Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1806–1918 | |||||||||
 Flag  Coat of arms | |||||||||
.svg) Grand Ducal Hesse within theGerman Empire | |||||||||
| Capital | Darmstadt | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Grand Duke | |||||||||
| Louis I | |||||||||
| Louis II | |||||||||
| Louis III | |||||||||
| Louis IV | |||||||||
| Ernest Louis | |||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 13 August1806 1806 | ||||||||
• German Revolution | 9 November1918 1918 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1910[1] | 7,688.36 km2 (2,968.49 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1910[1] | 1282051 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheGrand Duchy of Hesse (German:Großherzogtum Hessen) was a former state that existed in modern-dayGermany. It was formed in 1806 after the dissolution of theHoly Roman Empire as a result of the actions ofNapoleon, who then elevated the formerLandgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt to the level ofgrand duchy. For this reason, this state was occasionally known simply asHesse-Darmstadt.
Because Hesse-Darmstadt was a member of Napoleon'sConfederation of the Rhine, it was forced to give up a considerable amount of territory at the 1815Congress of Vienna. The territory of theDuchy of Westphalia, which Hesse-Darmstadt received from the 1803Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, was given to theKingdom of Prussia. However, it received some territory on the western bank of theRhine, including the important federal fortress atMainz.
The Grand Duchy changed its name to theGrand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (German:Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) in 1816.
The Grand Duchy of Hesse was divided into three provinces:
