Frederick William, Elector of Hesse
Frederick William I (20 August 1802 – 6 January 1875) was, between 1847 and 1866, the last Prince-elector of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). Early life. He was born at Hanau on 20 August 1802. He was the son of Prince William, later William II, Elector of Hesse, and Princess Augusta of Prussia, daughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia. During the French occupation of Hesse-Kassel from 1806 to 1813, he stayed with his mother in Berlin. Reportedly, he had a poor relationship with his father because of his father's affair with  Emilie Ortlöpp. Frederick was educated at Marburg and Leipzig. Career. On 30 September 1831, he became co-regent and, in 1847, Prince-elector. Under influence of his minister Hans Daniel Ludwig Friedrich Hassenpflug, he conducted a reactionary policy, which made him very unpopular. He was forced to give in to the demands of the March Revolution, but reinstated Hassenpflug in 1850 after the revolution had been crushed. In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, he chose the side of Austria. His capital, Kassel, was occupied by Prussia, and, as a consequence of his refusal to negotiate, he was transferred as  a prisoner to Stettin on 23 June. Hessen-Kassel was annexed by Prussia in the same year. Frederick William never accepted the Prussian dominance over his territory. Even after the creation of the unified German Empire in 1871, he tried to regain his throne. Personal life. On 26 June 1831 Frederick William was morganatically married to Gertrude Falkenstein Lehmann (1803–1882). She had been born in Bonn and was a daughter of apothecary Johann Gottfried Falkenstein and his wife, Magdalena Schulz. When they met, Gertrude was the wife of Lt Karl Michael Lehmann, whom she married in 1822. In 1831, Frederick  William's father William II made her "Her Illustrious Highness" Countess of Schaumburg and Princess of Hanau and Horowitz in 1853. Together, they had nine children, some who were born before their marriage, who were also made Princes of Hanau, and granted the style of "Serene Highness" in 1862, including: He died at Prague in 1875, where his widow also died on 9 July 1882. Because of his morganatic marriage, his sons were excluded from succession. He was succeeded, as titular Prince-elector of Hesse, by Prince Frederick William of Hesse, from the house of Hesse-Rumpenheim. Notes and references