife

Sabine of Württemberg The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divid ...

. Although Maurice had been raised in the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

faith, he converted to

Calvinism 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 Cal ...

in 1605. On the principle ''

Cuius regio eius religio () is a Latin phrase which literally means "whose realm, their religion" – meaning that the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled. This legal principle marked a major development in the collective (if not individua ...

'', Maurice's subjects were also required to convert to Calvinism. Maurice's conversion was controversial since the Peace of Augsburg had only settled religious matters betweens

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and Lutherans and had not considered Calvinists. Maurice tried to introduce Calvinism to the lands which he had inherited from the extinct

Hesse-Marburg The Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Marburg) was a German landgraviate, and independent principality, within the Holy Roman Empire, that existed between 1458 and 1500, and between 1567 and 1604/1650. It consisted o ...

branch of his family. Such a change of faith was contrary to the inheritance rules, and resulted in an ongoing conflict with the

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

branch. It also brought him into conflict with the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...

. English strolling players ('Die Englische Comoedianten') were frequent visitors to, and performers in, towns and cities in Germany and other European countries, including Kassel, during the 16th and 17th centuries. Landgraf Moritz (to use his German nomenclature) was a great supporter of the performing arts and even built the first permanent theatre in Germany, named the

Ottoneum The Ottoneum in Kassel, Germany was the first theater building built in Germany and is now a museum of natural history. History The Ottoneum was built between 1603-1606 under Landgrave Moritz by the architect William Vernukken. The name 'Ottoneu ...

, in 1605. This building still exists today but as a Natural History Museum. Maurice's actions (though not necessarily the Ottoneum) ruined Hesse-Kassel financially. In 1627 he abdicated in favour of his son

William V William V may refer to: *William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030) *William V of Montpellier (1075–1121) *William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191) *William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181) *William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361) *William V, ...

. Five years later he died in

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 ...

. He was not only a serious musician but an expert composer (a ''Pavane'' of his, for the lute, has several times been recorded by both lutenists and guitarists). The leading musical figures whom he supported included

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

and

John Dowland John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", "Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", ...

Marriages and issue

On 23 September 1593, Maurice married

Agnes of Solms-Laubach Agnes of Solms-Laubach (7 January 1578 – 23 November 1602) was a Countess of Solms-Laubach and, by marriage, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel from 1593 until her death. Life Agnes was a daughter of Count John George (1546–1600), son of Coun ...

(7 January 1578 – 23 November 1602). They had six children: * Otto, Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Kassel (b. Kassel, 24 December 1594 – Hersfeld, 7 August 1617). * Elisabeth (b. Kassel, 24 March 1596 – d. Güstrow, 16 December 1625), married

John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg John Albert II, Duke of MecklenburgGüstrow(5 May 1590 in Waren – 23 April 1636 in Güstrow) was a Duke of Mecklenburg. From 1608 to 1611, he was the nominal ruler of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; the actual ruler being the regent, his great-uncle Ch ...

. *Stillborn child (24 January 1597). *Stillborn child (August 1599). *Maurice (b. Kassel, 14 July 1600 – d. Kassel, 11 August 1612). *

William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William V (german: Wilhelm) (13 February 1602 – 21 September 1637), a member of the House of Hesse, was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1627 to 1637. Having come to rule in unfavorable circumstances and in the midst of the Thirty Years' War, he c ...

(b. Kassel, 13 February 1602 – d. Leer, Ostfriesland, 21 September 1637). On 22 May 1603, Maurice married Countess Juliane of Nassau-Siegen (3 September 1587 – 15 February 1643). They had fourteen children: *Philipp (b. Kassel, 26 September 1604 – killed in battle, Lutter am Barenberge, 17 June 1626). * Agnes (b. Kassel 14 May 1606 – d. Dessau, 28.5.1650), married

John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (17 December 1596 – 15 September 1660), was a German prince of the House of Ascania. He was ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau from 1618 to 1660. During his reign the tasks of government were carried ...

. *

Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...

(b. Kassel, 15 August 1607 – d. Rotenburg, 25 March 1658), inherited Rotenburg. *Juliane (b. Marburg, 7 October 1608 – d. Kassel, 11 December 1628). *Sabine (b. Kassel, 5 July 1610 – d. Kassel, 21 May 1620). *Magdalene (b. Kassel, 25 August 1611 – d. Bedburg, 12 February 1671), married Erich Adolf, Count of Salm-Reifferscheid. *Maurice (b. Kassel, 13 June 1614 – d. Kassel, 16 February 1633). * Sophie (b. Kassel, 12 September 1615 – d. Bückeburg, 22 November 1670), married Philip I, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. *

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 ...

(b. Kassel, 9 May 1617 – killed in battle, Kosten, 24 September 1655), inherited Eschwege. *Christian (b. Kassel, 5 February 1622 – d. Bückeburg, 14 November 1640), Swedish colonel, died after an altercation with General

Johan Banér Johan Banér (23 June 1596 – 10 May 1641) was a Swedish field marshal in the Thirty Years' War. Early life Johan Banér was born at Djursholm Castle in Uppland. As a four-year-old he was forced to witness how his father, the Privy Councillo ...

and some other officers; he was probably poisoned.Schlotter, Acta, p. 327. - also
Thirty Years' War (in German)
etrieved 15 June 2014 *

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman ...

(b. Kassel, 17 December 1623 – d. Köln, 12 May 1693), inherited Rheinfels. *Christine (b. Kassel, 9 July 1625 – d. Kassel, 25 July 1626). *Philipp (b. Kassel, 28 September 1626 – d. Rotenburg, 8 July 1629). *Elisabeth (b. Kassel, 23 October 1628 – d. Kassel, 10 February 1633).

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * Bruce T. Moran: ''The alchemical world of the German court. Occult philosophy and chemical medicine in the circle of Moritz of Hessen (1572 - 1632)''. Stuttgart, Steiner 1991.

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Maurice, Landgrave Of Hesse-Kassel Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel German Baroque composers German classical composers Musicians from Kassel People from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel 1572 births 1632 deaths House of Hesse-Kassel Landgraves of Hesse Converts to Calvinism from Lutheranism German Calvinist and Reformed Christians 16th-century German people 17th-century German people 17th-century classical composers German male classical composers