George William | |
---|---|
Born | Darmstadt | 11 July 1722
Died | 21 June 1782 Darmstadt | (aged 59)
Burial | |
Spouse | |
Issue among others... | Prince Louis George Prince George Friedrich Friederike, Duchess Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Prince George Charles Charlotte, Duchess Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Prince Karl William Prince Friedrich George Louise, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine Augusta Wilhelmine, Duchess of Zweibrücken |
House | Hesse-Darmstadt |
Father | Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt |
Mother | Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg |
Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt (11 July 1722 – 21 June 1782) was a Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt. He was born in Darmstadt.
He was the second son of Landgrave Louis VIII and Charlotte Christine Magdalene Johanna of Hanau-Lichtenberg. From 1738 till his death, he commanded an army-regiment of his land. In the 1740s, he also commanded a Prussian regiment. He reached the rank of general of the cavalry. He was the official military adviser to his father, but had a strong rival in his older brother Louis IX, who followed the example of his friend the soldier-king Frederick II of Prussia and expanded Pirmasens as a garrison town.
In 1748, he married Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg. Through this marriage, he acquired the estates of Broich, Oberstein, Aspermont, Burgel, and Reipolzkirchen. He and Maria had nine children.
In 1764, George William received Old Palace in Darmstadt and the associated pleasure garden as a gift from his father, who had always favoured him above his brother Louis.[citation needed] George William had the palace with the White Tower expanded. He represented the reigning family in Darmstadt, as his brother stayed mostly in Pirmasens.