Editing History of Hesse

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This article is about the '''history of Hesse'''. [[Hesse]] is a state in Germany.

==Prehistoric==
In the [[Paleolithic Era]], the Central Hessian region around Wetzlar was settled.  Extensive excavations along the [[Lahn]] in Wetzlar-Dalheim recently uncovered a 7000-year-old settlement from the [[Linear Pottery culture]].  [[Bell Beaker]] shards found in Rüsselsheim, Offenbach, Griesheim and Wiesbaden suggest settlement in southern Hesse 4,500 years ago.

==Early Middle Ages==
[[File:Ost Franken Reich 1000.PNG|thumb|upright|Western Franconia {{circa|1000&nbsp;CE}}]]
During the early [[Holy Roman Empire]], what is now Hesse broadly corresponded with Western or [[Rhenish Franconia]], the western half of the [[stem duchy]] of [[duchy of Franconia|Franconia]]. [[Hessengau]] or {{lang|la|[[Pagus]] Hassorum}} was a {{lang|de|[[Gau (territory)|Gau]]}} – a subdivision similar to a [[shire]] – in the far-north of Franconia. The name probably derives from the [[Chatti]], a Germanic people who inhabited the area in Roman times.

==Landgraviate==
The [[Landgraviate of Hesse]] ({{langx|de|Landgrafschaft Hessen}}), a German [[imperial prince|principality]] of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1264 as a partition of the [[Landgraviate of Thuringia]] following the [[War of the Thuringian Succession]].

The landgraviate gained the [[County of Katzenelnbogen]] in 1479. In 1500 a dispute over Katzenelnbogen with [[County of Nassau|Nassau]] led to the lengthy [[War of the Katzenelnbogen Succession]].

In 1568 with the death of [[Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse|Landgrave Philip I]], the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided among his sons, establishing the lines of [[Hesse-Kassel]] (then spelled Cassel),  [[Hesse-Marburg]], [[Hesse-Rheinfels]] and [[Hesse-Darmstadt]]. Both [[Philip II, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels|Philip II of Hesse-Rheinfels]] and [[Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg|Louis IV of Hesse-Marburg]] died childless (in 1583 and 1604); their lands passed to Hesse-Kassel.

== 17th and 18th centuries==
[[File:HK 1789.png|left|thumb|upright|Hesse-Kassel {{circa|1789}}]]
While Hesse-Kassel converted to [[Calvinism]] and became one of the most zealous exponents of the Protestant cause in the [[Thirty Years' War]], Landgrave [[George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt|George II]] remained a strict [[Lutheran]] and maintained a close alliance with [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]], which led to a pro-Habsburg policy after 1642.

From the early years of the Reformation, the [[House of Hesse]] was predominately [[Protestantism|Protestant]]. Landgraves [[Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse|Philip I]], [[William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|William V]], and [[Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|Maurice]] married descendants of King [[George of Bohemia]]; from [[William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|William VI]] onwards, mothers of the heads of Hesse-Kassel were always descended from [[William the Silent]], the leader of the [[Dutch Republic|Dutch]] to independence on the basis of [[Calvinism]].

During the [[Thirty Years' War]], Calvinist Hesse-Kassel proved to be [[Sweden]]'s most loyal German ally. Landgrave [[William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|William V]] and, after his death in 1637, his widow [[Amelia of Hanau]], a granddaughter of [[William the Silent]], as [[regent]] supported the Protestant cause and the [[Kingdom of France|French]] and Swedes throughout the war and maintained an army, garrisoning many strongholds, while Hesse-Kassel itself was occupied by Imperial troops.

William V was succeeded by Landgraves [[William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|William VI]] and [[William VII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|William VII]]. Under King [[Frederick I of Sweden]], Hesse-Kassel was in [[Political unions involving Sweden|personal union]] with Sweden from 1730–51. But in fact the King's younger brother, [[William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|Prince William]], ruled in Kassel as Regent until he succeeded his brother, reigning as William VIII until 1760.

