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.
William IV of Hesse-Kassel, also called William the Wise, was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day.
Rodenberg is a town in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Deister hills, approx. 10 km east of Stadthagen, and 27 km west of Hanover.
Ernst of Schaumburg was the first Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg to earn the title of Prince in 1619. However, he died in 1622 without an heir. Schauenburg-Pinneberg had been a Lutheran region since his father Otto IV of Schaumburg had been won over to Martin Luther's teachings. After Ernst's death, a Catholic Count, Jobst Hermann, received a portion of Schauenburg but he also died without children, and Otto V, who was a Calvinist, succeeded Ernst.
Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, was a German princess of the House of Hesse-Kassel and by marriage Electress Palatine during 1650–1657 as the first wife of Charles I Louis, although the validity of the divorce was disputed. Through her daughter Elisabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orléans, she was the direct ancestress of House of Orléans and the Houses of Habsburg-Lorraine and Habsburg-Este.
Princess Maria Amalia of Courland was a Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel by her marriage to Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. She was a daughter of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia and Margravine Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg. Her eldest son was King Frederick I of Sweden. One of her daughters was the most recent common ancestor of all the currently reigning monarchs of Europe from 1939 to 1941 and 1943 to 2022.
Juliane of Hesse-Philippsthal, was a countess of Schaumburg-Lippe, married in 1780 to Count Philip II, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. She served as the regent of Schaumburg-Lippe during the minority of her son from 1787 to 1799.
Sabine of Württemberg was a princess of Württemberg by birth and by marriage, the first Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel.
Anna Maria of Hesse-Kassel was a princess of Hesse-Kassel by birth and by marriage Countess of Nassau-Saarbrücken.
Sophie of Hesse-Kassel was a princess of Hesse-Kassel by birth and by marriage Countess of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Magdalena of Lippe was a German noblewoman. She was a Countess of Lippe by birth. By her marriage to George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt she was the first Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt.
Countess Juliane of Nassau-Siegen, German: Juliana Gräfin von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: Gräfin zu Nassau, Katzenelnbogen, Vianden und Diez, Frau zu Beilstein, was a countess from the House of Nassau-Siegen, a cadet branch of the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau, and through marriage landgravine of Hesse-Kassel.
Anna of Hesse was a princess of Hesse by birth and marriage Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken.
Countess Emilie of Reichenbach-Lessonitz née Ortlöpp was the mistress and later second wife of Elector William II of Hesse.
Louise Elisabeth of Courland was Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg by marriage to Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.
Sophie or Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by birth and by marriage a Duchess of Pomerania-Wolgast.
Hereditary Prince Otto of Hesse-Kassel, was hereditary prince of Hesse-Kassel and administrator of Hersfeld Abbey. He predeceased his father and never reigned.
Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was a German princess by birth and Countess of Hanau-Münzenberg by marriage.
The Mausoleum of Prince Ernst in Stadthagen, Lower Saxony, is a mausoleum erected by Ernst of Schaumburg and his widow Hedwig of Hesse-Kassel in the years 1620–1627. Its unusual architecture and the resurrection monument by Adrian de Vries make it a site of European rank. The crypt was used as burial place of the House of Schaumburg and the House of Schaumburg-Lippe until 1915.
The Hessian War, in its wider sense sometimes also called the Hessian Wars (Hessenkriege), was a drawn out conflict that took place between 1567 and 1648, sometimes pursued through diplomatic means, sometimes by military force, between branches of the princely House of Hesse, particularly between the Landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel and the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt. It was triggered by a division of inheritance following the death of the last landgrave of all Hesse, Philip I in 1567.
