William II (29 April 1469 – 11 July 1509) was
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") ...
of
Lower Hesse from 1493 and Landgrave of
Upper Hesse after the death of his cousin,
William III, Landgrave of Upper Hesse in 1500.
William II is also called "William the Middle" to distinguish him from his elder brother "
William I
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
the Elder", and his cousin "
William III, the Younger". His parents were
Louis II the Frank (1438–1471) and Mechthild, daughter of Count
Louis II of Württemberg.
William II became Landgrave of
Lower Hesse in 1493, after his brother William I resigned.
On 9 November 1497 William II married Yolande, daughter of
Frederick II of Vaudémont. She died on 21 May 1500 after the marriage produced one child, William (27 March 1500 – 8 April 1500). The same year on 20 October, his second marriage was to
Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Anna, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (14 September 1485, Plau am See – 12 May 1525,Last documented alive on May 11, 1525. Earlier literature indicated April 28, May 5 or 6, but this is incorrect. She was buried on May 15, 1525 Rödelhe ...
(14 September 1485 – 12 May 1525), who bore him three children:
*
Elisabeth (4 March 1502 – 6 December 1557)
* Magdalena (18 July 1503 – September 1504)
*
Philip I, (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567)
In 1500, William II reunited the Landgraviate of Hesse after the death of his cousin
William III. In 1503, Emperor
Maximilian I commissioned William with executing the ban on
Elector Philip of the Palatinate.
Ancestors
External links
Wikisource: ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'', "Wilhelm II. (Landgraf von Hessen)"
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:William 02 Of Hesse, Landgrave
1469 births
1509 deaths
Landgraves of Hesse
House of Hesse
Burials at St. Elizabeth's Church, Marburg