Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel explained

Maurice
Succession:Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Reign:25 August 1592 –
17 March 1627
Predecessor:William IV
Successor:William V
Spouse:
    Issue:Otto, Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Kassel
    Elisabeth, Duchess of Mecklenburg
    William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
    Agnes, Princess of Anhalt-Dessau
    Herman IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
    Magdalene, Countess of Salm-Reifferscheid
    Sophie, Countess of Schaumburg-Lippe
    Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege
    Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels
    Issue-Link:
    1. Marriages and issue
    House:Hesse-Kassel
    Father:William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
    Mother:Sabine of Württemberg
    Birth Date:25 May 1572
    Birth Place:Kassel, Hesse-Kassel
    Death Date:15 March 1632 (aged 59)
    Death Place:Eschwege, Hesse-Kassel

    Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (German: Moritz; 25 May 1572 – 15 March 1632), also called Maurice the Learned or Moritz, was the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) in the Holy Roman Empire from 1592 to 1627.

    Life

    Maurice was born in Kassel as the son of William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and of his wife Sabine of Württemberg.

    Although Maurice had been raised in the Lutheran faith, he converted to Calvinism in 1605. On the principle Cuius regio eius religio, Maurice's subjects were also required to convert to Calvinism. Maurice's conversion was controversial since the Peace of Augsburg had only settled religious matters betweens Roman Catholics and Lutherans and had not considered Calvinists. Maurice tried to introduce Calvinism to the lands which he had inherited from the extinct Hesse-Marburg branch of his family. Such a change of faith was contrary to the inheritance rules, and resulted in an ongoing conflict with the Hesse-Darmstadt branch. It also brought him into conflict with the Holy Roman Emperor, Matthias.

    English strolling players ('Die Englische Comoedianten') were frequent visitors to, and performers in, towns and cities in Germany and other European countries, including Kassel, during the 16th and 17th centuries. Landgraf Moritz (to use his German nomenclature) was a great supporter of the performing arts and even built the first permanent theatre in Germany, named the Ottoneum, in 1605. This building still exists today but as a Natural History Museum.

    In 1609, Maurice played a leading role in mediating the Treaty of Dortmund, which aimed to determine the succession of Julich-Cleves-Berg. He did so with support from King Henry IV of France.[1]

    Maurice's actions (though not necessarily the Ottoneum) ruined Hesse-Kassel financially. In 1627 he abdicated in favour of his son William V. Five years later he died in Eschwege. He was not only a serious musician but an expert composer (a Pavane of his, for the lute, has several times been recorded by both lutenists and guitarists). The leading musical figures whom he supported included Heinrich Schütz and John Dowland.

    Marriages and issue

    On 23 September 1593, Maurice married Agnes of Solms-Laubach (7 January 1578 – 23 November 1602). They had six children:

    On 22 May 1603, Maurice married Countess Juliane of Nassau-Siegen (3 September 1587 – 15 February 1643). They had fourteen children:

    References

    External links

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    Notes and References

    1. Book: Anderson, Alison D. . On the verge of war: international relations and the Jülich-Kleve succession crises (1609-1614) . 1999 . Humanities Press . 978-0-391-04092-2 . Studies in Central European histories . Boston.
    2. Schlotter, Acta, p. 327. - also: Thirty Years' War (in German) [retrieved 15 June 2014].