Philip III, Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach
Encyclopedia
Landgrave Philip III of Hesse-Butzbach (born: 26 December 1581 in Darmstadt
; died: 28 April 1643) was Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach
from 1609 to 1643.
of Hesse-Darmstadt
(1547-1596) and Magdalene of Lippe
(1552-1587). Philip's first wife was Anna Margaretha of Diepholz; she died childless in 1629 and was buried in the town church at Butzbach
. He married his second wife, Christina Sophia of East Frisia
(born: 1609 in Aurich, died 1658 in Frankfurt
), in 1632 in Aurich
.
When his father died in 1596, the country was divided into three parts. Hesse-Darmstadt
, like many royal courts, practised primogeniture
, meaning that the oldest son inherited the country and his younger brothers were compensated with money, or, if no money was available, a much smaller, non-sovereign, territory and less money. The younger sons were allowed to use the title of "Landgrave", but sovereignty remained with the eldest son. In this case, eldest son, Louis V "the faithful"
inherited the bulk of the country. Frederick
received Homburg
and founded the Hesse-Homburg
line. Philip received Butzbach
.
His Landgraviate of Butzback initially consisted only of the town of Butzbach and som nearby villages. A quarter of Solms-Braunfels
was added during the Thirty Years' War
, when the Count of Solms-Braunfels had fallen into disfavour with the Emperor. In 1639, the town of Itter
in Waldeck
was added, with the castle at Vöhl
and the villages that belonged to the castle. At that time, however, Philip's annual jointer of was reduced by 7300 guilders.
The new residence Butzbach flourished in the middle of the Thirty Years' War. Landgrave Philip was a learned and well-traveled man; he spoke eight languages, was a mathematician and collected a valuable library. For astronomical studies, he built an observatory in his Landgraviate Castle in Butzbach and had some astronomical instruments made. In 1618, he appointed Daniel Mögling
(alias Theophilus Schweighart), who was a Rosicrucian
and medical doctor and a member of a family of professors from Tübingen, as a court mathematician and court astronomer. Mogling, who also translated Philip Sidney
's Arcadia brought him into contact with Wilhelm Schickard
(1592-1635), who had invented a calcualting machine in 1623. Philip III also corresponded with the astronomers Kepler
and Galileo
. He had met the 17 years older Galileo during his two trips to Italy in 1602 and 1607. Kepler visited Butzabch twice, in July 1621 and in October 1627. Philip III and Kepler observed the size of sunspots together and in 1624, Philip printed Kepler's . Kepler's daughter Susan also visited the court at Butzbach several times.
Philip expanded his castle and surrounded it with a pleasure garden and a tree garden. Neither garden has survived. The largest attraction in the garden was the "planet fountain". Drawings of this fountain, a painting and a description have survived and a model was constructed recently.
Philip III died in 1643 during a sweating treatment at Bad Ems
, which his physician Johann Schröder
had prescribed a year earlier. During his treatment, some alcohol caught fire, due to carelessness of the barber. Philip III suffered severe burns and died from his wounds shortly afterwards.
Since both of his marriages had been childless, the Landgraviate of Butzbach fell back to Hesse-Darmstadt after just one generation. His second wife, Christina Sophia, remained on the castle in Butzbach until her death.
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
; died: 28 April 1643) was Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach
House of Hesse
The House of Hesse is a European royal dynasty from the region of Hesse, originally and still formally the House of Brabant.-History:The origins of the House of Hesse begin with the marriage of Sophie of Thuringia, daughter of Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia and Elizabeth of Hungary with Henry...
from 1609 to 1643.
Life
His parents were George I "the Pious"George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
George I of Hesse-Darmstadt was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1567 to 1596.Born on 10 September 1547 in Kassel, he was the fourth son of Philip I the Magnanimous of Hesse and Christine of Saxony....
of Hesse-Darmstadt
Hesse-Darmstadt
Hesse-Darmstadt or the German Hessen-Darmstadt is a name that describes:* Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt , a state of the Holy Roman Empire...
(1547-1596) and Magdalene of Lippe
Magdalene of Lippe
Magdalena of Lippe was a German noblewoman. She was a Countess of Lippe by birth. By her marriage to George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt she was the first Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt.- Life :...
(1552-1587). Philip's first wife was Anna Margaretha of Diepholz; she died childless in 1629 and was buried in the town church at Butzbach
Butzbach
Butzbach is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 16 km south of Gießen and 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main....
. He married his second wife, Christina Sophia of East Frisia
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
(born: 1609 in Aurich, died 1658 in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
), in 1632 in Aurich
Aurich
Aurich is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich.-History:The history of Aurich dates back to the 13th century, when the settlement of Aurechove was mentioned in a Frisian document called the Brokmerbrief in 1276. In 1517, Count Edzard from the house of...
.
When his father died in 1596, the country was divided into three parts. Hesse-Darmstadt
Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse between the four sons of Philip I, the last Landgrave of Hesse....
, like many royal courts, practised primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
, meaning that the oldest son inherited the country and his younger brothers were compensated with money, or, if no money was available, a much smaller, non-sovereign, territory and less money. The younger sons were allowed to use the title of "Landgrave", but sovereignty remained with the eldest son. In this case, eldest son, Louis V "the faithful"
Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis V of Hesse-Darmstadt was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1596 to 1626.He was born on 24 September 1577 as the son of George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Magdalene of Lippe....
inherited the bulk of the country. Frederick
Frederick I, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Frederick I of Hesse-Homburg , was the first Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and founder of the eponymous family line.- Life :...
received Homburg
Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, Germany, on the southern slope of the Taunus, bordering among others Frankfurt am Main and Oberursel...
and founded the Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg
Hesse-Homburg was formed into a separate landgraviate in 1622 by the landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt to be ruled by his son, although it did not become independent of Hesse-Darmstadt until 1668....
line. Philip received Butzbach
Butzbach
Butzbach is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 16 km south of Gießen and 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main....
.
His Landgraviate of Butzback initially consisted only of the town of Butzbach and som nearby villages. A quarter of Solms-Braunfels
Solms-Braunfels
Solms-Braunfels was a County in what is today the federal Land of Hesse in Germany.Solms-Braunfels was a partition of Solms, and was raised to a Principality in 1742. Solms-Braunfels was partitioned between: itself and Solms-Ottenstein in 1325; itself and Solms-Lich in 1409; and itself,...
was added during 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....
, when the Count of Solms-Braunfels had fallen into disfavour with the Emperor. In 1639, the town of Itter
Itter
Itter is a municipality in the Kitzbühel and is located 18.60 km west of Kitzbühel, 5 km southeast of Wörgl and 2.50 km north of Hopfgarten im Brixental. The village lies on a terrace above the Brixental valley and its main source of income is tourism...
in Waldeck
Waldeck (state)
Waldeck was a sovereign principality in the German Empire and German Confederation and, until 1929, a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It comprised territories in present-day Hesse and Lower Saxony, ....
was added, with the castle at Vöhl
Vöhl
Vöhl is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in Hesse, Germany not far southwest of Kassel.-Location:Vöhl lies in the northern part of the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park on the Edersee, a man-made lake.-Neighbouring communities:...
and the villages that belonged to the castle. At that time, however, Philip's annual jointer of was reduced by 7300 guilders.
The new residence Butzbach flourished in the middle of the Thirty Years' War. Landgrave Philip was a learned and well-traveled man; he spoke eight languages, was a mathematician and collected a valuable library. For astronomical studies, he built an observatory in his Landgraviate Castle in Butzbach and had some astronomical instruments made. In 1618, he appointed Daniel Mögling
Daniel Mogling
Daniel Mögling born 1596 in Böblingen, died 1635 in Butzbach, was an alchemist and a Rosicrucian. He was personal physician and court astronomer to Philip III, Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach from 1621 to 1635....
(alias Theophilus Schweighart), who was a Rosicrucian
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe...
and medical doctor and a member of a family of professors from Tübingen, as a court mathematician and court astronomer. Mogling, who also translated Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier and soldier, and is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan Age...
's Arcadia brought him into contact with Wilhelm Schickard
Wilhelm Schickard
Wilhelm Schickard was a German polymath who designed a calculating machine in 1623, twenty years before the Pascaline of Blaise Pascal. Unfortunately a fire destroyed the machine as it was being built in 1624 and Schickard decided to abandon his project...
(1592-1635), who had invented a calcualting machine in 1623. Philip III also corresponded with the astronomers Kepler
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
and Galileo
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
. He had met the 17 years older Galileo during his two trips to Italy in 1602 and 1607. Kepler visited Butzabch twice, in July 1621 and in October 1627. Philip III and Kepler observed the size of sunspots together and in 1624, Philip printed Kepler's . Kepler's daughter Susan also visited the court at Butzbach several times.
Philip expanded his castle and surrounded it with a pleasure garden and a tree garden. Neither garden has survived. The largest attraction in the garden was the "planet fountain". Drawings of this fountain, a painting and a description have survived and a model was constructed recently.
Philip III died in 1643 during a sweating treatment at Bad Ems
Bad Ems
Bad Ems is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the county seat of the Rhein-Lahn rural district and is well known as a bathing resort on the river Lahn...
, which his physician Johann Schröder
Johann Schröder
Johann Schröder was a German physician and pharmacologist who was the first person to recognise that arsenic was an element. In 1649, he produced the elemental form of arsenic by heating its oxide, and published two methods for its preparation.-References:...
had prescribed a year earlier. During his treatment, some alcohol caught fire, due to carelessness of the barber. Philip III suffered severe burns and died from his wounds shortly afterwards.
Since both of his marriages had been childless, the Landgraviate of Butzbach fell back to Hesse-Darmstadt after just one generation. His second wife, Christina Sophia, remained on the castle in Butzbach until her death.