Editing Marburg (section)

=== Capital of Hessen ===
In 1264, St Elizabeth's daughter [[Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess of Brabant|Sophie of Brabant]], succeeded in winning the [[Landgraviate of Hessen]], hitherto connected to [[Thuringia]], for her son [[Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse|Henry]]. Marburg (alongside [[Kassel]]) was one of the capitals of Hessen from that time until about 1540. Following the first division of the landgraviate, it was the capital of [[Hessen-Marburg]] from 1485 to 1500 and again between 1567 and 1605. Hessen was one of the more powerful second-tier principalities in Germany. Its "old enemy" was the [[Electorate of Mainz|Archbishopric of Mainz]], the seat of one of the [[prince-elector]]s, who competed with Hessen in many wars and conflicts for coveted territory, stretching over several centuries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Screenhaus |url=https://www.screenhaus.de/marburg/ |website=Screenhaus |date=8 January 2021 |access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref>
[[File:Marburg Braun-Hogenberg.jpg|thumb|left|Marburg from [[Georg Braun]] and Frans Hogenberg's atlas ''[[Civitates orbis terrarum]]'', 1572]]

After 1605, Marburg became just another provincial town, known mostly for the [[University of Marburg]]. It became a virtual backwater for two centuries after the [[Thirty Years' War]] (1618–48), when it was fought over by [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt|Hessen-Darmstadt]] and [[Landgraviate of Hessen-Kassel|Hesse-Kassel]]. The Hessian territory around Marburg lost more than two-thirds of its population, which was more than in any later wars (including [[World War I]] and [[World War II]]) combined.