William VII | |
---|---|
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel | |
Reign | 16 July 1663 – 21 November 1670 |
Predecessor | William VI |
Successor | Charles |
Born | Kassel | 21 June 1651
Died | 21 November 1670 Paris | (aged 19)
Burial | |
House | Hesse |
Father | William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
Mother | Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg |
William VII of Hesse-Kassel (21 June 1651 – 21 November 1670) was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.
Born into an ancient House of Hesse, William was the eldest son of Landgrave William VI of Hesse-Kassel and his wife, Princess Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg, youngest daughter of George William, Elector of Brandenburg and Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate.
William VII inherited the Landgraviate when his father died in 1663. Since he was still a minor, his mother acted as regent until he reached adulthood.
William was engaged with his cousin Maria Amalia of Courland, the daughter of Jacob of Courland (her mother was the sister of William's mother). After the engagement, he embarked on his Grand Tour to the Netherlands, England and France.
In Paris, he became very ill with a "fever". The French doctors tried to cure the 19-year-old landgrave with laxatives, emetics, enemas and bloodletting, yet the treatment killed him. He was buried in the Martinskirche, Kassel. His fiancée married his younger brother and successor, Landgrave Charles.