Although it was a fairly widespread practice at the time to rent out troops to other princes, it was the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel who became infamous for hiring out contingents of their army as mercenaries during the 17th and 18th centuries. Hesse-Kassel maintained 7% of its entire population under arms throughout the eighteenth century. This force served as a source of mercenaries for other European states.<ref>Tilly, Charles "Coercion, Capital, and European States."</ref> [[Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|Frederick II]], notably, hired out so many troops to his nephew King [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III of Great Britain]] for use in the [[American War of Independence]], that "[[Hessian (soldiers)|Hessian]]" has become a common term among Americans and historians for all [[Germans in the American Revolution|German soldiers deployed by the British in the War]]. One of these regiments that saw service in America was the [[Musketeer Regiment Prinz Carl]].

In 1640 Hesse-Kassel gained half of the [[County of Schaumburg]] (today in [[Lower Saxony]]), which remained an exclave of Hesse-Kassel (later Hesse-Nassau) until 1932.

In 1622 the small [[Hesse-Homburg]] was established from a [[cadet line]] of Hesse-Darmstadt.

During the 17th century, Hesse-Kassel was internally divided for dynastic purposes, without [[Allodial title|allodial]] rights, into:
* the [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Rotenburg]] (1627–1834) 
* the [[Hesse-Wanfried|Landgraviate of Hesse-Wanfried-(Rheinfels)]] (1649–1755) 
* the [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Philippsthal]] 
* the [[Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld|Landgraviate of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld]]

These were reunited with the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel when each particular branch died out without issue.

In 1736 the last [[County of Hanau|Count of Hanau]] died; a 1643 a succession treaty led to [[Hanau-Münzenberg]] passing to Hesse-Kassel and [[Hanau-Lichtenberg]] (much of which lay in [[Alsace]] and so was subject to the [[Kingdom of France]]) to Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1760 the Hanau-Münzenberg territory became the Hesse-Kassel [[secundogeniture]] [[Hesse-Hanau]], which persisted until 1821.

==1789–1815==
[[File:Grandduchy of Hesse HD 1812.png|thumb|upright|The Grand Duchy of Hesse and surrounding states {{circa|1812}}]]
During the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] the [[French First Republic|French Republic]] annexed the [[left bank of the Rhine]], including most of Hanau-Lichtenberg.

Following the [[German mediatization|reorganization of the German states]] of 1803 – the {{lang|de|[[Reichsdeputationshauptschluss]]}} – Landgrave William IX of Hesse-Kassel was elevated to [[prince-elector]], taking the title [[William I, Elector of Hesse]]. His state thus became the [[Electorate of Hesse]] ({{langx|de|Kurfürstentum Hessen|links=no}}, commonly shortened to {{lang|de|Kurhessen}}), although it is still often referred to as Hesse-Kassel.

Hesse-Darmstadt gained a great deal of territory from the {{lang|de|Reichsdeputationshauptschluss}}: the [[Duchy of Westphalia]], formerly owned by the [[Electorate of Cologne]], was significant, as were the acquisitions from the [[Electorate of Mainz]] and the [[Prince-Bishopric of Worms]].

Hesse-Darmstadt left the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and joined Napoleon's [[Confederation of the Rhine]] on 12 July 1806. Hesse-Darmstadt was enlarged through the annexation of territories including Hesse-Homburg, {{ill|House of Erbach|lt=Erbach|de|Erbach (Adelsgeschlecht)}}, {{ill|House of Solms|lt=Solms|de|Solms (Adelsgeschlecht)}} and {{ill|Wittgensteiner Land|lt=Wittgenstein|de|Wittgensteiner Land}} and was elevated to the [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]].

On 17 July [[Nassau-Usingen]] and [[Nassau-Weilburg]] joined the Confederation and on 30 August united into the [[Duchy of Nassau]].

On 6 August 1806 the [[dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire|Holy Roman Empire was dissolved]].

In late 1806 William I was dispossessed by [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] for his support of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. In 1807 Kassel became the capital of a new [[Kingdom of Westphalia]] with Napoleon's brother [[Jérôme Bonaparte]] as king. Hesse-Hanau was granted to [[Prince-primate]] [[Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg]] and was incorporated into the [[Grand Duchy of Frankfurt]] in 1810, along with Frankfurt, [[Principality of Aschaffenburg|Aschaffenburg]], [[Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda|Fulda]] and [[Wetzlar]]. The right-bank parts of the {{ill|Lower County of Katzenelnbogen|de|Niedergrafschaft Katzenelnbogen}} (Hesse-Rotenburg) were annexed to the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] as the {{lang|fr|{{ill|Pays réservé de Catzenellenbogen|de}}}}.

The elector was restored following Napoleon's defeat in 1813, and although the Holy Roman Empire was now defunct, William retained his title of Prince-Elector, as it gave him pre-eminence over his cousin, the Grand Duke of Hesse. At the [[Congress of Vienna]], the Grand Duke was forced to cede Westphalia to Prussia. In exchange for this he received a piece of territory on the left bank of the Rhine, including the important fortress at [[Mainz]]; the Grand Duchy changed its official name to the ''Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine'' in 1816. Nassau's borders were significantly redrawn: it gained Lower Katzenelnbogen and the former possessions of {{ill|Nassau-Dietz|de}}/[[Principality of Orange-Nassau|Orange-Nassau]] (around Dillenburg and Hadamar) which had been under [[Grand Duchy of Berg|Berg]] from 1806; it lost the [[Siegerland]] (to Prussian [[Province of Westphalia|Westphalia]]) and [[County of Wied|Wied]] (to the Prussian [[Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine]] – the [[Rhine Province]] from 1822). Wetzlar and lands around it became {{ill|Kreis Wetzlar|de}} and, until 1822 {{ill|Kreis Braunfels|de}}, collectively an exclave of the Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine. The Congress also partitioned [[Principality of Isenburg|Isenburg]] between the electorate and grand duchy, reinstated the [[Free City of Frankfurt]] and Hesse-Homburg as independent states and granted Fulda to the electorate. The Hessian states were now independent countries and, after 1815, members of the [[German Confederation]].

== Later 19th century ==
[[File:Hesse in the German Reich (1871).svg|thumb|[[Grand Duchy of Hesse]] in 1871]]
[[File:Hessen 1900.svg|thumb|upright|Hesse in 1900, divided between several states]]
Hesse-Homburg was inherited by Hesse-Darmstadt in March 1866.

In June 1866 Elector [[Frederik William, Elector of Hesse|Frederick William]] and Grand Duke [[Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse|Louis III]], sided with the [[Austrian Empire]] in the [[Austro-Prussian War]]. Following the Prussian victory the Electorate was annexed by Prussia and, along with the annexed Duchy of Nassau, Frankfurt and some parts of the Grand Duchy (including Hesse-Homburg and the [[Hessian Hinterland]] ({{ill|Kreis Biedenkopf|lt=Biedenkopf|de}} and {{ill|Kreis Vöhl|lt=Vöhl|de}} districts), see {{ill|Peace Treaty of 3 September 1866|de|Friedensvertrag vom 3. September 1866}}) and [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]], Hesse-Kassel became part of the new Prussian [[Province of Hesse-Nassau]]. The northern [[Upper Hesse|Upper Hessian]] part of the Grand Duchy, now an [[enclave]] of Prussia, also became part of the [[North German Confederation]] in 1867 (along with [[Mainz-Kastel]] and [[Mainz-Kostheim]] as they lay north of the [[Main (river)|Main]]), making Louis a [[vassal]] in these lands; the southern part ([[Starkenburg]] and [[Rhenish Hesse]]) remained sovereign until the formation of the [[German Empire]] in 1871. Within the German Empire the Grand Dukes continued to rule their lands as vassals of the Emperor.

== 20th century ==
[[File:Hessen1930.png|thumb|upright|[[People's State of Hesse]] and part of [[Hesse-Nassau]] in 1930]]
In 1918, [[Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse]], younger brother of the head of the house and a brother-in-law of Emperor [[William II, German Emperor|William II]], was elected by the pro-German [[Finland|Finnish]] government to be [[King of Finland]], but he never reigned.

In 1918, following the German defeat in [[World War I]] and [[German Revolution]], Hesse-Nassau became part of the [[Free State of Prussia]]. The last Grand Duke, Ernst Ludwig (a grandson of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] and brother to Empress [[Alexandra of Hesse|Alexandra]] of Russia), was forced from his throne and the Grand Duchy of Hesse became the [[People's State of Hesse]] ({{lang|de|Volksstaat Hessen}}).

