Agnes, Duchess of Hesse (Merveilles des Morte)

Agnes the Excommunicated
Duchess of Hesse
Reign	1480-1532
Predecessor	Hermann III
Successor	Ermanaric II
Margravine of Mark
Reign	1489-1532
Predecessor	Herself as ruler of Upper Mark Otto de la Marck as ruler of Lower Mark
Successor	Ermenaric II
Margravine of Upper Mark
Reign	1480-1489
Predecessor	Hermann III
Successor	Herself as Margrave of Mark
House	House of Hesse

Agnes I was the Duchess of Hesse, first as Landgravine in 1480 (succeeding her father), then as Margravine from 1480, and then Duchess until her death in 1532. She also ruled Mark and was the Countess Consort of Nassau. She was the daughter of Hermann III, Margrave of Hesse and Mark, and succeeded him following the Red Birthday. Although for many years she locked herself in a tower and, highly paranoid, refused to go out, she later married Jezrahia, Count of Nassau, and had children. She became a Jungist and was one of the most important rulers during the Reformation, several times attempting to assassinate the Pope. She was excommunicated and de-excommunicated by the Pope multiple times, earning her the nickname "Agnes the Excommunicated." Her love affair with Edmund Alwin, the Duke of Saxony, was famed.

Red Birthday and Succession

In 1481 Herman III of Hesse was preparing for his birthday party. He was noted for being a man with a short temper, who often exploded against people he disagreed with, such as the Swiss. He notably slaps his chamberlain Alexander Suslin across the face in anger, after his wife dies of consumption.

In July a feast was held for the margrave's birthday, in which almost his whole family was invited. According to legend, Suslin went up to the Margrave and delivered his present: a painting of Nemesis, goddess of revenge, and then left the hall. An hour later there was a great explosion, as underneath the floorboards gunpowder had secretly been stockpiled. Herman and the entire party were all instantly killed. Only his daughter Agnes survived, as she had been unexpectedly sick the morning of the party and stayed in bed.

The unmarried Agnes was declared the new ruler of Hesse and Upper Mark. After the event she became highly paranoid and locked in a highly guarded tower, and dispatched soldiers and knights to search the land in order to apprehend Alexander Suslin, who has seemingly disappeared without a trace. She remains unsure if he was even guilty, but nonetheless searched after her only lead. She receives numerous letters from potential suitors, with some claiming to have evidence that other parties were responsible for the assassination, including at least one letter from the Thin White Duke blaming Lenzburg. The emperor would declare a fourth challenge for the Kingdom of Switzerland the following year; hunt down Alexander Suslin and find out the truth behind the great tragedy in Hesse.

Lenzburg-Premyslid War and aftermath

The war ended against the Swiss to much celebration. The Duchess was motivated to potentially liberate parts of the Rhineland to Hesse. Mark was united under the Duchess of Hesse, and she implemented policies to aid the impoverished there. Mark was heavily damaged in the war by the actions of Otto the Terrible and also by the general devastating pillaging on both sides, and so she tried to temporarily lift taxes for the poor, and used money collected from the war to help rebuild and repair. Agnes rejected the advances of the Thin White Duke, at least in terms of marriage. She befriended a local noble and veteran of the war against the Swiss named Sir Frederick of Hohenzollern and decides to appoint him as regent in the south. Frederick learned that the Duchess’ childhood friend and loyal knight, Sir Dolphus Thurn, infiltrated the Lenzburgers. A few years ago he became the trusted bodyguard of Peter III of Geneva-Lenzburg after he saved Peter’s life. Thus he infiltrated the inner Lenzburg circle and helped them fight in the war against Bohemia, all the while a double agent, and even was one of Lenzburg’s bodyguards who aided him in fleeing to the Papal States. Frederick conceived of a scheme, independent of the Duchess, to impress her by having Thurn assassinate the Lenzburgs. He secretly ordered Thurn to arrange for the death of the young ones Ulrich VIII and Burkhard, and if that succeeded, their father Engelbert as well. All this was done secretly and methodically with planning being done over the course of the year to find an opportunity. However, the plot failed and was discovered. Despite having no knowledge of the plot herself, Agnes was blamed and the Pope excommunicated her. This was the beginning of a long-lasting resentment between Agnes and the Papacy. Although the Pope later de-excommunicated her, this process was prolonged due to incompetence in the bureaucracy and the Pope being unaware that Hesse was a Duchy and Agnes was a woman.

Later Life and Death

Both Agnes and and her husband Jezrahiah died unexpectedly around the same time in 1533, causing the thrones of both Nassau and Hesse to pass to Ermanaric II. Prior to her death, Agnes expressed great love for Edmund Alwin, and many of her children likewise looked up to him. It was later discovered they had been having an affair. Prior to her death, Agnes allegedly hired several highly skilled assassins that were heavily trained in assassinations were sent to assassinate the Pope, Lucius IV in Rome using the utmost skill and care to assassinate him until he died. Although they were caught and at first only succeeded in injuring the Pope, he later died from an infection from his wounds. Agnes was an inspiration for the Black Hand, the anti-Papal organisation, allegedly from Hesse, that attempted to blow up the College of Cardinals in the Gunpowder Plot.

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