Hesse
This blog clarifies a lot of confusion. I am probably causing more. I need to set a few things straight about this state. It came into triangle shaped halves one N. and one S. of the river Rhine. T.only the northern half was allowed to join future North German organizations. As St. Augustine said: “For those who think I have said too much or too little I ask pardon.”
The confusing name of Hesse. Hesse-Kasselwas absorbed along with Frankfurt, Nassau, and Hanover to become part of Prussia. This should not be confused with Hesse-Darmstadt, (which most know as Hesse) that maintained its statehood, after 1866. Hesse-Homburg was absorbed by Hesse-Darmstadt just before the war because Hesse-Homburg’s bloodline had died out. Hesse-Homburg was ceded to Prussia as part of the indemnity process of the 1866 war.
Hesse-Darmstadt
(1813-1871: Hessen (-Darmstadt))
The Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt was a German state beginning in 1567. The Grand Duke of Hesse (Großherzöge von Hessen) was forced in 1806, to join Napoleon I’s Rhine Alliance. After Napoleon’s army had been defeated in 1815, Hesse-Darmstadt’s territory was enlarged to include cities near the Rhine River, such as Mainz. The official title was changed from Hesse-Darmstadt to “Hesse and the Rhine” (Hessen und bei Rhein). It was a member state of the Germanic Confederation between 1815 and 1866. Hesse-Darmstadt sided with Austria during the war in 1866. After the Austro-Prussian War, it became a member state of the North German Confederation. It was known until 1866 as Hesse-Darmstadt. After Prussia annexed Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Homburg in 1866, Hesse-Darmstadt remained the only independent part of Hesse, and it became known as Hesse. Not only were the inhabitants known as Hessians, but also the inhabitants of the former states of Hesse and the new Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau were considered Hessians. Hesse-Darmstadt became a member state of the German Empire in 1871. It consisted of two main parts, separated from each other by a narrow strip of Prussian territory. The northern part was the province of Oberhessen; the southern consisted of the contiguous provinces of Starkenburg and Rheinhessen. It is a common misconception that Hesse- Darmstadt lost no land as a result of royal connections after the war of 1866. While doing far better than many of its neighbors, it still lost a great deal of land north of Wetzlar.
In 1862, the Grand Duke Louis IV married Queen Victoria’s second daughter, Alice, who was a carrier of hemophilia. Their daughter, Alexandra, princess of Hesse Darmstadt, married Nicholas II of Russia and thereby introduced the genetic disorder into the Russian royalty. Their son, Friedrich suffered from hemophilia and died from a fall. Alice died in 1878, and in 1884 the duke entered into a morganatic marriage. His oldest son, Ernst Louis, succeeded him.
In 1894 Ernst Louis married Victoria of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, his first cousin. This marriage was not a happy one, and the death of their daughter, Elisabeth and the birth of a stillborn son, did nothing to help their relationship. Victoria Melita’s (Ducky’s) fights with the passive Ernst were legendary and included the throwing of china and glassware. They were divorced in 1901, after the death of Queen Victoria, who previously would not permit the divorce. There is controversy today whether the Grand Duke was gay or bisexual, or if Victoria Melita created this rumor maliciously. He married again in 1905 and had two sons.
The Hessian military became a contingent of the Prussian army on 7 April 1867. Even though only the northern part of Hesse joined the North German Confederation, the entire military was integrated into the Prussian army. There were some significant variances with other conventions and there even was a separate War Minister for Hesse. A further convention was signed in June 1871 maintaining more control over uniforms and other functions than most of the other small states. The Grand Duke retained the right to order any changes in the uniform, which may be found in later imperial orders.The soldiers were concentrated in the 25th Infantry Division of the Prussian XVIII Army Corps.
Hesse-Cassel
(1813-1866: Hessen (-Cassel)Kurhessen)
The Electorate of Hesse, a German state since 1567, was a member state of the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866. Frederick William, the Elector of Hesse, joined the North German Confederation. In 1848, he dissolved the parliament and placed the country under martial law. Having major problems with the military that had sworn allegiance to the constitution, the Elector appealed for aid to the German Confederation diet, which passed a decree of “intervention.” In 1850, an Austrian and Bavarian force occupied the electorate.
Prussia objected violently to the occupation because it had an agreement with the Electorate of Hesse-Cassel to have use of the roads to connect Prussia’s eastern and western provinces. Prussian troops also entered the electorate. Shots were actually exchanged, but Prussia was in no condition to press the issue, and the diplomatic contest that followed became the Austrian triumph at Olmütz (1851). In 1866, the elector allied with Austria; the Prussians occupied the electorate and the elector was taken prisoner. By the treaty of Prague, Hesse-Cassel was annexed to Prussia and Frederick William was guaranteed his personal property. The property was sequestered in 1868 because of Frederick William’s intrigues against Prussia; part of the property’s income was paid to other relatives, and part, together with certain castles and palaces, was assigned to the towns of Philippsthal and Philippsthal Barchfeld.
Hesse-Homburg
(1813-1866: Hessen (Homburg)
The Landgraviate of Hessebecame a German state in 1708. It was a member state of the German Confederation between 1815 and 1866. It was comprised of two parts: the district of Homburg on the east side of the Rhine and the district of Meisenheim, which was added in 1815, on the west side of the same river. When the last ruler (Ferdinand) died on 24 March 1866, Louis III, Grand-Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, inherited Hesse-Homburg. Louis was forced to cede his new possession to Prussia in restitution, as Hesse-Darmstadt had fought on the side of Austria during the war between Austria and Prussia.