Granduchy of Hesse
This article is about the specific polity Granduchy of Hesse and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, the landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to the Grand Duchy of Hesse following the Empire's dissolution in 1806.
Establishment
August 1806: The grand duchy originally formed on the basis of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Were a series of conflicts between France and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompass first the French Revolutionary Wars against the newly declared French Republic and from 1803 onwards the Napoleonic Wars against First Consul and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. They include the Coalition Wars as a subset: seven wars waged by various military alliances of great European powers, known as Coalitions, against Revolutionary France - later the First French Empire - and its allies.
January 1807: The Erbach County is acquired by the Granduchy of Hesse.
January 1807: In 1806, Hesse-Homburg was incorporated within Hesse-Darmstadt.
January 1807: The city of Leiningen is annexed to the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1810.
January 1807: In 1806, the territorial sovereignty of the Schlitz lordship fell to the newly formed Grand Duchy of Hesse (Hessen-Darmstadt) as part of the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine and the mediatization of the Counts of Schlitz.
January 1808: In 1806, William I, Elector of Hesse, was dispossessed by Napoleon Bonaparte for supporting Prussia. Kassel became the capital of the new Kingdom of Westphalia, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jerome.
1.1.War of the Sixth Coalition
Was a war between France and a a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States. The coalition emerged after the decimation of the French army in the French invasion of Russia. The coalition ultimately invaded France and forced Napoleon to abdicate and go into exile.
October 1813: The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations. was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813, at Leipzig, Saxony. The coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden, led by Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, decisively defeated the French army of Napoleon I.
1.2.Congress of Vienna
Was a series of international diplomatic meetings after the end of the Napoleonic wars whose aim was a long-term peace plan for Europe. It redraw the borders of Europe and partially restored the Monarchies of the pre-revolutionary period.
June 1815: This decision was confirmed at the Congress of Vienna. The lands of the principality were divided between the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel).
June 1815: In the 1815 Congress of Vienna, Poland was formally partitioned between Russia, Prussia and Austria.
June 1815: Territories awarded to the Granduchy of Hesse by the Congress of Vienna.
June 1815: In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognized the independence of Hesse-Homburg, which was expanded by adding Meisenheim.
June 1815: With the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of prussia acquired a large territory in the Rhineland which formed the Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine, a new province of the Kingdom of Prussia.
July 1816: Based on an agreement between Austria, Prussia and Hesse-Darmstadt, some territories in Lower Franconia were ceded to the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Disestablishment
January 1817: After the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the Granduchy of Hesse changed its name in 1816 to distinguish itself from the Electorate of Hesse.
Selected Sources
Tucker, S.C. (2011) Battles that changed History - An Encyclopedia of World Conflict, ABC-CLIO, p.302
