Frederick III, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
Friedrich III. Jacob von Hessen- Homburg ( born May 19, 1673 Coelln, † June 8, 1746 in 's-Hertogenbosch ) was Landgrave of Hesse -Homburg.
Life
Friedrich Jacob was the second son of Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse -Homburg (1633-1708), the famous Prince of Homburg, from his marriage to Louise Elisabeth (1646-1690), daughter of Duke Jacob of Courland (1610-1662) born. In the culturally and spiritually progressive atmosphere of the Berlin court, where his father served as commander of the Brandenburg troops, he received a thorough education.
After his confirmation in 1687, he joined the Knights Academy Rudolph Anthony in Wolfenbüttel, then in the Württemberg cavalry regiment. In 1690 he was the Dutch captain, in 1692 colonel of the cavalry regiment of Groningen. We went on the military ladder: 1701 Brigadier, Major General in 1704 and after the Battle of Blenheim on August 13, 1704 Lieutenant General. By the Treaty of Utrecht, he remained in the Dutch service, and then took his seat in Homburg.
As Friedrich III. was in the Dutch military and administrative service, he could not care much about his residence. However, noteworthy is the establishment of Homburger orphanage in 1721, which still exists as the "Land Count Foundation " today. The Archive of the Foundation became part of the Bad Homburg City Archives in August 2010.
Frederick tolerant religious policy permitted the publication of the work A clergyman Würtz = herbs and flowers = garden or the universal song = Book of Christoph Schütz in Homburg.
After the debt in Hesse- Homburg were grown considerably, had an imperial debit Commission in Homburg and Frederick was forced to take service again in 1738 in Holland. He was governor of the Belgian city of Tournai, then in 1741 the governor of Breda. 1742 promoted to general of cavalry, he died as governor of Hertogenbosch and was buried in the crypt of the Bad Homburg castle. Since none of his children survived him followed him the son of his younger brother Casimir Wilhelm as Landgrave of Hesse -Homburg.
Progeny
Friedrich III. was married twice: in 1700 he married Elisabeth Dorothea of Hesse- Darmstadt ( 1676-1721 ); with her he had seven children. In 1728 he went a second ( childless ) marriage with Christiane Charlotte of Nassau- Ottweiler, the widow of Count Karl Ludwig von Nassau- Saarbrücken.
Children (which are not counted three stillborn children) from his first marriage
- Friedrich Wilhelm (1702-1703)
- Ludwig Johann Wilhelm Gruno (1705-1745), a Russian Field Marshal
- Johann Karl (1706-1728)
- Friederike Dorothea (1701-1704)
- Luise Wilhelmine (1703-1704)
- Ernestine Louise (* / † 1707)
- Friedrich ( * / † 1721)