This is a list of rulers of Hesse (german: Hessen) during the history of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

on west-central

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. These rulers belonged to a dynasty collectively known as the

House of Hesse The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918. Burke's Royal Families of the World, ...

and the House of Brabant,''Burke's Royal Families of the World Volume I Europe & Latin America'' , London 1977 p. 202 originally the

Reginar Reginar may refer to: * Reginar, Duke of Lorraine (c. 850–915) * Reginar II, Count of Hainaut (c. 890–932) * Reginar III, Count of Hainaut (c. 920–973) * Reginar IV, Count of Mons (c. 950–1013) * Reginar V, Count of Mons (c. 995–1039) * H ...

. Hesse was ruled as a landgraviate, electorate and later as a grand duchy until 1918. The title of all of the following rulers was "landgrave" (german: Landgraf) unless otherwise noted.

Landgraviate of Hesse

In the early Middle Ages the Hessengau territory (named after the Germanic

Chatti The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis''). They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in the va ...

tribes) formed the northern parts of the German stem

duchy of Franconia The Duchy of Franconia (german: Herzogtum Franken) was one of the five stem duchies of East Francia and the medieval Kingdom of Germany emerging in the early 10th century. The word Franconia, first used in a Latin charter of 1053, was applied l ...

along with the adjacent

Lahngau The Lahngau was a medieval territory comprising the middle and lower Lahn River valley in the current German states of Hesse and (partially) Rhineland-Palatinate. The traditional names of the Gau are ''Loganahe Pagus'' or ''Pagus Logenensis''. The ...

. Upon the extinction of the ducal

Conradines The Conradines or Conradiner were a dynasty of Franconian counts and dukes in the 8th to 11th Century, named after Duke Conrad the Elder and his son King Conrad I of Germany. History The family is first mentioned in 832, with Count Gebhard in ...

, these Rhenish Franconian counties were gradually acquired by Landgrave Louis I of Thuringia and his successors. After the War of the Thuringian Succession upon the death of Landgrave

Henry 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 contest ...

in 1247, his niece Duchess Sophia of Brabant secured the Hessian possessions for her minor son Henry the Child, who would become the first landgrave of Hesse and founder of the

in 1246. The remaining Thuringian landgraviate fell to the Wettin margrave

Henry III of Meissen 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 Landgrav ...

. Henry I of Hesse was raised to

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

ly status by King Adolf of Germany in 1292.

Landgraves of Hesse

House of Hesse The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918. Burke's Royal Families of the World, ...

Partitions of Hesse under Hesse family

Table of rulers

Heads of the non-reigning House of Hesse

Hesse-Kassel since 1866

Friedrich Wilhelm I, the former Elector, titular Landgrave 1866–75 (1802–1875) :''succeeded by his second cousin Friedrich Wilhelm II as below:'' * '' Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1720–1785)'' ** '' Friedrich III, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim (1747–1837)'' *** ''

Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the ...

, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim (1787–1867)'' ****

Friedrich Wilhelm II Frederick William II may refer to: * Frederick William II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1603–1669) * Frederick William II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (1687–1749) * Frederick William II, Prince of Nassau-Siegen (1706–1734) * Frede ...

, titular Landgrave 1875–84 (1820–1884) *****

Friedrich Wilhelm III Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, w ...

, titular Landgrave 1884–88 (1854–1888) ***** Alexander Friedrich, titular Landgrave 1888–1925, abdicated (1863–1945) ***** Friedrich Karl, titular Landgrave 1925–40, elected King of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

as Fredrik Kaarle I in 1918 but renounced the throne (1868–1940) ****** Philipp, titular Landgrave 1940–80, head of entire House 1968 ''on extinction of Hesse-Darmstadt line'' (1896–1980) *******

Moritz Moritz is the German equivalent of the name Maurice. It may refer to: People Given name * Saint Maurice, also called Saint Moritz, the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century * Prince Moritz of Hesse (2007), the son of ...

, titular Landgrave and Head of House 1980–2013 (1926–2013) ******** Heinrich Donatus titular Landgrave and Head of House 2013–present (born 1966) ********* Moritz,

Hereditary Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

of Hesse (born 2007) ********* Prince August of Hesse (born 2012) ******** Prince Philipp Robin of Hesse (born 1970) ********* Prince Tito of Hesse (born 2008) ****** ''

Prince Christoph of Hesse Prince Christoph Ernst August of Hesse (14 May 1901 – 7 October 1943) was a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was an SS-Oberführer in the Allgemeine SS and an officer in the Luftwaffe Reserve, killed on active duty in a plane crash during World ...

(1901–1943)'' ******* Prince Karl Adolf Andreas of Hesse (born 1937) ******** Prince Christoph of Hesse (born 1969) ******* Prince Rainer Christoph Friedrich of Hesse (born 1939)

Hesse-Philippsthal 1866–1925

* Charles II, formerly sovereign, titular Landgrave 1866–68 (1803–1868) ** Ernst Eugen, titular Landgrave 1868–1925 (1846–1925) :''1925 the Line of Hesse-Philippsthal became extinct, passed to Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld''

Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld since 1866, Hesse-Philippsthal since the extinction of the main line 1925

* ''

Charles, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld Landgrave Charles August Ludwig Philip of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (27 June 1784 in Barchfeld – 17 July 1854 in Philippsthal) was a member of the House of Hesse and was the ruling Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld from 1803 to 180 ...

(1784–1854)'' **

Alexis Alexis may refer to: People Mononym * Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet * Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC * Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer * Alexis (comics) (1946–1977 ...

, formerly sovereign, titular Landgrave 1866–1905 (1829–1905) ** '' Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1831–1890)'' *** Chlodwig, titular Landgrave 1905–54, ''inherited Hesse-Philippsthal as well in 1925'' (1876–1954) **** ''Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1905–1942)'' ***** Wilhelm, titular Landgrave 1954–present (born 1933) ****** Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 1963) ******* Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 2005) ******* Prince Philipp August of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 2006) ****** ''Prince Otto of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1965–2020)'' ******* Prince Max of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 1999) ******* Prince Moritz of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 2007) ***** Prince Hermann of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1935–2019) ****** Prince Alexis of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 1977)

Hesse-Darmstadt 1918–1968

* Ernst Ludwig, formerly sovereign, titular Grand Duke 1918–37 (1868–1937) ** George Donatus, titular Grand Duke 9 Oct – 16 Nov 1937 ** Ludwig (V), titular Grand Duke 1937–1968 :''In 1968 the Line of Hesse-Darmstadt became Hesse-Nassau and Hesse-Kassel (1969–present)''

References

External links

* The History Files
Rulers of Hesse
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rulers Of Hesse, List Of Rulers of Hesse

Hessian rulers History of Hesse

Landgraviate of Hesse

Landgraves of Hesse

House of Hesse The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918. Burke's Royal Families of the World, ...

Partitions of Hesse under Hesse family

Table of rulers

Heads of the non-reigning House of Hesse

Hesse-Kassel since 1866

Hesse-Philippsthal 1866–1925

Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld since 1866, Hesse-Philippsthal since the extinction of the main line 1925

Hesse-Darmstadt 1918–1968

See also

References

External links