Editing Hesse (section)

=== Holy Roman Empire ===
{{further|Duchy of Franconia|Duchy of Thuringia|Landgraviate of Hesse|Free City of Frankfurt|Upper Rhenish Circle|Hesse-Marburg|Hesse-Rheinfels|Hesse-Homburg|Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel|Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt}}
{{further|Ludovingians|House of Hesse|List of rulers of Hesse}}
[[File:Arms of the house of Hesse.svg|thumb|upright=0.6|The Ludovingian coat of arms with its ''lion rampant barry argent and gules'', the so-called [[Coat of arms of Hesse|lion of Hesse]]]]
From 962 the land which would become Hesse was part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In the 10th and 11th centuries it was mostly encompassed by the [[Rhenish Franconia|Western or Rhenish]] part of the [[stem duchy]] of [[Duchy of Franconia|Franconia]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In the 12th century, [[Hessengau]] passed to the [[Landgraviate of Thuringia]]. As a result of the [[War of the Thuringian Succession]] (1247–1264) the former Thuringian lands were partitioned between the [[House of Wettin|Wettin]] [[Margraviate of Meissen]], which gained Thuringia proper, and the new [[Landgraviate of Hesse]], which remained with the [[Ludovingians]]. From that point on the Ludovingian coat of arms came to represent both Thuringia and Hesse.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

It rose to prominence under Landgrave [[Philipp I of Hesse|Philip the Magnanimous]], who was one of the leaders of German [[Protestantism]]. After Philip's death in 1567, the territory was divided among his four sons from his first marriage (Philip was a [[Polygamy|bigamist]]) into four lines: [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel|Hesse-Kassel]] (or Hesse-Cassel), [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt|Hesse-Darmstadt]], [[Hesse-Rheinfels]], and the also previously existing [[Hesse-Marburg]]. As the latter two lines died out quite quickly (1583 and 1605, respectively), Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt were the two core states within the Hessian lands. Several collateral lines split off during the centuries, such as in 1622, when [[Hesse-Homburg]] split off from Hesse-Darmstadt, and in 1760 when [[Hesse-Hanau]] split off from Hesse-Kassel. In the late 16th century, Kassel adopted [[Calvinism]], while Darmstadt remained [[Lutheran]] and consequently the two lines often found themselves on opposing sides of conflicts, most notably in the disputes over Hesse-Marburg and in the [[Thirty Years' War]], when Darmstadt fought on the side of the Emperor, while Kassel sided with [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] and [[Kingdom of France|France]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

[[File:Arms of the house of Hesse-Darmstadt.svg|thumb|upright=0.6|Coat of arms of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
The Landgrave [[Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel|Frederick II]] (1720–1785) ruled Hesse-Kassel as a benevolent despot, from 1760 to 1785. He combined [[The Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] ideas with Christian values, [[Cameralism|cameralist]] plans for central control of the economy, and a militaristic approach toward diplomacy.<ref>Ingrao, Charles W. (2003). ''The Hessian Mercenary State: Ideas, Institutions, and Reform under Frederick II, 1760–1785''.</ref> He funded the depleted treasury of the poor government by loaning 19,000 soldiers in complete military formations to [[Great Britain]] to fight in North America during the [[American Revolutionary War]], 1776–1783. These soldiers, commonly known as [[Hessian (soldiers)|Hessians]], fought under the British flag. The British used the Hessians in several conflicts, including in the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798]]. For further revenue, the soldiers were loaned to other places as well. Most were conscripted, with their pay going to the Landgrave.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}