Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (; 9 June 1806,

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

– 13 June 1877, Seeheim) was the

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...

Hesse and by Rhine The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...

from 1848 until his death in 1877.

Biography

He was the son of Grand Duke Louis II of Hesse and Princess Wilhelmine of Baden. He succeeded as Grand Duke in 1848 upon the

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

of his father during the March Revolution in the German states. During the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

in 1866, Louis sent word more than once to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, mother-in-law of his nephew and successor

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

, appealing to her to reason on his behalf with the

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

, "in the same sense I had already written before, but it would be utterly useless." He was succeeded by his nephew, Louis IV, on 13 June 1877, as his brother

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 ''* ...

(Louis' father) had already died three months previously in March.

Marriages

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

on 26 December 1833, he married Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria, eldest daughter of

Ludwig I of Bavaria Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...

. The marriage produced no children. Princess Mathilde Caroline died in 1862, and in 1868, the Grand Duke remarried morganatically to Magdalene Appel, who was created Baroness of Hochstädten.

Honours and awards

Ancestry

References

External links

Royal Genealogies Part 46

World Roots
1806 births 1877 deaths Nobility from Darmstadt Hereditary grand dukes of Hesse Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Extra Knights Companion of the Garter Burials at the Mausoleum for the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, Rosenhöhe (Darmstadt) {{Germany-royal-stub