A LAND CALLED Hessen - Continued

Preußen = Prussia
Westfalen = Westphalia
Grafschaft = Area controlled by a Count (similar to a county)(GFS)
LANDgrafschaft = An independent state(LDGT)
Marburger Erbfolgestreit = Marburger Succession Conflict
Nieder-Grafschaft = Lower area or region of a Grafschaft
Ober-Grafschaft = Upper area or region of a Grafschaft
Kurfürstentum = Electorate, controlled by a Prince(KFM)
Herzogtum = Duchy,  controlled by a Duke(HZM)

Hesse in English, Hessen in German, is a state in western Germany. It was once a Grafschaft, at another time a Duchy. It is made up of two former duchies: Hessen-Darmstadt and Hessen-Kassel, plus part of the former Preußen province of Hessen-Nassau. During the medieval period Hessen was the focal point of struggles between secular and ecclesiastical powers. By the end of the fifteenth century, the Landgrafschaft of Hessen was the greatest and strongest power of central western Germany. Under the direction of Philipp the Magnanimous (1517-67), Hessen played an important role in the Reformation, specifically in the drafting of the Wittenberger Concord of 1536, which was an attempt to bring the followers of Zwingli (the founder of the Reformed church) and of Luther to an understanding. At the death of Philipp, Hessen was divided among his four sons. Wilhelm IV, the oldest, received Hessen-Kassel, about half of the principality; Ludwig, with Hessen-Marburg, received about one-fourth; and Phillip, with Hessen-Rheinfels, and Georg, with Hessen-Darmstadt, each received about an eighth. The line of Hessen-Rheinfels died out in 1583 and Hessen-Marburg in 1604. The debate over the division of these two areas resulted in the Marburger Erbfolgestreit. As a result, the destructiveness of the Thirty Years' War was intensified by a continuing feud between the two ruling houses of Hessen.

Hessen-Darmstadt gained in power after the Peace of Westfalen (1648) through the time of Napoleon. From 1803 to 1815 it lost territory on the west side of the Rhein, but was given territory on the east side in recompense. It gained Kurmainz, Kurpfalz, and the Kurkolinsche Duchy of Westfalen. In 1806 Darmstadt gained the Grafschaft of Erbach. In 1815 the Kurkolinsche Duchy of Westfalen was exchanged with Prussia for Isenberg-Birstein, Worms, Alzey, and Bingen.

Hessen-Kassel was combined with the Kingdom of Westfalen in 1807, and Napoleon placed his brother Jerome on the throne. In 1813 the duchy of  Hessen-Kassel was reestablished, and it acquired the Nieder-Grafschaft of Katzenelnbogen. In 1866 Hessen-Kassel was annexed by Preußen and the name was changed to Hessen-Nassau. This new Preußen state included territories taken from Hessen-Darmstadt: the Duchy of Nassau and Hessen-Homburg, the former Bavarian areas of Gersfeld and Orb, the districts of Biedenkopf and Vöhl, and the city of Frankfurt am Main.