The
Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (
German:
Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein), or the
Grand Duchy of Hesse between 1806 and 1816, was an independent country and member state of the
German Confederation as of 1806, when the
Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy which it remained until 1918, when the monarchy was overthrown. Hesse lost its independence when it joined the
German Reich in 1871. Before 1866, its northern neighbour was its former sister
Landgraviate, since 1803 an
Electorate, of
Hesse-Kassel – for this reason, this state was sometimes colloquially known as
Hesse-Darmstadt.