Charles I, Elector of Hesse (Merveilles des Morte)

Charles I
Portrait of Charles, 1618
Elector of Hesse
Reign	1601-
Coronation	19 December 1601 in Wetzlar
Predecessor	Joktan
Duke of Somerset
Reign	1600-1622
Predecessor	New Creation
Successor	Laurence
Born	14 October 1580 Delft, United Kingdom
Died	1 September 1622
Spouse	Naomi "the Key"
House	House of Luxembourg
Father	Maurice of Lotharingia
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Charles I (14 October 1580 - 1 September 1622) was an Anglo-Dutch nobleman and Catholic statesman during the Forty Years' War. He was created Duke of Somerset in 1600 by his brother, King William III/I of the United Kingdom, and following the capitulation of Joktan, Holy Roman Emperor in 1601 he was created Elector of Hesse.

As a young man Charles was involved in state affairs during a lull in the Hundred Years' War, serving as a diplomat and envoy in the years after the Treaty of The Hague. He greatly supported his brother William in his war for the crown of England against George II of Denmark, becoming a trusted administrator in the Lowlands during William's absence. In 1601 the nation of Hesse was defeated by the Catholic League and was partitioned. As the English monarchs possessed the least distant Catholic claim to the duchy, and in an effort to attract further English intervention, the title of Elector of Hesse was offered to Charles by Frederick V, Holy Roman Emperor. The Catholic peace would be short lived, as this treaty greatly upset the balance of power in the Holy Roman Empire and catalyzed the House of Luxembourg's rival George II to intervene.

Although Charles had little experience in warfare or the affairs of the German states, he took to his post eagerly and traveled to Hesse from the Netherlands. He had to contend with Ermanaric III, son of Joktan and self-titled Duke of Hesse-Kassel, who occupied the eastern lands of Hesse, and faced an uphill battle to consolidate control over his new, Jungist territories. Charles' skills allowed him to rebuild Hesse under his governorship. He proved a fair ruler to the Hessians and was religiously tolerant and mindful of his subjects, which aggravated his kinsmen. On the field his war against the Rätian Union failed and his reign became increasingly propped up by the English at great cost.