In 1929 [[Free State of Waldeck|Waldeck]] was incorporated into Hesse-Nassau ({{lang|de|[[Regierungsbezirk Kassel]]}}). The [[Rhine Province|Rhenish]] exclave of {{ill|Landkreis Wetzlar|lt=Wetzlar|de}}, which lay between Hesse-Nassau and [[Upper Hesse]], was also incorporated in 1932 (to {{lang|de|[[Regierungsbezirk Wiesbaden]]}}); at the same time the Hessian {{ill|Landkreis Grafschaft Schaumburg|lt=Schaumburg exclave|de}} passed to [[Province of Hanover|Hanover]].

Within [[Nazi Germany]] a parallel system of "{{lang|de|[[Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany|Gau]]e}}" was established; in Hesse there were two: {{lang|de|[[Gau Kurhessen]]}} (initially {{lang|de|Gau Hessen-Nassau-Nord}}) corresponded with {{lang|de|Regierungsbezirk Kassel}}, while {{lang|de|[[Gau Hessen-Nassau]]}} (initially {{lang|de|Gau Hessen-Nassau-Süd}}) covered both {{lang|de|Regierungsbezirk Wiesbaden}} and the People's State of Hesse. In 1944, the Province of Hesse-Nassau was divided into the Prussian provinces of [[Province of Kurhessen|Kurhessen]] and [[Province of Nassau|Nassau]], corresponding with the {{lang|de|Regierungsbezirke}} of Wiesbaden and Kassel respectively; Kassel's {{ill|Landkreis Herrschaft Schmalkalden|lt=Schmalkalden exclave|de}} (the former {{ill|Lordship of Schmalkalden|de|Herrschaft Schmalkalden}} which had been part of Hesse-Kassel since 1583 and before that a [[Condominium (international law)|condominium]] with [[House of Henneberg|Henneberg]] since 1360) passed to [[Thuringia]].

[[File:Map-GreaterHesse.svg|thumb|upright|[[Greater Hesse]] (dark orange) in [[Allied-occupied Germany]], 1945–1946]]
After [[World War II]] Kurhessen and most of Nassau and the People's State fell within the [[US occupation zone in Germany]], and were merged to form the state of [[Greater Hesse]] ({{langx|de|Großhessen}}). In 1946 Greater Hesse was reorganized into the modern [[State of Hesse]]. The People's State's [[Rhenish Hesse]] ({{lang|de|Rheinhessen}}) and the westernmost part of Nassau/Wiesbaden (which became {{lang|de|[[Regierungsbezirk Montabaur]]}}) on the other hand fell within the [[French occupation zone in Germany|French occupation zone]], where they became part of [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] from 1946.  [[Bad Wimpfen|(Bad) Wimpfen]] — an exclave of the People's State — became part of [[Württemberg-Baden]] (absorbed into [[Baden-Württemberg]] in 1952), {{ill|district of Sinsheim|de|Landkreis Sinsheim}}. The States of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg became federal states of [[West Germany]] in 1949.

In 1968, the head of the [[House of Hesse-Kassel]] became the head of the entire [[House of Hesse]] due to the extinction of the [[House of Hesse-Darmstadt]].

==See also==
* [[History of Frankfurt am Main]] and [[Timeline of Frankfurt]]
* [[Politics of Hesse]]
* [[Timeline of Kassel]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading==
* Ingrao, Charles W. The ''Hessian mercenary state: ideas, institutions, and reform under Frederick II, 1760-1785'' (Cambridge University Press, 2003).
* Ingrao, Charles. "'Barbarous Strangers': Hessian State and Society during the American Revolution." ''American Historical Review'' 87.4 (1982): 954-976. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1857901 online]
* Wegert, Karl H. "Contention with Civility: The State and Social Control in the German Southwest, 1760–1850." ''Historical Journal'' 34.2 (1991): 349-369. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2639502 online]
* Wilder, Colin F. "" THE RIGOR OF THE LAW OF EXCHANGE": How People Changed Commercial Law and Commercial Law Changed People (Hesse-Cassel, 1654–1776)." ''Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung'' (2015): 629-659. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24899723 online]
* {{cite book|last=Clay|first=John-Henry|title=In the Shadow of Death: Saint Boniface and the Conversion of Hessia, 721-54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5KnSgAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Brepols|isbn=9782503531618}}

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