Johann Reinhard I, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Encyclopedia
Count Johann Reinhard I of Hanau-Lichtenberg (13 February 1569, Bitche
– 19 November 1625, Lichtenberg
ruled the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1599 to 1625.
of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1541–1599) and his first wife, Countess Ludowika Margaretha of Zweibrücken-Bitsch
(1540–1569). Johann Reinhard I was christened on 28 February 1569 in Bitche.
Johann Reinhard I studied at the University of Strasbourg
and completed a Grand Tour
of France
, Italy
, the Netherlands
and England
. After his marriage, he was assigned Babenhausen castle as a residence. He had the nave of the local St. Nicholas Church embellished and painted. He was interested in history, genealogy
and heraldry
.
Johann Reinhard I died on 19 November 1625 in Lichtenberg
in the Alsace
and was also buried there.
against the Dukes of Lorraine since 1572 about the inheritance of Zweibrücken-Bitsch. In 1606, they settled out of court. At issue were two fiefs in Lorraine: Bitche
and Lemberg Castle. A compromise was found: Bitche reverted to Lorraine, and Hanau-Lichtenberg was allowed to keep Lemberg Castle. This made sense, as it corresponded roughly to the religious realties in the territories. Johann Reinhard also settled a case against the County of Isenburg
about conflicting rights in the Dreieich
area.
He established a Protestant Latin school
in his capital of Bouxwiller
, which existed until 1792. It was a counterpart to the in Hanau-Münzenberg. In 1613, a school regulation for the county was issued. Also in 1613, construction started of the new City Church in Bouxwiller.
In 1610, Johann Reinhard I concluded a treaty of inheritance with Count Philip Louis II of Hanau-Münzenberg, stipulating that if one of the ruling family branches were to die out, the other branch would inherit their county. This treaty was updated in 1618 and confirmed by the Emperor. At the time, it appeared that Hanau-Münzenberg was likely to benefit from this treaty, as it had several male family members, whereas Hanau-Lichtenberg had only one male heir. This might explain why Johann Reinhard I received some generous loans after the treaty was signed. He needed a lot of money, because he maintained an extensive court. Contrary to expectations, the Hanau-Münzenberg branch of the family died out in 1642 and Johann Reinhard's grandson Frederick Casimir inherited the county of Hanau-Münzenberg.
Johann Reinhard I played a role in the coronation celebrations of Emperor Matthias
1612 and the election of Emperor Ferdinand
in 1619.
The county of Hanau-Lichtenberg suffered badly during the Thirty Years' War
. Count Johann Reinhard I tried to maintain a strict neutrality
, but the county's location near the Electoral Palatinate, the highways along the Rhine valley and the French-German border area made that very difficult. The district of Babenhausen was the hardest hit. It was occupied several times by the warring armies and its villages were destroyed in the first years of the war. The inhabitants fled. Some 2500 of them fled to the City of Babenhausen. The plague then broke out in the city. The parts of the county on the right bank of the Upper Rhine
were also seriously damaged. The part of the couny in the Lower Alsace
was spared when Johann Reinhard I managed to buy protection for .
Count Johann Reinhard I operated a "hedge mint" in Willstätt
: a mint
which brought debased coins into circulation. He earned substantial profits with this scam. In the financial year 1621-1622 alone he minted 110 cwt of silver
coins and syphoned off more than as "seignorage".
Countess Maria Elisabeth of Hohenlohe
-Neuenstein (born: 12 June 1576, died: 21 January 1605 in Wörth am Rhein
. She was the daughter of Count Wolfgang of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein (born: 14 June 1546; died: 28 March 1610) and Countess Magdalena of Nassau
(born: 15 December 1547; died: 16 May 1643), a daughter of William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
and Juliana of Stolberg
. Maria Elisabeth was the last member of the family to be buried in the old city church of Bouxwiller.
They had four children:
After the death of his first wife, Johann Reinhard I married on 17 November 1605 with Wild- and Rhinegravine Anna of Salm-Neuweiler
(born: 14 March 1582; died: 1636), daughter of Wild- and Rhinegrave Frederick I of Salm-Neuweiler (born: 3 February 3, 1547; died: 26 October 1608). This marriage remained childless. She was buried in Schwarzach Abbey.
