Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (8 January 1640 – 24 August 1709), was a German regent. She was Landgravine of

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 ...

by marriage to

Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Ludwig) (25 January 1630 – 24 April 1678) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1661 to 1678. He was the eldest of three sons of the Landgrave George II of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony. M ...

, and Regent of Hesse-Darmstadt during the minority of her son from 1678 to 1688.

Early life

Elisabeth Dorothea was the eldest daughter and eldest surviving child of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Elisabeth Sophie, the only daughter of

John Philip, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Johann Philipp (25 January 1597 – 1 April 1639), was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was born in Torgau, the eldest (but fourth in order of birth) surviving son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Anna Maria of the Palatinate-Neu ...

. Six years after her marriage, her father inherited the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg and assumed new arms and titles.

Landgravine

On 5 December 1666, Elisabeth Dorothea married

at ''

Schloss Friedenstein Friedenstein Palace (german: Schloss Friedenstein) is an early Baroque palace built in the mid-17th century by Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha at Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. In Germany, ''Friedenstein'' was one of the largest palaces of its time and o ...

'' at

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the Gotha (district), district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine House of Wet ...

. The groom was a close friend of her brother Prince Frederick and a widowed father of six children. She bore her husband eight further children, two daughters and six sons; one died in infancy and another was killed in battle ten months before her own death. Landgrave Louis VI died on 24 April 1678 and was succeeded by the eldest son of his first marriage, Louis VII, who reigned only 18 weeks and 4 days before dying of

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

on 31 August 1678 in Gotha.

Regent

Like his father, Louis VII designated his stepmother as regent of Hesse-Darmstadt in his will. The Imperial Court (''Reichskammergericht'') demanded that she reign jointly with a group of councillors led by Weiprecht von Gemmingen, but the politically wise and energetic Elisabeth prevented them from taking their oaths; this relegated them to the position of advisors and allowed her free rein.Women in Power: 1670-1700
/ref> Darmstadt flourished under her rule. On the death of

William Christoph, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg William Christoph of Hesse-Homburg (13 November 1625, Ober-Rosbach – 27 August 1681, then in Bingenheim, now in Echzell) was the second Landgraf of Hesse-Homburg (then known as "Landgraf of Bingenheim") during 1648–1669. He was the third ( ...

in 1681, Elisabeth Dorothea successfully challenged the Homburg branch of the family over ownership of Bingenheim Castle, claiming that the area rightfully belonged to the Darmstadt branch because it had been given to Princess Sophia Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt as a dowry when she married

. After her son attained his majority in 1688, she retired to her dower lands in

Butzbach Butzbach () is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hessen, Germany. It is located approximately 16 km south of Gießen and 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main. In 2007, the town hosted the 47th Hessentag state festival from 1 to 10 June ...

but offered her help in the government to her son, who refused. She died in Butzbach in 1709. She kept a diary for some time before abandoning it in 1667. Although she left only 52 pages worth of entries, the diary is considered a valuable view into the world of the German courts.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

Puppel Pauline, ''Die Regentin'' p. 279.

Curtius Michael Conrad, ''Geschichte ... von Hessen'' p. 257.
*Roloff Hans Gert, ''Chloe - Beihefte zum Daphnis Bd. 25 Editiondesiderate der frühen Neuzeit'' Editions Rodopi B. V., Amsterdam. {{DEFAULTSORT:Elisabeth Dorothea Of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 1640 births 1709 deaths People from Saxe-Gotha Landgravines of Hesse-Darmstadt Princesses of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg House of Hesse-Darmstadt 17th-century women rulers German female regents Women diarists 17th-century German women writers