William, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
Encyclopedia
William I "the Elder" of Hesse-Rotenburg (15 May 1648, Kassel
– 20 November 1725, Langenschwalbach
) was from 1683 until his death Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
. He was a son of Ernest I
of Hesse-Rotenburg-Rheinfels and his wife, Countess Maria Eleonore of Solms-Lich. William was nicknamed the Elder to distinguish him from his nephew, William of Hesse-Wanfried.
which Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel
had distributed as fiefs
among the sons of his second wife, Juliane
. He officially resided in Rotenburg an der Fulda
, but he often stayed in Langenschwalbach
in the Taunus
area. His descendants ruled the Rotenburg Quarter; his grandson, Constantine
reunited all the parts of the Quarter.
William's dominions included the lower part of the County of Katzenelnbogen
and the districts and castles of Burg Rheinfels
, Reichenberg
and Hohenstein
as well as shares of Umstadt
and Vierherren an der Lahn. He swapped the district and city of Eschwege
with his brother Charles for the district and city of Rotenburg. He also held the dominions of Falkenberg, Cornberg
and Langenschwalbach
and he received a share of the Hessian toll on the Rhine and custom duties on wine, agriculture and wool and the toll at Boppard
.
William died in 1725 and was buried in the Catholic Church of St. Elizabeth in Langenschwalbach.
Countess Maria Anna of Lowenstein-Wertheim
(1652–1688). Anna died in 1688 and was buried in the Franciscan monastery in Boppard. With her, he had eight children, including his successor, Ernest II Leopold:
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 :...
– 20 November 1725, Langenschwalbach
Bad Schwalbach
Bad Schwalbach is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany.- Geographic Location :Bad Schwalbach is a spa town some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465 m above sea level in the Taunus, along the small river Aar...
) was from 1683 until his death Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
Hesse-Rotenburg
Hesse-Rotenburg is a former German landgraviate created from the landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel in 1627. Independence ended in 1834 when the estates not bequeathed to princes Victor and Chlodwig of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfurst were reunited with Hesse-Kassel.-History:The line of Hesse-Kassel ...
. He was a son of Ernest I
Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels
Landgrave Ernest of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg , was from 1649 to 1658 his death Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels and from 1658 until his death Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Because his brothers died young, all later Landgraves in the Rotenburg Quarter are descendants of Ernest...
of Hesse-Rotenburg-Rheinfels and his wife, Countess Maria Eleonore of Solms-Lich. William was nicknamed the Elder to distinguish him from his nephew, William of Hesse-Wanfried.
Life
After his father's death in 1693, William ruled one half of the Rotenburg Quarter, the quarter of Hesse-KasselHesse-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...
which Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel
Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
-External links:...
had distributed as fiefs
Fiefs
Fiefs may refer to:* Fiefdom* Fiefs, a commune of the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France...
among the sons of his second wife, Juliane
Countess Juliane of Nassau-Dillenburg
Countess Juliane of Nassau-Dillenburg , was the fifth child and second daughter of Count John VII of Nassau-Dillenburg , who became Count John I of Nassau-Siegen when his father's inheritance was divided in 1606, and his wife Countess Magdalena of Waldeck .- Life :Juliane was married on...
. He officially resided in Rotenburg an der Fulda
Rotenburg an der Fulda
Rotenburg an der Fulda is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany lying, as the name says, on the river Fulda.- Geography :- Location :...
, but he often stayed in Langenschwalbach
Bad Schwalbach
Bad Schwalbach is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany.- Geographic Location :Bad Schwalbach is a spa town some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465 m above sea level in the Taunus, along the small river Aar...
in the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
area. His descendants ruled the Rotenburg Quarter; his grandson, Constantine
Constantine, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
Constantine of Hessen-Rotenburg was Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg from 1749 until his death....
reunited all the parts of the Quarter.
William's dominions included the lower part of the County of Katzenelnbogen
County of Katzenelnbogen
The County of Katzenelnbogen was an immediate state of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed between 1095 and 1479, when it was inherited by the Landgraves of Hesse.The estate comprised two separate territories...
and the districts and castles of Burg Rheinfels
Burg Rheinfels
Rheinfels Castle is a castle ruin located in Sankt Goar, Germany overlooking the Rhine. It was started in 1245 by Count Diether V of Katzenelnbogen and was partially destroyed by French Revolutionary Army troops in 1797...
, Reichenberg
Reichenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate
Reichenberg is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.-Geography:Reichenberg is situated near the famous Loreley rock and lies approximately 2 km east of the river Rhine in the section known as the Rhine Gorge.The small village belongs to the...
and Hohenstein
Hohenstein, Hesse
Hohenstein is a community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Hohenstein lies in the western Taunus, on both sides of the river Aar between Limburg and Wiesbaden.-Neighbouring communities:...
as well as shares of Umstadt
Groß-Umstadt
Groß-Umstadt is a town in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany. It is near Darmstadt and Frankfurt on the northern border of the Odenwald and is on the edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The highest point of the town is the Heidelberg .The population is...
and Vierherren an der Lahn. He swapped the district and city of Eschwege
Eschwege
Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner...
with his brother Charles for the district and city of Rotenburg. He also held the dominions of Falkenberg, Cornberg
Cornberg
Cornberg is a community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany. It is the district’s smallest municipality.- Location :The community lies between the towns of Bad Hersfeld to the south and Eschwege to the north, each 27 km away...
and Langenschwalbach
Bad Schwalbach
Bad Schwalbach is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany.- Geographic Location :Bad Schwalbach is a spa town some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465 m above sea level in the Taunus, along the small river Aar...
and he received a share of the Hessian toll on the Rhine and custom duties on wine, agriculture and wool and the toll at Boppard
Boppard
Boppard is a town in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, lying in the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It belongs to no Verbandsgemeinde. The town is also a state-recognized tourism resort and is a winegrowing centre.-Location:Boppard lies on the upper Middle...
.
William died in 1725 and was buried in the Catholic Church of St. Elizabeth in Langenschwalbach.
Marriage and issue
William married on 3 March 1669 in RochefortRochefort
-Places:Rochefort is the name of several communes in France, of a municipality in Belgium and a commune in Switzerland:* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, sous-préfecture in the Charente-Maritime département of France...
Countess Maria Anna of Lowenstein-Wertheim
Löwenstein-Wertheim
Löwenstein-Wertheim was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, part of the Franconian Circle. It was formed from the counties of Löwenstein and Wertheim ....
(1652–1688). Anna died in 1688 and was buried in the Franciscan monastery in Boppard. With her, he had eight children, including his successor, Ernest II Leopold:
- Eleanore (born: November 26, 1674)
- Eleanore Maria Amalia (born: 25 September 1675)
- married Eustace Theodore, Count Palatine of Sulzbach
- Felicitas Catherine Elisabeth (born: 14 February 1677)
- married firstly Francis Alexander, Prince of Nassau-Hadamar
- married secondly Count Anton Ferdinand of Attems
- Sophie (born: 4 April 1678)
- Maria Amelie Wilhelmine (born: August 6, 1679)
- Joaneta (born: 12 September 1680), religiosa
- Ernestina (born: 23 October 1681)
- married Roberto, Conde de la Cerda de Villalonga
- Ernest II Leopold (born: 25 June 1684), Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
- married Eleanor Maria Anna, Countess of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort