Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a princely territory of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled from Cassel. In 1337 Landgrave Henry II, called the Iron, governed the lands secured for his house by Sophia of Brabant.
After earlier partitions, William II reunited Hesse in 1500. Under Philip the Magnanimous, Hesse embraced Protestantism at the Synod of Homberg in 1526 and led Protestant princes against Charles V; Philip's death in 1567 divided Hesse among his four sons, creating Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt. These became an electorate in 1803 and a grand duchy in 1806, respectively.
Characters
- Adelaide of Hesse
- Adelheid of Ravensberg
- Eberhard I of Eppstein
- Elisabeth of Hesse
- Elisabeth of Meissen
- Gottfried V of Eppstein
- Gottfried VI of Eppstein
- Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
- Henry II of Hesse
- Hermann I of Hesse
- Louis the Junker of Hesse
- Margaretha of Hesse
- Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse
- Otto the Younger of Hesse
- Sophie of Thuringia
- Mechthild of Hesse