Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels | |
|---|---|
 Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels | |
| Born | (1623-12-08)8 December 1623 Kassel |
| Died | 2 May 1693(1693-05-02) (aged 69) Cologne |
| Buried | Pilgrimage Church inKamp-Bornhofen |
| Noble family | House of Hesse |
| Spouse | Maria Eleonore of Solms-Lich |
| Issue | William Charles Catherina |
| Father | Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
| Mother | Juliane of Nassau-Siegen |
Landgrave Ernest of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (8 December 1623 – 2 May 1693) was from 1649 to 1658 Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels and from 1658 until his death Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Because his brothers died young, all later Landgraves in theRotenburg Quarter are descendants of Ernest. Hence, Ernest is known as the ancestor of the CatholicRotenburg Quarter, a group of junior lines of theHouse of Hesse.
Ernst was the eleventh child of the second marriage of the LandgraveMaurice of Hesse-Kassel (1572–1632) withJuliane of Nassau-Siegen (1587–1643). He was a great-grandson ofPhilip I "the Magnanimous". Landgrave Ernst married in 1647 in Frankfurt with Countess Maria Eleonore ofSolms-Lich (1632–1689). Two sons from this marriage outlived Ernest:William (1648–1725) andCharles (1649–1711), and one daughter Catherina (1655–1719),[1] who would marry into the aristocratic BritishPye Family, through Richard, the son ofSir Robert Pye.
Ernest was brought up as aCalvinist during theThirty Years' War. He made hisGrand Tour toFrance andItaly, and fought withHesse-Kassel during the final years of the war, for example at theBattle of Nördlingen on 3 August 1645. In 1647, the army of LandgravineAmalie Elisabeth reconquered Lower Katzenelnbogen and returned it to Hesse-Kassel. In 1649, Ernest came of age and received Lower Katzenelnbogen. This made him the founder of the Hesse-Rheinfels line. Hesse-Rheinfels was not considered sovereign: it remained under the sovereignty of Hesse-Kassel, as did the other parts of the Rotenburg Quarter. Details of the relationship between Hesse-Rheinfels and Hesse-Kassel were laid down in a series of house treaties; nevertheless, political and judicial disputes often arose between the two houses.
Ernest choseBurg Rheinfels castle, aboveSt. Goar on the left bank of the Rhine, as his residence and extended the castle to an imposingfortress. The new Landgrave made his official entry into St. Goar on 30 March 1649. The construction activities associated with the extension of his castle and the fact that many landgraviate authorities resided at Rheinfels, contributed significantly to the economic boom of St. Goar, which had suffered severely from the Thirty Years' War.
Ernest and his family converted toCatholicism on 6 January 1652 in Cologne. However, he could not make Catholicism the established religion in his territory, because it fell under the jurisdiction of Hesse-Kassel and his half-nephew LandgraveWilliam VI would not allow Ernest to undermine his authority and deviate fromCalvinism, the established religion in Hesse-Kassel. In 1654, a compromise was reached: the Treaty of Ravensburg allowed Ernest to create three Catholic parishes in his landgraviate, inSt. Goar,Nastätten andLangen-Schwalbach.
After the death of his brothersFrederick in 1655 andHerman IV in 1658, he inherited their sections of the Rotenburg Quarter. He then called himself Ernest of Hesse-Rotenburg-Rheinfels.
Ernest was very interested in religious matters; he was also religiously tolerant. In 1666, he had theRheinfelsen Book of Hymns printed, which contained Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed hymns. Ernest corresponded with the leading scholars of his time, such asGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
Ernest died in 1693 and was buried, at his request, in the Pilgrimage Church in Bornhofen Monastery inKamp-Bornhofen.
Ernest I, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels Born: 8 December 1623 Died: 2 May 1693 | ||
| Preceded byas Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel | Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels 1649–1693 | Succeeded byas Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg |
| Preceded by | Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege 1655–1667 | Succeeded byas Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried |
| Preceded by | Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg 1658–1693 | Succeeded byas Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg |
