Hesse-Darmstadt

[Mike Dwyer]

Someone on another forum put this question to me, mistakenly thinking I have more knowledge of German history than I have!

Hesse-Darmstadt sided with Austria in the War of 1866. The other Hesses, Hanover and Frankfurt were absorbed by Prussia after the war as punishment for siding with Austria, but Hesse-Darmstadt was not. Why not? I read an explanation that said Prussia was afraid to expand beyond the Main River for fear of provoking France, but it would seem likely there's more to it than that.

Any German history experts out there who can set me straight?

[Dave Danner]

Someone on another forum put this question to me, mistakenly thinking I have more knowledge of German history than I have!

Hesse-Darmstadt sided with Austria in the War of 1866. The other Hesses, Hanover and Frankfurt were absorbed by Prussia after the war as punishment for siding with Austria, but Hesse-Darmstadt was not. Why not? I read an explanation that said Prussia was afraid to expand beyond the Main River for fear of provoking France, but it would seem likely there's more to it than that.

Any German history experts out there who can set me straight?

There was only one other Hesse at the time, the Electoral Principality of Hesse-Kassel (Kurf?rstentum Hessen-Kassel). Hesse-Homburg's line had died out in March 1866 and passed to Hesse-Darmstadt. The Duchy of Nassau was, with Hesse-Kassel, the Kingdom of Hannover and the city-state of Frankfurt, the other states of north Germany on the losing side.

Hesse-Darmstadt did lose territory in the war, though not its independence. It lost the recently acquired Hesse-Homburg and a few smaller enclaves (such as V?hl and Biedenkopf). Ironically, though, it gained as well, as parts of Hesse-Kassel were joined to it rather than the new Prussian province of Hessen-Nassau.

Hesse-Darmstadt was not the only state that fought against Prussia but maintained its independence. Baden, Bavaria, Saxony, W?rttemberg, Sachsen-Meiningen, Schaumburg-Lippe and Reu?-Greiz also were all on the losing side and had to pay indemnity to Prussia and/or lose territory, but all remained independent.

Notwithstanding its rapid victory over Austria, Prussia could still fear losing if it pushed too far too fast. Allowing the southern states to retain their independence left a buffer running from Saxony to the Saxon duchies to Bavaria to Hesse to Bavaria again (the Palatinate) and down to Baden and W?rttemberg against not only France but also Austria.

Internal politics also probably played a role. Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse-Cassel was an unpopular reactionary. King Georg V of Hannover (grandson of King George III of England) had opposed his own Landtag's desire to remain neutral in the conflict between Prussia and Austria. This doesn't explain all - Duke Adolf of Nassau was apparently relatively popular in his duchy - but local popularity may have been a factor in helping various rulers retain the loyalty of their subjects and making Prussia think twice about the costs of annexation.

[Mike Dwyer]

Thank you, Dave! I appreciate the input.