Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

Louis VIII
Louis VIII
	Portrait by Johann Christian Fiedler
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Reign	12 September 1739 –; 17 October 1768
Predecessor	Ernest Louis
Successor	Louis IX
Born	5 April 1691; Darmstadt
Died	17 October 1768 (aged 77); Darmstadt
Burial	Stadtkirche Darmstadt
Spouse	Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg (m. 1717; died 1726)
Issue	Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt; Prince George William; Caroline Louise, Margravine of Baden
House	Hesse-Darmstadt
Father	Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother	Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach

Louis VIII (German: Ludwig; 5 April 1691 – 17 October 1768) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1739 to 1768. He was the son of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Margravine Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach.

Life

A deer hunt near Darmstadt. Painting by Georg Adam Eger 1755

In 1717, he was married to his maternal first cousin's daughter, Countess Charlotte Christine of Hanau-Lichtenberg and he received Hanau-Lichtenberg as an addition to his dominions. His mistress was Helena Martini. Because of his passion for hunting, he is known as the "Hunting Landgrave" (German: Jagdlandgraf). During the Seven Years' War he stood on the side of the Emperor and received the rank of General Field Marshal.

Like his father, Louis was not a gifted economist and only his good relationship with Empress Maria Theresa and her intervention at the Imperial Court Council kept the Landgraviate from bankruptcy. However, his caring for his country is documented by the establishment of a textile house in 1742 and a state orphanage in the 1746.

Issue

Children:

Landgrave Louis IX, married in 1741 Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken, had issue
Prince George William, married in 1748 Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg, had issue
Princess Caroline Louise; married in 1751 Charles Frederick, Margrave of Baden, later first Grand Duke of Baden, had issue

Ancestors

Ancestors of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt^[1]

8. George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

4. Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

9. Sophia Eleonore of Saxony

2. Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

10. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha

5. Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

11. Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg

1. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

12. Joachim Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

6. Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

13. Sophie of Solms-Laubach

3. Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach

14. Joachim Ernst of Oettingen-Oettingen

7. Sofie Margarete of Oettingen-Oettingen

15. Anna Sibylle of Solms

External links

The Age of Absolutism in Hesse-Darmstadt (German)

Sources

^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 67.

Die Geschichte Hessens, Gerd Bauer, Heiner Boencke, Hans Sarkowicz; Eichborn, 2002, p. 193-194

Regnal titles
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt House of Hesse Born: 5 April 1691 Died: 17 October 1768
Preceded by Ernest Louis	Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 1739–1768	Succeeded by Louis IX

[1] Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 67.

[1]