Background
William was the eldest son of Landgrave William VI of Hesse-Kassel and his wife, Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg.
William was the eldest son of Landgrave William VI of Hesse-Kassel and his wife, Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg.
William VII inherited the landgraviate when his father died in 1663. Since he was still a minor, his mother became regent. After the engagement, he embarked on his Grand Tour to the Netherlands, England and France.
In Paris, he became very ill with a "fever".
The French doctors tried to cure the 19-year-old landgrave with laxatives, emetics, enemas and bloodletting, yet the treatment killed him. He was buried in the Martinskirche, Kassel.