Asserting princely power in Hesse-Kassel and the Dutch Republic: the courts of Landgrave Wilhelm IX and Stadholder Willem V in comparison (c. 1770-1806)

Abstract

This dissertation offers a revealing comparison between the late-eighteenth-century courts of Stadholder Willem V (r. 1766–1796) in the Dutch Republic and Landgrave Wilhelm IX (r. 1785–1806/1821) in Hesse-Kassel. While their courts were comparable in size, structure, and international status, the stadholder and landgrave operated within entirely different political systems. The Dutch Republic had a decentralised and representative form of government, whereas the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel held strong centralised authority. How did these divergent political environments determine the role of these princely courts? The book examines institutional structures and expenditure, daily court life and sociability, the allocation of appointments and favours, as well as the careers, networks, and political involvement of the court elites. Through its comparative lens, it uncovers the interplay between the courts and the distinct power structures they inhabited, offering new insights into the political dynamics of princely courts in a transformative age.