1705, Hesse-Darmstadt, Ernest Louis. Nice Silver 2 Albus Coin. VF/VF-
Mint years: 1705 Condition: VF/VF- References: KM-82. Denomination: 2 Albus Diameter: 23mm Weight: 1.71gm Material: Silver
Obverse: Value (*II*) above denomination (ALBUS), date (1705) and mint master`s initials (I.A.R.). All within wreath.
Reverse: Initials of the Duchy (H.D) above manifold Hessian arms in Spanish shield . All within wreath.
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (German: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse between the four sons of Landgrave Philip I. The residence of the landgraves was in Darmstadt, hence the name. As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, the landgraviate was elevated to the Grand Duchy of Hesse following the Empire's dissolution in 1806.
Ernest Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (German: Ernst Ludwig) (15 December 1667, Gotha – 12 September 1739, Einhausen) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1678 to 1739. His parents were Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt and Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1640–1709).
Ernest Louis's desire to emulate the French court under Louis XIV ran his country into debt. Among those patronized in this cultural milieu was Baroque composer Christoph Graupner; also bringing into his service architect Louis Remy de la Fosse for his extensive building program. Upon his death in 1739, his country's debt was 4 million gulden, ten times the annual revenue.