Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels
| Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels | |
|---|---|
Ernest, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels
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| Spouse(s) | Maria Eleonore of Solms-Lich |
| Noble family | House of Hesse |
| Father | Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
| Mother | Juliane of Nassau-Dillenburg |
| Born |
8 December 1623 Kassel |
| Died | 2 May 1693 (aged 69) Cologne |
| Buried | Pilgrimage Church in Kamp-Bornhofen |
Landgrave Ernest of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (8 December 1623, in Kassel – 2 May 1693, in Cologne), was from 1649 to 1658 his death Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels and from 1658 until his death Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Because his brothers died young, all later Landgraves in the Rotenburg Quarter are descendants of Ernest. Hence, Ernest is known as the ancestor of the Catholic Rotenburg Quarter, a group of junior lines of the House of Hesse.
Ernst was the eleventh child of the second marriage of the Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (1572–1632) with Juliane of Nassau-Dillenburg (1587–1643). He was a great-grandson of Philip I "the Magnanimous". Landgrave Ernst married in 1647 in Frankfurt with Countess Maria Eleonore of Solms-Lich (1632–1689). Two sons from this marriage outlived Ernest: William (1648–1725) and Charles (1649–1711).
Ernest was brought up as a Calvinist during the Thirty Years' War. He made his Grand Tour to France and Italy, and fought with Hesse-Kassel during the final years of the war, for example at the Battle of Nördlingen on 3 August 1645. In 1647, the army of Landgravine Amalie 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.
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