Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, welcomes the expelled Huguenots, giving them freedom of worship, following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in France in 1685.  

Some four thousand Huguenots settle in Kassel.

Charles stimulates the metallurgical industry and is also interested in archaeology.

Born at Kassel, Charles is the son of William VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg.

After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent until 1675; then Charles ruled, and will do so for fifty-five years.

Under his rule, Kassel has recovered faster from the Thirty Years' War than other regions in Germany.