Rulers of Hesse

This is a **list of monarchs of Hesse** () during the history of Hesse on west-central Germany. These monarchs belonged to a dynasty collectively known as the **House of Hesse** and the **House of Brabant**, originally the Reginar. Hesse was ruled as a landgraviate, electorate and later as a grand duchy until 1918.

The title of all of the following monarchs was "landgrave" () unless otherwise noted.

## Table of monarchs
## Heads of the non-reigning House of Hesse
### Hesse-Kassel since 1866
**Friedrich Wilhelm I**, the former Elector, titular Landgrave 1866–75 (1802–1875)
:*succeeded by his second cousin Friedrich Wilhelm II as below:*

* *Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1720–1785)*
**  *Friedrich III, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim (1747–1837)*
***  *Wilhelm I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim (1787–1867)*
****  **Friedrich Wilhelm II**, titular Landgrave 1875–84 (1820–1884)
***** **Friedrich Wilhelm III**, titular Landgrave 1884–88 (1854–1888)
***** **Alexander Friedrich**, titular Landgrave 1888–1925, abdicated (1863–1945)
*****  **Friedrich Karl**, titular Landgrave 1925–40, elected King of Finland as Fredrik Kaarle I in 1918 but renounced the throne (1868–1940)
****** **Philipp**, titular Landgrave 1940–80, head of entire House 1968 *on extinction of Hesse-Darmstadt line* (1896–1980)
*******  **Moritz**, titular Landgrave and Head of House 1980–2013 (1926–2013)
******** **Heinrich Donatus** titular Landgrave and Head of House 2013–present (born 1966)
********* Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Hesse (born 2007)
*********  Prince August of Hesse (born 2012)
********  Prince Philipp Robin of Hesse (born 1970)
*********  Prince Tito of Hesse (born 2008)
******  *Prince Christoph of Hesse (1901–1943)*
******* *Prince Karl Adolf Andreas of Hesse (1937–2022)*
********  Prince Christoph of Hesse (born 1969)
*******  Prince Rainer Christoph Friedrich of Hesse (born 1939)

### Hesse-Philippsthal 1866–1925
* **Charles II**, formerly sovereign, titular Landgrave 1866–68 (1803–1868)
**  **Ernst Eugen**, titular Landgrave 1868–1925 (1846–1925)

:*1925 the Line of Hesse-Philippsthal became extinct, passed to Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld*

### Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld since 1866, Hesse-Philippsthal since the extinction of the main line 1925
*  *Charles, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1784–1854)*
** **Alexis**, formerly sovereign, titular Landgrave 1866–1905 (1829–1905)
**  *Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1831–1890)*
***  **Chlodwig**, titular Landgrave 1905–54, *inherited Hesse-Philippsthal as well in 1925* (1876–1954)
****  *Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1905–1942)*
***** **Wilhelm**, titular Landgrave 1954–present (born 1933)
****** Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 1963)
******* Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 2005)
*******  Prince Philipp August of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 2006)
******  *Prince Otto of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1965–2020)*
******* Prince Max of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 1999)
*******  Prince Moritz of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 2007)
*****  *Prince Hermann of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1935–2019)*
******  Prince Alexis of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (born 1977)

### Hesse-Darmstadt 1918–1968
* **Ernst Ludwig**, formerly sovereign, titular Grand Duke 1918–37 (1868–1937)
** **George Donatus**, titular Grand Duke 9 Oct – 16 Nov 1937
**  **Ludwig (V)**, titular Grand Duke 1937–1968

:*In 1968 the Line of Hesse-Darmstadt became Hesse-Nassau and Hesse-Kassel (1969–present)*

## References