Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse

Louis I
Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
Reign	1806 - 6 April 1830
Predecessor	New title
Successor	Louis II
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Reign	1790 - 1806
Predecessor	Louis IX
Successor	Title abolished
Born	(1753-06-14)14 June 1753 Prenzlau, Brandenburg
Died	Darmstadt, Hesse
Spouse	Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt
Issue	Grand Duke Louis II of Hesse
House	House of Hesse-Darmstadt
Father	Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother	Caroline of Zweibrücken

Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse (14 June 1753, Prenzlau – 6 April 1830, Darmstadt) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (as Louis X) and later the first Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine.

Biography

File:Hessen-Darmstadt Kronenthaler 1825 70186.jpg

Kronenthaler of Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, 1825.

Louis was the son of Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and succeeded his father in 1790. He presided over a significant increase in territory for Hesse-Darmstadt during the imperial reorganizations of 1801-1803, most notably the Duchy of Westphalia, hitherto subject to the Archbishop of Cologne. Allied to Napoleon, Louis in 1806 was elevated to the title of a Grand Duke of Hesse and joined the Confederation of the Rhine, leading to the dissolution of the Empire. At the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15, Louis had to give up his Westphalian territories, but was compensated with the district of Rheinhessen, with his capital Mainz on the left bank of the Rhine. Because of this addition, he amended his title to Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine.

In 1844, a 33-meter column called Langer Ludwig (meaning Long Louis), was set up In his commemoration in the middle of the Luisenplatz, the largest square of Darmstadt.

Marriage and family

In 1776, he became engaged to Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, eldest daughter of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. The engagement was broken off so that Sophia Dorothea could marry Louis's recently widowed brother-in-law Tsarevich Paul Petrovich, son and heir of Catherine II "the Great", Empress of Russia. He received a monetary compensation when the engagement was broken.

On 19 February 1777, Louis married his first cousin, Landgravine Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt ( 15 February 1761 – 24 October 1829), a daughter of Landgrave George William of Hesse-Darmstadt. Together, they had six children:

• Louis, later Grand Duke Louis II of Hesse (26 December 1777 – 16 June 1848). Married Wilhelmine of Baden and had issue.
• Louise (16 January 1779 – 18 April 1811). Married Louis of Anhalt-Köthen and had issue.
• George (31 August 1780 – 17 April 1856). Married, morganatically, Caroline Török de Szendrö and had issue.
• Frederick (14 May 1788 – 16 March 1867)
• Emil (3 September 1790 – 30 April 1856)
• Gustav (18 December 1791 – 30 January 1806)

Ancestry

16. Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

8. Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

17. Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

4. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

18. Albrecht V, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

9. Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach

19. Sophie Margaret of Oettingen-Oettingen

2. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

20. Johann Reinhard II, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg

10. Johann Reinhard III, Count of Hanau

21. Anna Magdalene of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler

5. Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg

22. Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

11. Dorothea Friederike of Brandenburg-Ansbach

23. Johanne Elisabeth of Baden-Durlach

1. Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse

24. Christian I, Count Palatine of Birkenfeld

12. Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld

25. Magdalene Katharine of Zweibrücken

6. Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken

26. Johann Jakob, Count of Rappoltstein

13. Katharina Agathe of Rappoltstein

27. Anna Klaudie of Salm

3. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken

28. Gustav Adolf, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken

14. Ludwig Kraft, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken

29. Eleonore Klare of Hohenlohe

7. Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken

30. Heinrich Friedrich, Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

15. Philippine Henriette of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

31. Juliana Dorothea of Castell-Remlingen

Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse House of Hesse-Darmstadt Cadet branch of the House of Hesse Born: 14 June 1753 Died: 6 April 1830
Regnal titles
Preceded by Louis IX	Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 1790 - 1806	Succeeded by Title abolished
Preceded by New title	Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine 1806-1830	Succeeded by Louis II