Napoleon's German Allies (5): Hessen-Darmstadt and Hessen-Kassel

During the Napoleonic Wars the region of Hesse was divided between Hessen-Kassel and Hessen-Darmstadt. Under Napoleon's patronage, in 1806 Hessen-Darmstadt received all remaining imperial possessions within its borders and was elevated to a Grand Duchy. That same year, Hessen-Kassel, under Imperial Elector Wilhelm I, was dissolved and incorporated into Jerome Bonaparte's Kingdom of Westphalia, resulting in significant political, administrative and sartorial changes. This richly illustrated book details the organization, campaigns, uniforms, and colours and standards of the forces of Hessen-Darmstadt and Hessen-Kassel from 1792 to Napoleon's defeat in 1813. The process of dividing inherited lands between all surviving male beneficiaries, which steadily reduced Germany to a trivial conglomeration of petty principalities over a period of centuries, was responsible for the splitting of Hessen-Kassel and Hessen-Darmstadt in 1567.