Friedrich VI. (Hessen-Homburg)

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Landgrave Friedrich VI. von Hessen-Homburg, painting by Giovanni Trossarelli

Friedrich VI. Joseph Ludwig Carl August (born July 30, 1769 in Homburg vor der Höhe ; † April 2, 1829 there ) was Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg from 1820 until his death .

origin

He was the eldest son of Landgrave Friedrich V and his wife Karoline von Hessen-Darmstadt , a daughter of Landgrave Ludwig IX. von Hessen-Darmstadt and Henriette Karoline von Pfalz-Zweibrücken , the great countess .

Earlier life

He and his younger brother Ludwig were brought up in a religious and humanistic spirit. They studied together in Geneva , then called "Fritz" joined the Austrian army. At the age of nine he was to the Russian infantry - Captain appointed, a position which he never took. But it still existed from Landgrave Friedrich III. or his sons have good relations with the Russian court of the tsars.

Military career

Friedrich VI. Josef, lithograph by Joseph Lanzedelly the Elder
The Gothic House , a hunting lodge which his wife had built for him from 1823.

Friedrich served as a captain in the “von Stain” infantry regiment. He was involved in the suppression of the Brabant uprising and fought with the Austrian army on the side of Russia in the Turkish Wars . When the Austrians were victorious in Kalafat , Frederick stormed an enemy camp at the head of the Tuscan hussars ; that earned him the Knight's Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order and was promoted to Major of Chevauleger - regiment on (19 December 1790). In 1792 we find him as a lieutenant colonel in the first coalition war with the cuirassier regiment "Hohenzollern-Hechingen" in Bavaria. Promoted to colonel in 1794 , Friedrich was in command of the Modena-Chevaulegers in Galicia until 1797 . In 1796, assigned to the Upper Rhine Army with his regiment, he was wounded in a battle near Neuburg an der Donau . The Napoleonic Wars propelled the cavalry leader, who was described as “daring”, up the career ladder: As major general and commander of a cavalry brigade under Archduke Karl in Swabia, he took part in the Battle of Stockach (March 25, 1799). In 1803 Friedrich was appointed the owner of Hussar Regiment No. 4 ("Hereditary Prince of Hessen-Homburg", or "Hessen-Homburg-Husaren" for short). Promoted to field marshal lieutenant in the Third Coalition War of 1805 , he served as division commander under Field Marshal Mack , took part in the Battle of Elchingen , was wounded while defending the Danube bridge and was taken prisoner by the French. In 1809 he again took part in the battle of Aspern under the command of Archduke Charles . He commanded a cavalry - Division in the reserve corps. In the battle of Wagram he excelled in the defense of Aderklaa . In 1813 Friedrich was promoted to general of the cavalry and took part in the battle of Dresden . He commanded the center between Plauen and Strehlen . With his "Hesse-Homburg Hussars," the regimental commander, incidentally, was his brother Gustav , he was the commander of the " Army - Reserve " in the Battle of Leipzig and was severely wounded. In 1814 he took Dijon and then Lyon and became Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army. In 1815 he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Maria Theresa Order . With the rank of general of the cavalry he resigned from the Austrian service in 1819.

marriage

That Princess Elisabeth , the daughter of George III. When she saw the officer in his Austrian hussar uniform, she is said to have said: "If he is single, I will marry him!" is unfortunately an anecdote. In fact, the wedding had been planned well in advance. Friedrich showed no tendency to marry. Urgent ideas of the father, who in 1804 even asked for the hand of Elisabeth's older sister Augusta Sophia for his son , and a petition from the "people's representative authorities" of Hesse-Homburg were fruitful. During the Congress of Vienna , the Duke of Kent and the Hesse-Homburg ambassador Johann Isaak von Gerning established the connection. After Friedrich had been dealt with once more from all sides, he traveled to London on January 15, 1818, where he was received with open arms. On February 4th, the future groom submitted his written application and found the support of the British regent George IV. On February 17th, the engagement and on April 7th, 1818 the wedding of the Archbishop of Canterbury took place at Buckingham Palace in London . It wasn't a real “love marriage”, despite mutual agreement and respect, it was an agreement that both of them got along well. When Friedrich VI. came to power in January 1820, thanks to the dowry of 40,000 thalers and the annual allowance of 1,300 pounds, he had enough money to reorganize the Hesse-Homburg budget. Elisabeth, on the other hand, was able to say goodbye to the stiff court etiquette and realize herself.

Next life

Extensive renovation measures on the castle , especially the "English wing", followed and a model dairy was set up. The construction of the Gothic House and the reconstruction of the Holy Sepulcher in a Bad Homburg cemetery also took place during this period.

Friedrich VI died completely unexpectedly. on April 2, 1829. He is buried in the crypt of Bad Homburg Castle .

The sandstone statue of Landgrave Friedrich VI is located in a niche at the foot of the White Tower. in historicizing late medieval armor, a memorial plaque to him is in the Liberation Hall in Kelheim. Until his death, the Austrian Hussar Regiment No. 4 held the title “Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Homburg”.

literature

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predecessor Office successor
Friedrich V. Landgrave of Hessen-Homburg
1820–1829 		Ludwig


personal data
SURNAME Friedrich VI.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
DATE OF BIRTH July 30, 1769
PLACE OF BIRTH Homburg vor der Höhe
DATE OF DEATH April 2, 1829
Place of death Homburg vor der Höhe