Bitche
Bitche is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is known for its large citadel. The surrounding territory is known as le Pays de Bitche in French and Bitscherland in German.-Geography:...
– 19 November 1625, Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin
Lichtenberg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The village forms a part of the Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord.-Geography:...
ruled the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1599 to 1625.
Life
Johann Reinhard I, was the son of Count Philip VPhilip V, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Philip V of Hanau-Lichtenberg was Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1590 until his death.- Life :...
of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1541–1599) and his first wife, Countess Ludowika Margaretha of Zweibrücken-Bitsch
Ludowika Margaretha of Zweibrücken-Bitsch
Ludowika Margaretha of Zweibrücken-Bitsch , was the only child of Count James of Zweibrücken-Bitsch and his heiress. She was buried in Ingwiller....
(1540–1569). Johann Reinhard I was christened on 28 February 1569 in Bitche.
Johann Reinhard I studied at the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
and completed a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After his marriage, he was assigned Babenhausen castle as a residence. He had the nave of the local St. Nicholas Church embellished and painted. He was interested in history, genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
and heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
.
Johann Reinhard I died on 19 November 1625 in Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin
Lichtenberg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The village forms a part of the Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord.-Geography:...
in the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
and was also buried there.
Government
The counts of Hanau had had a court case bore the ReichskammergerichtReichskammergericht
The Reichskammergericht or Imperial Chamber Court was one of two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms...
against the Dukes of Lorraine since 1572 about the inheritance of Zweibrücken-Bitsch. In 1606, they settled out of court. At issue were two fiefs in Lorraine: Bitche
Bitche
Bitche is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is known for its large citadel. The surrounding territory is known as le Pays de Bitche in French and Bitscherland in German.-Geography:...
and Lemberg Castle. A compromise was found: Bitche reverted to Lorraine, and Hanau-Lichtenberg was allowed to keep Lemberg Castle. This made sense, as it corresponded roughly to the religious realties in the territories. Johann Reinhard also settled a case against the County of Isenburg
Isenburg
Isenburg was a region of Germany located in southern present-day Hesse, located in territories north and south of Frankfurt. The states of Isenburg emerged from the Niederlahngau , which partitioned in 1137 into Isenburg-Isenburg and Isenburg-Limburg-Covern...
about conflicting rights in the Dreieich
Dreieich
Dreieich is a town in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It lies roughly 10 km south of Frankfurt am Main and with more than 40,000 inhabitants is the district’s second biggest town.- Location :...
area.
He established a Protestant Latin school
Latin School
Latin School may refer to:* Latin schools of Medieval Europe* These schools in the United States:** Boston Latin School, Boston, MA** Brooklyn Latin School, New York, NY** Brother Joseph C. Fox Latin School, Long Island, NY...
in his capital of Bouxwiller
Bouxwiller, Bas-Rhin
Bouxwiller is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Among the city's sight is the Musée Judéo-Alsacien, dedicated to the History of Jews in Alsace, and located in the former synagogue.-References:*...
, which existed until 1792. It was a counterpart to the in Hanau-Münzenberg. In 1613, a school regulation for the county was issued. Also in 1613, construction started of the new City Church in Bouxwiller.
In 1610, Johann Reinhard I concluded a treaty of inheritance with Count Philip Louis II of Hanau-Münzenberg, stipulating that if one of the ruling family branches were to die out, the other branch would inherit their county. This treaty was updated in 1618 and confirmed by the Emperor. At the time, it appeared that Hanau-Münzenberg was likely to benefit from this treaty, as it had several male family members, whereas Hanau-Lichtenberg had only one male heir. This might explain why Johann Reinhard I received some generous loans after the treaty was signed. He needed a lot of money, because he maintained an extensive court. Contrary to expectations, the Hanau-Münzenberg branch of the family died out in 1642 and Johann Reinhard's grandson Frederick Casimir inherited the county of Hanau-Münzenberg.
Johann Reinhard I played a role in the coronation celebrations of Emperor Matthias
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor
Matthias of Austria was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 and King of Bohemia from 1611...
