Landgravine consort of Hesse-Darmstadt
| Caroline of Zweibrücken | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Landgravine consort of Hesse-Darmstadt | |
| Tenure | 17 October 1768 – 30 March 1774 |
| Born | 9 March 1721 Strasbourg |
| Died | 30 March 1774 (aged 53) Darmstadt |
| Spouse |
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
(m. 1741) |
| Issue | |
| House | Palatinate-Zweibrücken |
| Father | Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken |
| Mother | Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken |
Caroline of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken (Caroline Henriette Christiane Philippine Louise; 9 March 1721 – 30 March 1774) was Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt by marriage to Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was famed as one of the most learned women of her time and known as The Great Landgräfin.
Together with Louis IX, her husband, she became the most recent common ancestors of all current sovereigns of hereditary monarchies in Europe in 2022 after Charles III became King of the United Kingdom.
Biography
Caroline was the daughter of Christian III, Duke of Zweibrücken and his wife Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken.
Caroline married on 12 August 1741 in Zweibrücken, Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. The marriage was arranged and unhappy: Caroline was interested in music and literature, while Louis was interested in military matters. She lived separated from him at Buchsweiler. In 1772, Caroline promoted the politician Friedrich Karl von Moser.
Caroline was better known as The Great Landgräfin, a name given to her by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. She befriended several writers and philosophers of her time, such as Johann Gottfried Herder, Christoph Martin Wieland and Goethe. Wieland wished he had the power to make her Queen of Europa.
Caroline also had contact with Frederick II of Prussia. She was one of the few women that the Alte Fritz respected, and he famously referred to her as the Glory and Wonder of our century; after Caroline's death, he sent an urn to Darmstadt with the text femina sexu, ingenio vir ('A woman by sex, a man by spirit').
Caroline and her husband became the most recent common ancestors of all reigning hereditary European monarchs in 2022 after Charles III became King of the United Kingdom.
Issue
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg |
 |
2 March 1746 | 18 September 1821 | Married in 1768 Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, had issue |
| Frederika Louisa Queen of Prussia |
 |
16 October 1751 | 25 February 1805 | Married in 1769 Frederick William II of Prussia, had issue. |
| Louis I Grand Duke of Hesse |
 |
14 June 1753 | 6 April 1830 | Married in 1777 Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt, had issue |
| Amalie Hereditary Princess of Baden |
 |
20 June 1754 | 21 June 1832 | Married in 1775 Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden, had issue |
| Wilhelmina Louisa Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna of Russia |
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25 June 1755 | 26 April 1776 | Married in 1773 the future Emperor Paul I of Russia, no surviving issue |
| Louisa Augusta Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
 |
30 January 1757 | 14 February 1830 | Married in 1775 Charles Augustus of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, had issue |
| Friedrich Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt |
 |
10 June 1759 | 11 March 1802 | never married, mistress was Catharina Wenedick, 2 illegitimate children: Lisette Thimotee Friedrich (born: 24 January 1799) and Friedrich Friedrich (born around 1800) |
| Christian Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt |
 |
25 November 1763 | 17 April 1830 | Died unmarried |
Ancestry
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See also
- Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel – Most recent common ancestress of all reigning hereditary European monarchs from the end of World War II until 2022
- Louise of Hesse-Kassel – Common ancestress of many reigning hereditary European monarchs
- Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark – Lists progeny of Louise of Hesse-Kassel
References
- Philipp A. Pauli: Darmstadt: Eine historisch-topographische Skizze und Excursionen in die Umgegend. Will, 1815, S. 89.
- 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. 93.
Further reading
- Marita A. Panzer: Die Große Landgräfin Caroline von Hessen-Darmstadt, Verlag Friedrich Pustet Regensburg, 2005
External links
| Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken House of Palatinate-ZweibrückenCadet branch of the House of WittelsbachBorn: 9 March 1721 Died: 30 March 1774 | ||
| German royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| VacantTitle last held byDorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach | Landgravine consort of Hesse-Darmstadt 17 October 1768 – 30 March 1774 |
VacantTitle next held byLouise of Hesse-Darmstadt |