Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

Louis VIII
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Portrait of Louis VIII
Spouse	Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Issue
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt Karoline Luise
House	House of Hesse-Darmstadt
Father	Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother	Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Born	5 April 1691 Darmstadt
Died	17 October 1768 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:

• Landgrave Ludwig IX of Hesse-Darmstadt
• Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt.
• Karoline Luise, Princess of Hesse, born on 11 July 1723 and died on 8 April 1783; married Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden.

External links

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

Sources

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

Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt House of Hesse Born: 5 April 1691 Died: 5 April 1691
Preceded by Ernest Louis	Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 1739–1768	Succeeded by Louis IX