1612 and the election of Emperor Ferdinand
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
in 1619.
The county of Hanau-Lichtenberg suffered badly during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. Count Johann Reinhard I tried to maintain a strict neutrality
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
, but the county's location near the Electoral Palatinate, the highways along the Rhine valley and the French-German border area made that very difficult. The district of Babenhausen was the hardest hit. It was occupied several times by the warring armies and its villages were destroyed in the first years of the war. The inhabitants fled. Some 2500 of them fled to the City of Babenhausen. The plague then broke out in the city. The parts of the county on the right bank of the Upper Rhine
Upper Rhine
The Upper Rhine is the section of the Rhine in the Upper Rhine Plain between Basel, Switzerland and Bingen, Germany. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometers 170 to 529 ....
were also seriously damaged. The part of the couny in the Lower Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
was spared when Johann Reinhard I managed to buy protection for .
Count Johann Reinhard I operated a "hedge mint" in Willstätt
Willstätt
Willstätt is a town in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
: a mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
which brought debased coins into circulation. He earned substantial profits with this scam. In the financial year 1621-1622 alone he minted 110 cwt of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
coins and syphoned off more than as "seignorage".
Marriage and issue
Johann Reinhard I married on 22 October 1593 in WeikersheimWeikersheim
Weikersheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Tauber, 9 km east of Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim is the location of the famous castle Schloss Weikersheim....
Countess Maria Elisabeth of Hohenlohe
Hohenlohe
Hohenlohe is the name of a German princely family and the name of their principality.At first rulers of a county, its two branches were raised to the rank of principalities of the Holy Roman Empire in 1744 and 1764 respectively; in 1806 they lost their independence and their lands formed part of...
-Neuenstein (born: 12 June 1576, died: 21 January 1605 in Wörth am Rhein
Wörth am Rhein
Wörth am Rhein is a municipality in the southernmost part of the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km west of the city center of Karlsruhe and just north of the German-French border....
. She was the daughter of Count Wolfgang of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein (born: 14 June 1546; died: 28 March 1610) and Countess Magdalena of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
(born: 15 December 1547; died: 16 May 1643), a daughter of William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
William of Nassau was a count of Nassau-Dillenburg from the House of Nassau. He was called William the Rich....
and Juliana of Stolberg
Juliana of Stolberg
Juliana, Countess of Stolberg-Wernigerode was the mother of William the Silent, the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish in the 16th century....
. Maria Elisabeth was the last member of the family to be buried in the old city church of Bouxwiller.
They had four children:
- Philip WolfgangPhilip Wolfgang, Count of Hanau-LichtenbergPhilip Wolfgang, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg Philip Wolfgang, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg Philip Wolfgang, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (31 July 1595, Bouxwiller – , Bouxwiller was a count of Hanau-Lichtenberg. He ruled the county from 1625 until his death.- Youth :...
(born: 31 July 1595 in BouxwillerBouxwiller, Bas-RhinBouxwiller is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Among the city's sight is the Musée Judéo-Alsacien, dedicated to the History of Jews in Alsace, and located in the former synagogue.-References:*...
. - Agatha Marie (August 22, 1599 in Bouxwiller; † May 23, 1636 in BadenBaden-BadenBaden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
), married George Frederick of Rappoltstein (1593–1651). - Anna Magdalena (born: 14 December 1600 in Bouxwiller; died: 22 February 1673), married several times.
- Elisabeth Juliana (born: 29 June 1602 in Bouxwiller; died: 21 April 1603 in Wörth am Rhein, also buried there)
After the death of his first wife, Johann Reinhard I married on 17 November 1605 with Wild- and Rhinegravine Anna of Salm-Neuweiler
House of Salm
The House of Salm was a noble family originating in the Belgian Ardennes and ruling Salm. It is above all known for the experiences of the branch which came to be located in the Vosges Mountains and over time came to rule over a principality whose capital was Badonviller then Senones.Its notable...
(born: 14 March 1582; died: 1636), daughter of Wild- and Rhinegrave Frederick I of Salm-Neuweiler (born: 3 February 3, 1547; died: 26 October 1608). This marriage remained childless. She was buried in Schwarzach Abbey.