Grand Duchy of

Hesse

The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine

(German: Großherzogtum Hessen und bei
Rhein) was a grand duchy in western
Germany that existed from 1806 (the
period of German mediatization) to the
end of the German Empire in 1918. The
grand duchy originally formed on the
basis of the Landgraviate of Hesse-
Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of
Hesse (German: Großherzogtum
Hessen). After the end of the Napoleonic
Wars in 1815, it changed its name in
1816 to distinguish itself from the
Electorate of Hesse, which had formed
from neighboring Hesse-Kassel.
Colloquially, the grand duchy continued
to be known by its former name of
Hesse-Darmstadt. It joined the German
Empire in 1871 and became a republic
after the German defeat in World War I in
1918.
 Grand Duchy of Hesse and by
Rhine
Großherzogtum Hessen und bei
Rhein
1806–1918

Flag Coat of arms

Motto: Gott, Ehre, Vaterland

"God, Honour, Fatherland"
Anthem: Hessenlied
"Song of Hesse"

The Grand Duchy of Hesse within the German

Empire
Status State of the
Confederation of the
Rhine (1806–1813)
State of the German
Confederation
(1815–1866)
State of the North
German
Confederation
(1867–1871)
Federal State of the
German Empire
(1871–1918)
Capital Darmstadt

Common languages Hessian

Religion Evangelical Church in

Hesse
Roman Catholic
Government Constitutional
Monarchy
Grand Duke  

• 1806–1830 Louis I

• 1830–1848 Louis II

• 1848–1877 Louis III

• 1877–1892 Louis IV

• 1892–1918 Ernest Louis

Minister-President  

• 1821–1829 Carl Grolman (first)

• 1906–1918 Christian Ewald (last)

Legislature Landtag

• Upper Chamber Herrenhaus

• Lower Chamber Abgeordnetenhaus

Historical era Napoleonic Wars /

 WWI
• Established 13 August 1806

• German Revolution 9 November 1918

Area

1910[1] 7,688.36 km2
(2,968.49 sq mi)

Population

• 1910[1] 1,282,051

Preceded by Succeeded by
Landgraviate of Hesse- People's State
Darmstadt of Hesse

History
Hesse-Darmstadt was a member of
Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine
during the Napoleonic Wars. Rapidly
expanding during the mediatizations,
Hesse-Darmstadt became an
amalgamation of smaller German states,
such as the Electorate of Cologne. The
legal patchwork of the state culminated
in a decree issued on 1 October 1806 by
Louis I. The old territorial estates were
abolished, which altered Hesse-
Darmstadt "from a mosaic of patrimonial
fragments into a centralized, absolute
monarchy."[2] The Duchy of Westphalia,
which Hesse-Darmstadt had received in
1803, was ceded to the Kingdom of
Prussia during the Congress of Vienna.
However, Hesse-Darmstadt was
compensated with some territory on the
western bank of the Rhine, including the
important federal fortress at Mainz.

The Residenzschloss (city palace) of the Grand

Dukes in Darmstadt

The neighboring Landgraviate of Hesse-

Kassel had backed Prussia against
Napoleon and was absorbed into the
Kingdom of Westphalia. At the Congress
of Vienna, Hesse-Kassel was
reestablished as the Electorate of Hesse.
To distinguish the two Hessian states,
the grand duchy changed its name to the
Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine
(German: Großherzogtum Hessen und bei
Rhein) in 1816.

In 1867, the northern half of the Grand

Duchy (Upper Hesse) became a part of
the North German Confederation, while
the half of the Grand Duchy south of the
Main (Starkenburg and Rhenish Hesse)
remained outside. In 1871, it became a
constituent state of the German Empire.
The last Grand Duke, Ernst Ludwig (a
grandson of Queen Victoria and brother
to Empress Alexandra of Russia), was
forced from his throne at the end of
World War I, and the state was renamed
the People's State of Hesse (Volksstaat
Hessen).

After World War II, the majority of the

state combined with Frankfurt am Main,
the Waldeck area (Rhine-Province) and
the former Prussian province of Hesse-
Nassau to form the new state of Hesse.
Excluded were the Montabaur district
from Hessen-Nassau and that part of
Hessen-Darmstadt on the left bank of the
Rhine (Rhenish Hesse), which became
part of the Rhineland-Palatinate state.
(Bad) Wimpfen—an exclave of Hessen-
Darmstadt—became part of Baden-
Württemberg, in the district of Sinsheim.
After a plebiscite on 29 April 1951, Bad
Wimpfen was transferred from Sinsheim
district to Heilbronn District. This change
to Heilbronn was carried out on 1 May
1952.

Transport
Because of the disjointed nature of the
state, it did not develop its own state
railway to begin with, but set up joint
railway projects with its neighbouring
states: These were the:

Main-Neckar Railway with Frankfurt

and Baden
Main-Weser Railway with Frankfurt and
Kurhessen
 Frankfurt-Offenbach Local Railway
with the Free City of Frankfurt

In addition the state encouraged

numerous other projects by the privately
owned Hessian Ludwig Railway
Company. Finally, in 1876 the state
founded its own company, the Grand
Duchy of Hesse State Railways, which
continued to expand the network until it
was finally merged into the Prussian-
Hessian Railway Company in 1897.

Subdivisions of Hesse
The three provinces of the Grand Duchy of Hesse:
Upper Hesse, Starkenburg, and Rhenish Hesse

The Grand Duchy of Hesse was divided

into three provinces:

Starkenburg (capital at Darmstadt):

Right bank of the Rhine, south of the
Main.
Rhenish Hesse (capital at Mainz): Left
bank of the Rhine, territory gained from
the Congress of Vienna.
 Upper Hesse (capital at Giessen):
North of the Main, separated from
Starkenburg by the Free City of
Frankfurt.

See also
List of rulers of Hesse
Hessenlager

References
1. Willkommen bei
Gemeindeverzeichnis.de
2. Hans A. Schmitt. "Germany Without
Prussia: A Closer Look at the
Confederation of the Rhine." German
Studies Review 6, No. 4 (1983), pp 9-
39.
External links

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Constitution of Hesse (in German)

Das Großherzogtum Hessen 1806–
1918
Großherzogtum Hessen (Kreise und
Gemeinden) 1910

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