Ludwig IV (Hessen-Marburg)
Ludwig IV of Hessen-Marburg (born May 27, 1537 in Kassel ; † October 9, 1604 in Marburg ), known as the elder or testator , was the founder and only Landgrave of Hessen-Marburg .
Life
Ludwig was a son of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse (1504–1567) from his marriage to Christine (1505–1549), daughter of Duke Georg of Saxony . Ludwig received training at the court of Duke Christoph von Württemberg . He married on May 10, 1563 in Stuttgart Hedwig von Württemberg (1547-1590), daughter of Duke Christoph, and in second marriage on July 4, 1591 in Marburg Countess Maria von Mansfeld-Hinterort (* after March 3, 1567; † between 1625 and 1635), daughter of Count (Hans) Johann I von Mansfeld- Hinterort (–1567) and Margarete von Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Celle (1534–1596).
After the death of his father, the inheritance was divided between his four sons. Ludwig inherited Hessen-Marburg , that is, Upper Hesse with Marburg and the Gießen fortress . This corresponded to about a quarter of the previous Landgraviate of Hesse .
Ludwig was considered a good housekeeper, arranged the finances of his inheritance, and reorganized the schools and the University of Marburg . The Marburg Castle was renovated by its master builder Ebert Baldewein . He tried to peacefully enlarge his territory; so he bought parts of the Fulda Mark in 1570 from the Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken and in 1583 the remainder from the Count of Nassau-Weilburg . After the childless death of his brother Philipp in 1583 he was also given the offices of Lißberg , Ulrichstein and Itter .
Death and consequences
When Ludwig died in 1604, he did not leave any descendants entitled to inherit. In 1597 he had decreed in his will that his nephews, the Landgraves Moritz von Hessen-Kassel (son of his brother Wilhelm ), and Ludwig V von Hessen-Darmstadt (son of his brother Georg ) inherit him, but the denominational Lutheran status in Hessen- Marburg should preserve. This is how Hessen-Marburg was divided. He himself was buried in the Lutheran parish church in Marburg.
Landgrave Moritz subsequently tried to enforce the Reformed Confession in the part of the former Landgraviate Hesse-Marburg he had inherited . In 1605 he used force against the University of Marburg. Many professors then fled to the Lutheran Landgrave Ludwig V of Hessen-Darmstadt, who initially founded a grammar school with them in Gießen, which was elevated to the University of Gießen on May 19, 1607 by Emperor Rudolf II .
His Kassel and Darmstadt nephews carried out a bitter process for the extensive Wittum of his second wife Maria and the fiefdom of his former steward Philipp Ludwig von Baumbach , from which they ultimately emerged victorious due to a settlement forced by massive pressure .
literature
- Manfred Rudersdorf: Ludwig IV Landgrave of Hessen-Marburg 1537–1604. State division and Lutheranism in Hesse , Mainz 1991, ISBN 978-3-8053-1269-1 .
- Manfred Rudersdorf: Ludwig IV. The elder. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-428-00196-6 , pp. 389-391 ( digitized version ).
- Friedrich Rehm: Handbook of the history of both Hesse, Volume 2 . Elwert, Marburg 1846 ( p. 114 ff. In the Google book search).
- Margret Lemberg: From unbridled youth to landgrave: Ludwig IV of Hessen-Marburg, son of Philip the Magnanimous, on the 400th anniversary of his death last year In: Marburger UniJournal of the Philipps University of Marburg , No. 21, April 2005 (PDF)
Web links
- "Hessen-Marburg, Ludwig IV. Landgrave of". Hessian biography. In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Philip I of Hesse |
Landgrave of Hessen-Marburg 1567–1604 |
Moritz von Hessen-Kassel Ludwig von Hessen-Darmstadt |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ludwig IV. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hessen-Marburg, Ludwig IV of (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Landgrave of Hessen-Marburg |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 27, 1537 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | kassel |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 9, 1604 |
| Place of death | Marburg |