Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege
Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Eschwege (9 May 1617 – 24 September 1655) was from 1632 until his death Landgrave of the apanage of Hesse-Eschwege, which stood under the suzerainty of Hesse-Kassel. Background Frederick was born in Kassel. As the eighth child of Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel, he was awarded Hesse-Eschwege by a decree of his father, which was imposed on his father by his eldest brother William V shortly before Maurice had to abdicate to avoid an impending bankruptcy. At the instigation of his second wife, Juliane of Nassau-Siegen, Maurice set aside a quarter of his country, the so-called Rotenburg Quarter, to be divided among his married sons. Of those, Herman IV received the Rotenburg area, Frederick received Eschwege and Ernest received the former Lower County of Katzenelnbogen, around Rheinfels Castle. Life Maurice himself lived with his second family in Eschwege until his death in 1632. His widow then moved to Rotenburg Castle with her children. The castle and town of Eschwege were pillaged and looted during the Thirty Years' War at Easter 1637. Thus, 20-year-old Frederick likely only moved into his residence at Eschwege after his marriage in 1646 in Stockholm with Eleonora Catherine, the sister of King Charles X