The Grand Ducal House of Hesse

When Arturo E. Beéche founded Eurohistory in 1997, he envisioned the creation of a library of royal books encompassing all of Europe’s ruling and formerly ruling dynasties. Two decades later, and after more than 30 books and over 120 issues of Eurohistory, the royalty journal he founded in 1997, we bring you The Grand Ducal House of Hesse. This is the third German dynasty that Eurohistory publishes a book about, the first two being the Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the Royal House of Bavaria (Volume I). This project is the culmination of more than two decades of research conducted by the authors. Beéche having already cooperated on several books and articles with Ms. Miller, a regular contributor to Eurohistory, pairing for another collaborative project was seamless. The Hesse and by Rhine Dynasty is one which Ms. Miller, better-known for her extensive work on the four daughters of Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse and by Rhine, with particular interest on Victoria Milford Haven, also feels passionately about. The result of years of research in Europe allowed Ms. Miller a unique insight into the lives of these four tragic sisters. The storyline begins in 1567. This was the year when the sons of Landgrave Philip "the Magnanimous” divided his vast lands among them. All branches of the Hessian dynasty stem from this territorial division. The Grand Ducal House of Hesse and by Rhine is among the most important German dynasties. Its members form a kaleidoscope of unique human beings: military and religious leaders, peculiar and heroic figures, talented artists and scientists, patrons of the arts and music, visionary and romantic architects, lucky and tragic people, dilettantes more interested in passing by than making a mark. They simply had it all. Their mark, not only in Darmstadt, but also throughout the Rhineland, is palpable in nearly every aspect of the region’s history, arts, letters, music, and architecture.