Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

Louis VIII
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

Portrait of Louis VIII
by Johann Christian Fiedler
Born 5 April 1691
Darmstadt
Died 17 October 1768(1768-10-17) (aged 77)
Darmstadt
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

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:

Ancestors

External links

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Sources

Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Born: 5 April 1691 Died: 17 October 1768
Preceded by
Ernest Louis
Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
17391768
Succeeded by
Louis IX


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