Louis IV, Grand Duke Of Hesse

Louis IV (German: Ludwig IV. Großherzog von Hessen und bei Rhein) was born on 12 September 1837 at the Prinz-Karl-Palais in Darmstadt, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, located within the German Confederation. He was the first son of Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine (23 April 1809 – 20 March 1877) and Princess Elisabeth of Prussia (18 June 1815 – 21 March 1885), who was the granddaughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia. His paternal lineage included members of the House of Hesse and Prussian royalty.

His paternal uncle, Louis III (1806–1877), was the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine before him. Louis IV was from birth third-in-line to the grand ducal throne, following his uncle and father, due to his uncle’s marriage to a morganatic spouse and the lack of legitimate children from that marriage.

On 1 July 1862, he married Princess Alice, the second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. As part of this marriage, Queen Victoria issued a royal warrant granting him the style of Royal Highness within the United Kingdom and appointed him a knight of the Order of the Garter. The marriage was planned by Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert, and was preceded by a brief period of courtship. The couple had children, including their firstborn, Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine, who died from hemophilia before reaching the age of three.

Louis IV participated in military conflicts, including the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, during which he commanded the Hessian cavalry supporting Austria. After Austria's defeat, the Hessian territory was at risk of annexation by Prussia but was temporarily spared through territorial cessions and dynastic ties, notably with Russia. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, Louis IV fought on the side of Prussia and the North German Confederation, commanding the 25th Division. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Gravelotte and maintained a good relationship with Prussian Crown Prince Frederick William, who later became Kaiser Wilhelm I, and his wife, Victoria, Princess Royal.

In March 1877, following the death of his father, Louis IV became heir presumptive to the grand ducal throne. He assumed the reign as Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine upon the death of his uncle, Louis III, in June 1877. His tenure was marked by personal tragedy; in 1878, he and his immediate family were afflicted with diphtheria, from which he recovered, but his wife and youngest surviving daughter, Marie, died. Subsequently, he raised his five surviving children alone.

His younger daughter, Alix, married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in 1894, two years after Louis IV’s death. Louis IV contracted a morganatic marriage on 30 April 1884 with Countess Alexandrine von Hutten-Czapska, a union that was swiftly annulled within three months due to objections from his family and in-laws. She was granted the title Countess von Romrod as compensation.

Louis IV died of a heart attack on 13 March 1892 at the New Palace in Darmstadt and was succeeded by his son, Ernest Louis.