Augusta Wilhelmina was born in
Darmstadt, the fourth daughter and ninth child of
Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt (second son of
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt) and
Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg.
Marriage , c. 1785 On 30 September 1785, in Darmstadt, Augusta Wilhelmina married
Maximilian, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (later King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria). Maximilian was an officer in the French army stationed at
Strasbourg, but the couple also often visited
Paris. There, Augusta Wilhelmina met Queen
Marie Antoinette, with whom she maintained an ongoing correspondence. In 1789, Maximilian's regiment rose in
revolt and he and Augusta Wilhelmina fled to her parents' home in Darmstadt. For the next five years, they lived mostly in the neighboring town of
Mannheim. In December 1794, the French army attacked Mannheim. Augusta Wilhelmina fled the city when her home was shelled by French artillery.
Duchess of Zweibrücken In April 1795, Maximilian succeeded his brother as reigning
Duke of Zweibrücken; however, his duchy was entirely occupied by the French. In March 1796, Augusta Wilhelmina, who had always had delicate lungs, finally succumbed and died at . Her death plunged Maximilian into deep mourning. He wrote some poems in memory of his wife. She was buried in the Schlosskirche in Darmstadt. ==Issue==