Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse
| Frederick II | |
|---|---|
| Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel | |
 |
|
| Born | 14 August 1720 Kassel |
| Died | 31 October 1785 (aged 65) Kassel |
| Spouse |
Princess Mary of Great Britain Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt |
| Issue | William William I, Elector of Hesse Charles Frederick |
| House | Hesse |
| Father | William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
| Mother | Dorothea Wilhelmina of Saxe-Zeitz |
| Religion | Calvinism from 1749 Roman Catholicism |
Frederick II (German: Landgraf Friedrich II von Hessen-Kassel) (14 August 1720 – 31 October 1785) was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) from 1760 to 1785. He ruled as an enlightened despot, and raised money by renting soldiers (called "Hessians") to Great Britain to help fight the American Revolutionary War. He combined Enlightenment ideas with Christian values, cameralist plans for central control of the economy, and a militaristic approach toward international diplomacy.
Frederick was born at Kassel in Hesse, the son of William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and his wife Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeitz. His paternal grandfather was Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and his paternal uncle was Frederick I of Sweden. His education was initially entrusted to Colonel August Moritz von Donop and then from 1726 to 1733 to the Swiss theologian and philosopher, Jean-Pierre de Crousaz.
On 8 May 1740, by proxy in London, and on 28 June 1740 in person in Kassel, Frederick married Princess Mary, fourth daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. They had four sons:
In December 1745, Frederick landed in Scotland with 6000 Hessian troops to support his father-in-law, George II of Great Britain, in dealing with the Jacobite rising. Although he supported the "Protestant succession" in Great Britain on this occasion, Frederick later converted from Calvinism to Catholicism. In February 1749, Frederick and his father visited the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Bavaria, who received Frederick into the Catholic Church.
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