Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

Frederick II
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Reign1 February 1760 –
31 October 1785
PredecessorWilliam VIII
SuccessorWilliam IX
Born14 August 1720
Kassel
Died31 October 1785(1785-10-31) (aged 65)
Kassel
Spouse
(m. 1740; died 1772)
Issue
HouseHesse
FatherWilliam VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
MotherDorothea Wilhelmina of Saxe-Zeitz
ReligionRoman Catholicism,
prev. Calvinism

Frederick II (German: Landgraf Friedrich II von Hessen-Kassel) (14 August 1720 – 31 October 1785) was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) from 1760 to 1785. He ruled as an enlightened despot, and raised money by renting soldiers (called "Hessians") to Great Britain to help fight the American Revolutionary War. He combined Enlightenment ideas with Christian values, cameralist plans for central control of the economy, and a militaristic approach toward international diplomacy.[1]

  1. ^ Charles W. Ingrao, The Hessian Mercenary State: Ideas, Institutions, and Reform under Frederick II, 1760–1785 (2003)