Early life
Born into the House of Hesse, cadet line of an ancient House of Brabant, Constantine was the son of Landgrave Ernest Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg and his wife, Countess Eleonore of Löwenstein-Wertheim, Princess Eleonore of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort.First marriage
He married in 1745 with Countess Marie ''Sophia'' Theresia Hedwig Eva von Starhemberg (1722-1773), daughter of the Envoy (title), Imperial envoy Count Konrad Sigmund von Mediatised houses#List of Princely mediatised houses (Durchlaucht), Starhemberg (1689–1727) and his wife, Princess Leopoldine von Löwenstein-Wertheim, Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1689-1763). She was elder sister of Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg, List of ambassadors of Austria-Hungary to France, Imperial envoy to France, and widow of William Hyacinth, Prince of Nassau-Siegen. He had 8 children from his first marriage, including : * Charles Emmanuel, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg, Charles Emmanuel (1746–1812), his successor. * Clementina of Hesse-Rotenburg, Clementina (1747–1801). * Landgravine Hedwig of Hesse-Rotenburg, Hedwig (1748–1801), married Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon. * Christian of Hesse-Rotenburg, Christian (1750–1782), Canon of Cologne and Strasbourg. * Charles Constantine of Hesse-Rotenburg, Charles Constantine (1752-1821), a supporter of the French Revolution, better known as ''Citoyen Hesse''. * Antonia Friderica Josepha of Hesse-Rotenburg, Antonia (1753–1823), a nun. * Wilhelmina von Hessen-Rotenburg, Wilhelmina Maria (1755–1816), a provostess in Essen Abbey. * Ernst of Hesse-Rotenburg, Ernst (1758–1784), married Christine Wilhelmina Henriette Sophia von :File:Bardeleben-Wappen_Hdb.png, Bardeleben (1765-1835).Second marriage
When his first wife died in 1773, on 17 May 1775 he remarried with the Countess Johanna Henriette de Bombelles (1751-1822), younger sister of Marc Marie, Marquis de Bombelles. She was born as daughter of Count François Henri de French nobility, Bombelles (1681-1760), guardian of the Louis, Duke of Orléans (1703–1752), Duke of Orleans, and his wife, Genevieve Charlotte de Bradins de la Moisiere (b. 1727). As her family didn't belong to the small circle of Imperial immediacy, reigning of Mediatised houses, former reigning families, their marriage was treated as Morganatic marriage, morganatic and upon marriage she received the title of Countess von Reichenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Reichenberg. The couple had no children. After becoming a widow, she married again, to Louis Le Tellier, Le Tellier de Souvre, Marquis de Louvois (d. 1785). They also didn't have children.Reign
Under Constantine, Hesse-Wanfried was in 1755 returned to Hesse-Rotenburg after the death of Christian, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried-Rheinfels, Christian of Hesse-Wanfried. Hesse-Rotenburg, which had been divided in 1648, was now again reunited and remained so until the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801. He became a knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1759.Death
Landgrave Constantin died on 30 December 1778 in Schloss Blumenstein (Wildeck), Schloss Blumenstein in Wildeck, at the age of 62. His body was buried in the Minoritenkiche, Fritzlar, Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Hesse, Germany, while his first wife Sophia was buried in Strassbourg, France.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine of Hessen-Rotenburg House of Hesse-Kassel 18th-century German nobility Landgraves of Hesse-Rotenburg Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria 1716 births 1778 deaths