Guillaume VIII de Hesse-Cassel

Landgrave de Hesse

Guillaume VIII, as Landgrave de Hesse-Cassel, par Tischbein the Elder (1755)

Comte de Hanau, Hanau-Münzenberg, Nidda, Zeigenhain, Rieneck, Diez, Katzenelnbogen et Schaumbourg

### Tenure

23rd March, 1730 – 5th April, 1751 (As Regent)
5th April, 1751 – 1st February 1760 (As Monarch)

## Occupations

### Court Posts

Président du Conseil de Régence (1730-1751)

### Other Posts

Ambassadeur de Prusse à le Ligue Hanséatique (Incumbent)

### Tenure

23rd March, 1730 – 5th April, 1751 (As Regent)
5th April, 1751 – 1st February 1760 (As Monarch)

## Biography

### Born

10th March, 1682, Château de Cassel, Cassel, Landgraviat de Hesse-Cassel

### Death

1st February, 1760, Château de Schaumburg, Rinteln, Landgraviat de Hesse-Cassel

### Children

Charles de Hesse-Cassel †Frédéric II de Hesse-Cassel

Amélie de Hesse-Cassel †

### Siblings

Guillaume Hesse-Cassel †Charles de Hesse-Cassel †

Frédéric I, Roi de Suède

Chrétien de Hesse-Cassel †

Sophie-Charlotte de Hesse-Cassel †

Charles de Hesse-Cassel †

Léopold de Hesse-Cassel †

Louis de Hesse-Cassel †

Marie-Louise de Hesse-Cassel

Maximilien de Hesse-Cassel

Georges-Charles de Hesse-Cassel

Éléonore de Hesse-Cassel †

Wilhelmine de Hesse-Cassel †

### Religion

Protestant Calvinism

**Guillaume VIII de Hesse-Cassel** (March 10th, 1682 – February 1st, 1760) was Regent and later ruling *Landgrave de Hesse-Cassel* from 1751 until his death. Born into the affluent House of Hesse, Guillaume VIII, it could be said, already had his foot in the door of military campaigns and courtly affairs that would dominate the realpolitik of his life and times. Upon the ascension of his brother's ascension as King of Sweden, Guillaume VIII effectively ruled in all but name until his brother's passing in 1751, enabling his legal tenure as the Hessian Sovereign.

A diligent, cunning and yet loyal man, Guillaume VIII dedicated his entire life to the service of his family's interests and the building of strong relations between Hesse and Prussia. A biproduct of engineering this plan for success was the deep and personal relationship he developed with his regal neighbour, ***Frédéric le Grand***. Over the course of his reign, Guillaume VIII maintained a popular image at the Prussian court; known for his diligence, self-discipline, adoration of history and philosophy, he was also recalled for his stern demeanour and temper.

Honour, it was said, was the driving fuel of Guillaume VIII's ambitions. He endeavoured to greatly contribute to Prussian military and geopolitical success, effectively transforming his land into a Prussian satellite. The latest military reforms from Potsdam were adherently studied and taught in Hessian military academies. Well-loved by his soldiers and officers alike, Guillaume VIII was a frequent attendee of the Prussian annual reviews held in Silesia by Frédéric le Grand, where, with pride and pomp, the Hessian military actively portrayed its understanding of Prussian drill and rhetoric.

A staunch statesman by all accounts, Guillaume VIII was a proponent of absolutism. The House of Hesse's blood ran deep in various European dynasties, ranging from their connections to the House of Orange, the House of Sweden, the House of Kettler the House of Savoy and even the House of Brandenburg. Utilising his prestigious ancestry and wealth as a diplomatic tool, Guillaume VIII engineered Hessian influence to be among the most affluent in European realpolitik. Among the crowning achievements of his reign was the mutually agreeable marriage of his niece, Wilhelmine de Hesse-Cassel to his cousin , Henri de Prusse.

Moreover, during his tenure as Regent and later Landgrave, Guillaume VIII served the Prussian interests as an ambassador to the Hanseatic League- a trading confederacy of Free Imperial Cities in the Baltic and North Sea. During his embassy to the Hanseatic League, Guillaume VIII managed to orchestrate a favourable tariff monopoly enacted by Prussia. Among his schemes with Frédéric le Grand was a 50% tax on English and Colonial goods imported via the Netherlands, where Guillaume VIII's sister, Marie, reigned as Princesse d'Orange. These taxes proved costly to merchants but became mutually beneficial to Prussia, Hesse and naturally, the Hanseatic cities. The edict lasted for more than a decade, hemorrhaging English merchants in Germany and Scandinavia, but came to an end in the aftermath of the War of the Austrian Succession when Guillaume VIII mediated an alliance between Prussia and Great Britain, moreover arranging his son's marriage to Marie de Grande-Bretagne.

