Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Encyclopedia
Karl I was Landgrave
of Hesse-Kassel
from 1670 till his death.
Born at Kassel
, he was the son of Wilhelm VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg
, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
. After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent
until 1675. Then Karl ruled for the next 55 years.
Under his rule Kassel recovered faster from the Thirty Years' War
than other regions in Germany. He built a relatively large army which he rented to the highest bidder in the War of Spanish Succession.
At the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 in France, Karl welcomed the expelled Huguenots giving them freedom of worship. Some 4000 Huguenots settled in Kassel.
Karl stimulated the metal-industry and was also interested in archaeology.
(1653–1711), daughter of Jacob Kettler
, Duke of Courland.
They had seventeen children
Landgrave
Landgrave was a title used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
of Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
from 1670 till his death.
Born at Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, he was the son of Wilhelm VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg
Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg
Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg was Landgravine consort and Regent of Hesse-Kassel. Daughter of George William, Elector of Brandenburg and Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, she married in 1649 to William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel...
, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
George William, Elector of Brandenburg
George William of Brandenburg , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was margrave and elector of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia from 1619 until his death. His reign was marked by ineffective governance during the Thirty Years' War...
. After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
until 1675. Then Karl ruled for the next 55 years.
Under his rule Kassel recovered faster from the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
than other regions in Germany. He built a relatively large army which he rented to the highest bidder in the War of Spanish Succession.
At the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 in France, Karl welcomed the expelled Huguenots giving them freedom of worship. Some 4000 Huguenots settled in Kassel.
Karl stimulated the metal-industry and was also interested in archaeology.
Marriage and children
Karl married his first cousin Maria Amalia of CourlandMaria Amalia of Courland
Maria Anna Amalia of Courland was a German noblewoman. A princess of Courland from the Ketteler family, she was also Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel via her marriage on 21 May 1673 to her first cousin Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel...
(1653–1711), daughter of Jacob Kettler
Jacob Kettler
Jacob Kettler was a Baltic German Duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia . Under his rule, the duchy was brought to its greatest peak in wealth and engaged in colonization.- Life :...
, Duke of Courland.
They had seventeen children
- Wilhelm (29 March 1674 - 25 July 1676)
- Karl (24 February 1675 - 7 December 1677)
- FriedrichFrederick I of SwedenFrederick I, , was a prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and a King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730...
(28 April 1676 - 5 April 1751), King of Sweden, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel - Christian (2 July 1677 - 18 September 1677]
- Sophie CharlotteSophie Charlotte of Hesse-KasselSophie Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel was a princess of Hesse-Kassel and by marriage Duchess of Mecklenburg.- Life :...
(16 July 1678 - 30 May 1749) - married Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-SchwerinFrederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-SchwerinFrederick William I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the reigning Duke in the Mecklenburg-Schwerin part of the territory from 1692 until 1713....
(1675–1713) - Son (12 June 1679]
- Karl (12 June 1680 - 13 November 1702)
- William (10 March 1682 - 1 February 1760), Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
- Leopold (30 December 1684 - 10 September 1704)
- Ludwig (5 September 1686 - 23 May 1706)
- Marie Luise (7 February 1688 - 9 April 1765) - married Johan Willem Friso, Prince of OrangeJohan Willem Friso, Prince of OrangeJohn William Friso became the titular Prince of Orange in 1702...
(1687–1711) - MaximilianMaximilian of Hesse-KasselMaximilian of Hesse-Kassel was a prince of Hesse-Kassel and a Generalfeldzeugmeister, Generalfeldmarschall and finally Reichsgeneralfeldmarschall in the army of the Holy Roman Empire.-Life:...
(28 May 1689 - 8 May 1753) - married Friederike Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt (1698–1777) - Daughter (5 July 1690)
- Georg Karl (8 January 1691 - 5 March 1755)
- Eleonore Antoine (11 January 1694 - 17 December 1694)
- Wilhelmine Charlotte (8 July 1695 - 27 November 1722)
- Son (1696)