Landgrave Otto of Hessen-Kassel (24 December 1594 in Kassel – 7 August 1617 in Hersfeld), was hereditary prince of

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 ...

and administrator of

Hersfeld Abbey Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse (formerly in Hesse-Nassau), Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda. The ruins are now a medieval festival venue. History ...

. He predeceased his father.

Life

Otto was the eldest son of Landgrave

Maurice of Hesse-Kassel Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (german: Moritz; 25 May 1572 – 15 March 1632), also called Maurice the Learned or Moritz, was the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) in the Holy Roman Empire from 1592 to 1627. Life Maurice was born in Kassel ...

(1572-1632) from his marriage to Agnes (1578-1602), the daughter of Count John George of Solms-Laubach. Poet Hermann Kirchner, later professor of rhetoric at the

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...

, wrote a poem to mark Otto's birthday. 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 ...

, built in Kassel by Maurice in 1603, was the first theater building constructed in Germany. Maurice named it after his son. Otto and his siblings were educated by his father. In 1606 he became the lay administrator of

, which by then was a Lutheran institution. After completing his studies at the University of Marburg, Otto made a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

. He was in England from 23 June to 7 August 1611, with a retinue of about thirty, and was among the potential suitors of Princess Elizabeth. (She later married Otto's second cousin Frederick V of the Palatinate.) As Otto's father was known as a skislled composer, music played a large part of the entertainment. John Milton, the poet's father, composed a song in four parts, for which the landgrave presented him with a gold medal.Parker, William Riley. ''Milton: The life'', Clarendon Press, 1996, p. 10
When he returned, his father involved him in the business of government. In 1617, he suffered from the

German measles Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...

. He had a fever and from his sickbed, he tried to shoot a barking dog, which annoyed him. He missed so badly that he hit himself in the chest and died. He was buried in the Lutheran St. Mary's church 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 approxima ...

Marriages and issue

In Kassel on 24 August 1613 Otto married firstly Catherine Ursula (b. Schloss Karlsburg, 19 June 1593 - d. Marburg, 15 February 1615), daughter of

George Frederick, Margrave of Baden-Durlach George Frederick of Baden-Durlach (30 January 1573 – 24 September 1638) was Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1604 until his abdication in 1622. He also ruled Baden-Baden. He was the third son of margrave Charles II of Baden-Durlach and his ...

. She died after giving birth a still-born son. In Dessau on 14 June 1617 Otto married secondly Agnes Magdalene of Anhalt-Dessau (b. Dessau, 29 March 1590 - d. Eschwege, 24 October 1626), daughter of

John George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , house = House of Ascania , father = Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt , mother = Agnes of Barby-Mühlingen , birth_date = , birth_place = Harzgerode,Principality of Anhalt-Dessau,Upper Saxon Circle,Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , dea ...

. This marriage was childless. Otto left a son born out of wedlock: * Ernest Reinhard of Hattenbach (b. posthumously Hachborn, 17 December 1617 - d. Rodenberg, 1 April 1694), married in 1669 to Anna Katharina of Hake (d. 1707).

Ancestors

Notes

References

* Christian Röth
''Geschichte von Hessen'' p. 255 ff
* Christoph von Rommel
''Geschichte von Hessen'' p. 324 ff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto of Hesse-Kassel 1594 births 1617 deaths Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel 17th-century German people Heirs apparent who never acceded Sons of monarchs