Guillaume VIII's twilight would be marked by personal pleasure and philanthropic ventures. In Cassel, he inaugurated a gallery to showcase his personal art collection- said to be among the greatest in Germany. As a prolific art admirer, he was a fond of the Dutch Masters, whose works he frequently received as a gift from his sister. In addition, he was an avid horologist and bibliophile, amassing a great library of over 1,800 volumes and a vast collection of various clocks and timepieces. It was said that he had a different pocket watch for each day. His final years would also be marked by severe internal strife caused by his son's conversion to Catholocism after a gaffe to vainly steer Hesse away from the Protestant world and scratch the back of Catholic politics. Altering his testament, Guillaume VIII ordained that his son must enact religious tolerance or elsewise the Estates would ''Be obliged provisional government in the English manner until the restoration of spiritual freedoms.'' (a constitutional monarchy).

Ultimately, Guillaume VIII would die as he lived: In the lavish yolk of his family. While visiting his holding's in Schaumburg, he peacefully passed in his sleep, aged 77, weeks away from his 78th birthday. If one were to amalgamate his tenure as regent with his reign, his rule may be considered among the most prolific of the Hessian princes. Upon hearing of his death, Frédéric le Grand was noted as having said that he had "Lost his best friend." - A true display of the affection held for the Prince.

## **Early Life**

### Childhood and Education

Guillaume had the typical education for a Prince during the 17th and 18th Centuries in Europe.

## **Adulthood**

### Comte de Hesse-Hanau-Münzenberg

The **County of Hanau-Münzenberg** was a territory within the Holy Roman Empire. It emerged when the County of Hanau was divided in 1458, the other part being the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg. Due to common heirs, both counties were merged from 1642 to 1685 and from 1712 to 1736. In 1736 the last member of the House of Hanau died and the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, Frédéric I du Suede instantly ceded the territory to his brother, Prince Guillaume, the Prince-Régent.

### *La Régence*

On the 23rd of March 1730, the most beloved Landgrave Charles the First passed away at the ripe old age of 75. His Swedish Majesty, the King of Sweden and newly crowned Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, Frédéric the First of Sweden saw it fit to appoint Guillaume the Prince-Régént in his absence. This Regency would last 21 years, ending on the 5th of April 1751 with the death of His Swedish Majesty, Frédéric the First.

## Personality and Appearance

### Personality

Guillaume, Landgrave de Hessen was noted as having been a friendly and joyous individual, as a result of his deep love for Holland, and his intercourse with their free people after his forty year long military career in Dutch service. Guillaume was a stern individual, something which is accredited to his long career in the Cavalry. As a result, the court would submit if he were to call on them. A man of great intelligence, he was a patron of the arts and science in Hesse-Cassel, which was demonstrated in his expansive art collection and patron-ship of his own court painter, Johann Tischbein the Elder.

### Appearance

A relatively tall man, Guillaume was about average height for the time. He was a naturally blonde man, and he grew his hair out long. During his service in Holland, he wore his hair in a peri-wig like fashion. He was noted as having had a crooked nose, speculated to have been from the inbreeding that had taken place before his birth. Towards the end of his life, he grew into a large man, his quick gaining of weight is attributed to the stress, which he, as a man in his late Seventies, was not usually subjected to.

## Titles, Styles, and Honours

#### Styles

* **10th of March, 1682 - 23rd of March, 1730** - His Highness, the Prince of Hesse-Cassel
* **23rd of March, 1730 - 5th of April, 1751** - His High Princely Serenity, the Prince-Regent of Hesse-Cassel
* **5th of April 1751 - 1st of February, 1760** - His High Princely Serenity, the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel

#### Titles

* Landgrave of Hesse[-Cassel for distinction] (1751 onwards)
* Prince-Regent of Hesse-Cassel (1730 until 1751)
* Prince of Hesse and Hersfeld (Hesse-Cassel) (1682 onwards)
* Count of Hanau, Hanau-Münzenberg, Nidda, Zeigenhain, Rieneck, Diez, Katzenelnbogen and Schaumbourg

#### Honours

* Knight of the White Eagle of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth