county · Germany and Central Europe

Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg

1567 CE – 1604 CE · capital Marburg

A Hessian landgraviate centred on the university town of Marburg, whose division in 1604 set off decades of conflict between Kassel and Darmstadt.

Origins

The 1567 division of the Landgraviate of Hesse gave Louis IV, second son of Philip the Magnanimous, about a quarter of the land, centred on Marburg and its university, founded by his father in 1527 as the first Protestant university.

Rule and society

Louis IV was a strict Lutheran who defended orthodoxy against the Calvinist leanings of his brother in Kassel. His land was largely agrarian, with Marburg's castle and university at its centre. He married twice but had no children, and his will required that his heirs keep the Lutheran faith.

Decline and legacy

When Louis IV died in 1604, his lands were divided between Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt. Maurice of Hesse-Kassel's introduction of Calvinism in Marburg broke the will's terms and started a long dispute that culminated in the Hessian War of 1645 to 1648.

Lineage

Landgraviate of Hesse 1264 CE – 1567 CELandgraviate of Hesse-Marburg

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/landgraviate-of-hesse-marburg
MLA
“Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/landgraviate-of-hesse-marburg. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/landgraviate-of-hesse-marburg.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/landgraviate-of-hesse-marburg (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