Maria von Hanau-Hořowitz

Princess Mary of Hanau and Horowitz ( born August 22, 1839 Castle Wilhelm height; † March 26, 1917 in Bonn) was the youngest daughter of the Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse -Kassel (* 1802, † 1875) and his (not befitting ) wife Gertrude, later Princess of Hanau and Horowitz (* 1803, † 1882).

Maria married on December 27, 1857 Prince Wilhelm of Hesse- Philippsthal - Barchfeld ( born October 3, 1831 in Steinfurt, † January 17, 1890 in Rotenburg an der Fulda ). Previously, an application of Prince Frederick of Holstein had been rejected. The marriage with Wilhelm be intended to better integrate the basis of bourgeois origin of their mother yes corporative not equal family of the Elector of Hesse in the house. This failed, however. The Grand Duke of Hesse -Darmstadt refused even to acknowledge the firstborn son of the couple as a Hessian prince. Nevertheless, the five children initially led title and name of the Father.

They were divorced on 18 March 1872. With that remained with her ​​daughters, she lived first in Wiesbaden. In terms of her name - she called herself on " Princess of Hesse " - but it came to a dispute with the former heir presumptive Kurhessian, Friedrich Wilhelm. In the pending litigation about but they were, after appropriate legal opinions for they did not precipitate advantageous after and asked the German Emperor, Wilhelm I, to give it a new name. She received a list from Berlin Nassauischer castles - you probably stopped there for Hessian - submitted, from which they chose the name " Ardeck ". The Ardeck castle is in ruins and is home wood, now in Rhein- Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland- Palatinate. Since July 28, 1876 and their children take the surname Princess / Prince of Ardeck.

She made later to Bonn, where she died in 1917.