Agnes of Hesse-Kassel

Agnes of Hesse-Kassel
Princess of Anhalt-Dessau
Born	(1606-05-14)14 May 1606 Kassel
Died	28 May 1650(1650-05-28) (aged 44) Dessau
Spouse	John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Issue	John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau Louise of Anhalt-Dessau
House	House of Hesse
Father	Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Mother	Juliane of Nassau-Siegen

Agnes of Hesse-Kassel (14 May 1606 in Kassel – 28 May 1650 in Dessau) was a princess of Hesse-Kassel by birth and by marriage Princess of Anhalt-Dessau.

Life

Agnes was a daughter of Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (1572-1632) from his second marriage to Juliane of Nassau-Siegen (1587-1643), the daughter of Count John VII of Nassau-Siegen. She was raised together with her siblings. She spoke six languages and composed music.

On 18 May 1623 she married Prince John Casimir of Anhalt-Dessau (1596-1660). During the Thirty Years' War, she managed to soften the plight of Anhalt-Dessau by negotiating with the generals, both orally and in writing. She was considered a keen economist and mathematician. In 1645, she built a fortified house in Nischwitz, which was later developed into Oranienbaum Castle.

Issue

From her marriage Agnes had the following children:

• Maurice (1624-1624)
• Dorothea (1625-1626)
• Juliane (1626-1652)
• John George II (1627-1693), who was Prince of Anhalt-Dessau from 1660 to 1693

married in 1659 to Princess Henriette Catherine of Nassau (1637-1708)

• Louise (1631-1680)

married in 1648 to Duke Christian of Brzeg (1618-1672)

• Agnes (1644-1644)

References

• August B. Michaelis: Einleitung zu einer volständigen Geschichte der Chur- und Fürstlichen Häuser ..., p. 624, Online
• Christian August Wichmann: Geschichte berühmter Frauenzimmer, p. 741, Online