Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel


Landgravine Elisabeth Henriëtte of Hesse-Kassel was the daughter of William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg a sister of Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg.

Biography

Hedwig Sophie promoted Elisabeth Henriette's marriage with Frederick, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg, her cousin, on family grounds. This marriage was decided against in favor of Frederick's marriage to a sister of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. When this plan failed the proposal for him to marry Elisabeth Henriette was revived.
In April 1678 Hedwig Sophie and Elisabeth Henriette travelled to Berlin, but Elisabeth Henriette had to wait a year in the Stadtschloss, Berlin for her marriage, whilst Frederick was away signing the Treaty of Nijmegen. The marriage, however, turned out to be a love match. The young couple lived in Schloss Köpenick and had one child, a daughter called Louise Dorothea.
Elisabeth Henriette died at 21 of smallpox after only 4 years of marriage and was buried in the Berliner Dom.

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