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William V of Hesse-Kassel (February 13, 1602 – September 21, 1637) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in the Holy Roman Empire from 1627 to 1637.
William was born in Kassel as the son of Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and of his wife Agnes of Solms-Laubach. Agnes died shortly after the birth of William and his father subsequently married Juliane of Nassau-Dillenburg. After losing much of the Hesse-Kassel territory to the Darmstadt line, and leaving the family in financial ruin, Maurice abdicated in favor of his son.
William, having come to rule in unfavorable circumstances, and in the midst of the Thirty Years' War, continued to suffer losses of territory and wealth. William served as Landgrave for ten years; a tenure marked by defeats and losses.
William V in 1632[]
In 1631, William V (1602-1635 [NTL]) was one of three German rulers truly loyal to Gustavus Adolphus (the others being Bernard and Wilhelm of Saxe-Weimar).
Upon learning that Count Tilly had sacked Magdeburg, Gustavus realized that the lands of all three were targets of Tilly and his employers with the German Catholic League, but that only William V had the time to properly fortify his lands and raise troops to meet any attacks. He persuaded the Dukes of Saxe-Weimar to remain with him.
William was able to maintain his territories in Hesse-Kassel after the Ring of Fire. He and his wife Amalie Elisabeth were prominent leaders of the moderate wing of the Crown Loyalist Party, and became supporters of Wilhem Wettin's bid for the office of Prime Minister of the United States of Europe.
However, it soon became clear to both that Wettin had made too many promises to too many different factions to get the office. By 1635, both were trying to turn the newly-elected prime minister away from a course that would call for limiting citizenship in every province by the central government. Wettin ignored their pleas.
When Gustav invaded Saxony later that year, William V personally led troops into battle. When the war broadened to include Poland-Lithuania, William was badly injured in battle, and died.
| Regnal titles (OTL) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel 1627-1637 |
Succeeded by William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
| Regnal titles (1632) | ||
| Preceded by Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel 1627-1635 |
Succeeded by William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel |