William II, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried-Rheinfels (also known as ''William the Younger''; born: 25 August 1671 in
Langenschwalbach
Bad Schwalbach (called Langenschwalbach until 1927) is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Geographic location
Bad Schwalbach is a spa town some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465&nbs ...
; died: 1 April 1731 in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, and also buried there) was a son of the Landgrave
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
of
Hesse-Wanfried
The mini-state Hesse-Wanfried existed from about 1700 to 1731. It was a principality (Landgraviate) of the Holy Roman Empire in the area of the today's Land of Hesse. Governed by a cadet line of the House of Hesse under the sovereignty of the land ...
(1649–1711) and his first wife, Countess Sophie Magdalene of
Salm-Reifferscheid
Salm is the name of several historic countships and principalities in present Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
History
Origins
The County of Salm arose in the tenth century in Vielsalm, in the Ardennes region of present Belgium. It was ...
(d. 1675). He succeeded his father as Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried and Hesse-Rheinfels. After 1711, he styled himself "Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels".
Life
William the Younger began his career as
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
in Cologne and Strasbourg. He was described as "stunted poor in mind and in bad environment". After his father's death in 1711 he travelled to Wanfried, where his younger half-brother
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 ...
had assumed power. They had a dispute, which was sellted by emperor
Charles VI. Christian gave up his claim on Hesse-Wanfried-Rheinfels, in exchange for an annual pension of 7500 guilders, plus
Eschwege Castle. The castle had been pledged to
Brunswick-Bevern in 1667. It was, however, redeemed for Christian in 1713.
William ruled Hesse-Wanfried-Rheinfels from 1711 to 1731. He travelled often, usually to the Imperial Court in Vienna. In 1718, the emperor put him in charge of
Rheinfels Castle
Rheinfels Castle (german: Burg Rheinfels) is a castle ruin located above the left (west) bank of the Rhine in Sankt Goar, Germany. It was started in 1245 by Count Diether V of Katzenelnbogen. After expansions, it was the largest fortress in the M ...
, where troops of Landgrave
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
of Hesse-Kassel had withstood and repulsed three heavy sieges by the French.
In 1719, William obtained permission from the Pope to revert to the
lay
Lay may refer to:
Places
*Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada
*Lay, Loire, a French commune
*Lay (river), France
*Lay, Iran, a village
*Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community
People
* Lay (surname)
* ...
state, to avert the impending extinction of the
Hesse-Wanfried
The mini-state Hesse-Wanfried existed from about 1700 to 1731. It was a principality (Landgraviate) of the Holy Roman Empire in the area of the today's Land of Hesse. Governed by a cadet line of the House of Hesse under the sovereignty of the land ...
line. After mediation by the Emperor, he married on 19 September 1719 with
Ernestine Ernestine is a feminine given name. Ernest is the male counterpart of this name. Notable people with the name include:
* Ernestine Anderson (1928–2016), American jazz and blues singer
* Ernestine Bayer (1909–2006), American athlete
* Ernestine ...
, the daughter of Count Palatine
Theodore Eustace of Sulzbach. The marriage remained childless.
After William's death, Ernestine continued to live at Rheinfels Castle for a while, but then became prioress of the
Carmelite
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Car ...
monastery at
Neuburg an der Donau
Neuburg an der Donau (Central Bavarian: ''Neiburg an da Donau'') is a town which is the capital of the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district in the state of Bavaria in Germany.
Divisions
The municipality has 16 divisions:
* Altmannstetten
* Bergen, Neu ...
, where she died on 5 April 1775.
Hesse-Wanfried and Hesse-Rheinfels were inherited by his younger half-brother, who had styled himself ''Christian of Eschwege'' since 1711.
References
* Reinhold Strauß: ''Chronik von Wanfried'', 1908
* Anonymous: ''Chronik von Wanfried 2006'' (unpublished)
*Eckhart G. Franz, ''Das Haus Hessen,'' Stuttgart, 2005,
Landgraves of Hesse
House of Hesse
1671 births
1731 deaths
17th-century German people
18th-century German people
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