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Helena Martini (5 July 1728, Bockenheim (Frankfurt am Main) - 8 July 1803, Darmstadt), [1] was the mistress of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, from 1744 until 1768.
She was the daughter of Carl Ludwig Martini (d. 1698), an officer, and Susanna Catharina Meser. In 1744 her father, seeking a promotion, is alleged to have sent Helena to submit his petition to Louis VIII at Jagdschloss Kranichstein. When Louis VIII met her, he kept her as his mistress and did not let her return.[ citation needed ] Martini, who became known as Mamsell Lene, enjoyed the unlimited confidence of Louis VIII, was given a house in Darmstadt and accompanied him on his travels.[ citation needed ] She supported him in his political conflicts with the branches of the Hesse family, and brought the children of her sister to be raised in her care. She reportedly had a good relationship with the family of Louis VIII.[ citation needed ] Upon his death in 1768, she left the court with a fortune, which she later left to the children of her sister.
Hesse or Hessia, officially the State of Hesse, is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major historic cities are Darmstadt and Kassel. With an area of 21,114.73 square kilometers and a population of over six million, it ranks seventh and fifth, respectively, among the sixteen German states. Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Germany's second-largest metropolitan area, is mainly located in Hesse.
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1841 as the wife of King Ernest Augustus. She was a German princess who married successively Prince Louis Charles of Prussia, Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels, and her first cousin Ernest Augustus. Through her 1815 marriage to Ernest, then Duke of Cumberland, Frederica became a British princess and Duchess of Cumberland. Ernest was the fifth son and eighth child of Queen Charlotte and King George III of the United Kingdom, Frederica's paternal aunt and her husband.
Maria Alexandrovna, born Princess Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, was Empress of Russia as the first wife of Emperor Alexander II.
Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and later the first Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine.
A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial title of the extramarital lover of a monarch or an heir apparent, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy, companionship, and advice in return for security, titles, money, honours, and an influential place at the royal court. Thus, some royal mistresses have had considerable power, being the power behind the throne. The institution partly owes its prevalence to the fact that royal marriages used to be conducted solely on the basis of political and dynastic considerations, leaving little space for the monarch's personal preferences in the choice of a partner.
Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1768 to 1790.
Princess Wilhelmine of Baden, was by birth a Princess of Baden from the House of Zähringen and by marriage Grand Duchess consort of Hesse and by Rhine. Her descendants include King Charles III of the United Kingdom, King Felipe VI of Spain, and other members of European royalty.
Louis VIII was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1739 to 1768. He was the son of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Margravine Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
Ernest Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1678 to 1739. His parents were Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt and Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1640–1709).
Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine was the youngest son of Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse by his second wife, Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. He was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria.
Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse is a German businessman and the head of the House of Brabant and the House of Hesse.
Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine as the second wife of Grand Duke Ernest Louis. She was nicknamed "Onor" by her family. She was regent of Hesse in the absence of her spouse during World War I.
Princess Augusta Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt was Duchess consort of Zweibrücken by marriage to Maximilian, Duke of Zweibrücken and the mother of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
Princess Alice was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 13 June 1877 until her death in 1878 as the wife of Grand Duke Louis IV. She was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Alice was the first of Queen Victoria's nine children to die, and one of three to predecease their mother, who died in 1901. Her life had been enwrapped in tragedy since her father's death in 1861.
Schloss Wolfsgarten is a former hunting seat of the ruling family of Hesse-Darmstadt, located in the German state of Hessen, approximately 15 kilometers south of Frankfurt am Main. The hunting lodge was established between 1722 and 1724 by Landgrave Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. Ernst Ludwig's purpose in establishing Wolfsgarten was to pursue his passion for hunting with dogs which he introduced into Hesse in 1709. The original building corresponded to the usual pattern for hunting seats of that era with a rectangular yard around which was grouped housing for gentlemen, the stables for the horses, and kennels for the dogs. After Ernst Ludwig's successors abandoned hunting with dogs in 1768, Wolfsgarten was abandoned until the 1830s when the grand ducal family began to restore and expand the property. From 1879, Wolfsgarten became a favorite country retreat for Grand Dukes Ludwig IV and his son Ernst Ludwig.
Johann Reinhard III of Hanau-Lichtenberg was the last of the counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg. He reigned from 1680 to 1736. From 1712 to 1736, he also reigned the County of Hanau-Münzenberg.
Frederick V Louis William Christian, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg was from 1751 to his death landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.
Princess Ulrike Louise of Solms-Braunfels was a German regent, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg by marriage to Frederick IV of Hesse-Homburg, and regent of Hesse-Homburg, on behalf of her minor son Frederick V Louis William Christian from 1751 to 1766.
Louis George Charles, Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt was a German field marshal in the service of the Upper Rhenish Circle. He is also known in the primary and secondary sources as Prince Louis.
Margaret, Princess of Hesse and by Rhine was the wife of Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine, the last prince of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. Born in Ireland, she became a noted art patron in her adopted homeland of Germany.
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