William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

William VIII
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
200px Portrait of William VIII with the Order of the White Eagle, 1729 (Royal Castle in Warsaw)
Spouse(s)	Dorothea Wilhelmina of Saxe-Zeitz
Issue Charles Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Maria Amalia
Detail Titles and styles The Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Noble family	House of Hesse-Kassel
Father	Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Mother	Maria Amalia of Courland
Born	10 March 1682 Kassel
Died	1 February 1760 Rinteln
Religion	Calvinism

William VIII (10 March 1682 – 1 February 1760) ruled the German Landgraviate Hesse-Kassel from 1730 until his death, first as regent (1730–1751) and then as landgrave (1751–1760).

Life

Born in Kassel, he was the seventh son of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Maria Amalia of Courland. After his elder brother Frederick became King of Sweden in 1720 and his father died in 1730, he became de facto ruler of Hesse-Kassel. He officially became landgrave after his brother's death on 25 March 1751.

Five years later, the Seven Years' War began and William joined with the Prussian and British forces. Hesse-Kassel became an important battlefield and was occupied by France on several occasions. He had a deep, personal friendship with Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, and Roman-German emperor Charles VII.

His second son and successor, Frederick, became a Catholic, which led to restrictions on Catholicism in the Calvinist landgraviate and the transfer of the Principality of Hanau to his Protestant son William.

During his reign, William started building the Wilhelmsthal Palace and collected paintings, including works by Rembrandt.

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  Wilhelmsthal Palace

Family

In 1717, William married Dorothea Wilhelmina (20 March 1691 – 17 March 1743), eldest daughter of Maurice William, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz.
They had three children: Charles (21 August 1718 – 17 October 1719); Frederick, his successor; and Maria Amalia (7 July 1721 – 19 November 1744). He died at Rinteln in 1760.

Ancestry

Family of William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

16. Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel               8. William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel                       17. Agnes of Solms-Laubach               4. William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel                             18. Philip Louis II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg               9. Countess Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg                       19. Catherine-Belgica of Orange-Nassau               2. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel                                   20. John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg               10. George William, Elector of Brandenburg                       21. Anna of Prussia               5. Margravine Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg                             22. Frederick IV, Elector Palatine               11. Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate                       23. Louise Juliana of Nassau               1. William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel                                         24. Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland               12. Wilhelm Kettler, Duke of Courland                       25. Anna of Mecklenburg               6. Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland                             26. Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia               13. Duchess Sophie of Prussia                       27. Marie Eleonore of Cleves               3. Maria Amalia of Courland                                   28. John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg (= 20)               14. George William, Elector of Brandenburg (= 10)                       29. Anna of Prussia (= 21)               7. Margravine Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg                             30. Frederick IV, Elector Palatine (= 22)               15. Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (= 11)                       31. Louise Juliana of Nassau (= 23)

References

• Reinhard Dietrich (1996) (in German). Die Landesverfassung in dem Hanauischen = Hanauer Geschichtsblätter 34. Hanau. ISBN 3-9801933-6-5
• Bernhard Schnackenburg (2000) (in German). Landgraf Wilhelm VIII. von Hessen-Kassel, Gründer der Kasselerer Gemäldegalerie. In: Heide Wunder (Ed.): Kassel im 18. Jahrhundert. Kassel. S. 71–87.
• Wolf von Both/Hans Vogt (Ed.) (1964) (in German). Landgraf Wilhelm VIII. von Hessen-Kassel. Ein Fürst der Rokokozeit = Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Hessen und Waldeck, Bd. 27,1/ Schriften zur Hessischen Kulturgeschichte, Bd. 1. Munich.
• Franz Carl Theodor Piderit (1844) (in German). Geschichte der Haupt- und Residenzstadt Kassel S. 304 ff.

William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel House of Hesse Born: 10 March 1682 Died: 1 February 1760
Preceded by Frederick I	Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel 1751–1760	Succeeded by Frederick II