Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

Louis VIII (German: Ludwig) (5 April 1691, Darmstadt – 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 Countess Charlotte Christine Magdalene Johanna of Hanau and he received Hanau-Lichtenberg as an addition to his dominons. 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:

• Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt
• Landgrave George William of Hesse-Darmstadt.
• Caroline Louis, Princess of Hesse, born on 11 July 1723 and died on 8 April 1783; married Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden.

Ancestors

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.

• The Age of Absolutism in Hesse-Darmstadt (German)

Sources

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