Anna of Hesse

Anna of Hesse
Anna of Hesse
Born	26 October 1529; Kassel
Died	10 July 1591 (aged 61); Meisenheim
Noble family	House of Hesse
Spouse(s)	Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Issue	Countess Palatine Christine; Philipp Ludwig of Pfalz-Neuburg; John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken; Countess Palatine Dorothea Agnes; Countess Palatine Elisabeth; Countess Palatine Anna; Countess Palatine Elisabeth; Otto Henry, Count Palatine of Sulzbach; Frederick, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Vohenstrauss-Parkstein; Barbara, Countess of Oettingen-Oettingen; Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld; Maria Elisabeth, Countess of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hardenburg; Countess Palatine Susanna;
Father	Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Mother	Christine of Saxony

Anna of Hesse (26 October 1529, Kassel – 10 July 1591, Meisenheim) was a princess of Hesse by birth and marriage Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken.

Early life

Anna was a daughter of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse (1501–1567) from his marriage to Princess Christine of Saxony (1505–1549), a daughter of Duke George of Saxony.

Biography

She married on 24 February 1544 with Count Palatine Wolfgang of Zweibrücken (1526–1569). After the death of her husband, Anna and her brother William and Elector Palatine Louis VI jointly acted as guardians for her children. William was also the executor of Wolfgang's testament.

Around 1590, Anna founded the St. Anne's churchyard in Heidelberg. In 1596, a stone monument in her honor was erected in this churchyard. When the churchyard was closed in 1845, the monument was moved to the Bergfriedhof churchyard.

Anna died in 1591 and was buried in the Lutheran Church of Meisenheim Castle.

Issue

Anna was constantly pregnant during much of her marriage, giving birth to thirteen children in just eighteen years. Ten of them lived to adulthood:

Christine (1546–1619)
Philip Louis (1547–1614), Count Palatine of Palatinate-Neuburg
married in 1574 princess Anna of Cleves (1552–1632)
John I (1550–1604), Count Palatine of Palatinate-Zweibrücken
married in 1579 princess Magdalene of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1553–1633)
Dorothy Agnes (1551–1552), died in infancy
Elizabeth (1553–1554), died in infancy
Anna (1554–1576)
Elizabeth (1555–1625)
Otto Henry (1556–1604), Count Palatine of Palatinate-Sulzbach
married in 1582 duchess Marie Dorothea of Württemberg (1559–1639)
Frederick (1557–1597), Count Palatine of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Vohenstrauss-Parkstein
married in 1587 duchess Catherine Sophie of Legnica (1561–1608)
Barbara (1559–1618)
married in 1591 Count Gottfried of Oettingen-Oettingen (1554–1622)
Charles I (1560–1600), Count Palatine of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
married in 1586 duchess Maria Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1570–1649)
Maria Elisabeth (1561–1629)
married in 1585 Count Emich XII of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hardenburg (1562–1607)
Susanna (1564–1565), died in infancy