Philip Reinhard, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg
Encyclopedia
Philipp Reinhard of Hanau-Münzenberg (2 August 1664, Bischofsheim am hohen Steg
– 4 October 1712, Philippsruhe Castle, Hanau
) from 1680 to 1712 in the County of Hanau-Münzenberg.
) as a child of Johann Reinhard II of Hanau-Lichtenberg and the Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. When his father died in 1666, his mother and his uncle Duke Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
(1654–1717) became guardian for him and his younger brother Johann Reinhard III.
He was educated together with his younger brother Johann Reinhard III, initially in Strasbourg
. In 1678, they moved to Babenhausen
, where their mother lived at the time. In 1678, they started a Grand Tour
to the Alsace
, Switzerland
and Geneva
. In 1690, the travelled for a year in Savoy
and Turin
, in 1681 to Paris
, in 1683 to the Netherlands
, England
and some French provinces. In early 1684, the were in Milan
, from there they went to see the carnival
in Venice
, followed by a trip to Rome
(with audiences with pope Innocent XII and queen Christina of Sweden
), then to Naples
, Florence
, Modena
, Parma
and Mantua
. In 1686, they visited the imperial court in Vienna
and on the way back, they traveled to Bohemia
and visited the Electoral Saxon
court in Dresden
.
had financially ruined the county with his escapades and he was overthrown by his family. They put Philip Reinhard on the throne, but as he was still a minor, his guardians actedas regents until 1687. His younger brother Johann Reinhard III was put on the throne of Hanau-Lichtenberg, which had also been ruined by Frederick Casimir. The district of Babenhausen was awarded to Hanau-Münzenberg; this decision was confirmed in a treaty in 1691.
Philip Reinhard came of age in 1687 and began to rule independently. In 1691, Duke Christian II filed his final report on the guardianship. Philip Reinhard's reign was marked by a thoughtful territorial and fiscal policy that tried to repair the damage done by the Thirty Years' War
and the reign of his predecessor.
s.
In 1704, Philip Reinhard was made a member of the Order of the Black Eagle
by King Frederick I of Prussia
. For the investiture, he had to travel to Berlin, which he did in 1710. In 1711, Emperor Charles VI
visited Hanau while travelling to Frankfurt
for his coronation
.
His territorial policies met with little success. The districts Schwarzenfels
and Kellerei with Naumburg Castle had been pledged to Hesse-Kassel
. He tried to redeem them and failed. He did manage to redeem some smaller territories, notably Konradsdorf monastery. He exchanged some territory with Isenburg, swapping parts of Hain in Dreieich
for a share in Dudenhofen
. He also bought the Gronauer Court, which formerly belonged to the Ilbenstadt monastery.
the Edict of Nantes
in 1685 and the Waldensians
began to be persecuted in Savoy
. The refugees were admitted, partly as a humanitarian act and partly to strengthen the county's economic position. The Waldensians only stayed in Hanau temporarily, though.
. This appears not to be the case. There is no record of such an elevation, neither in the archives of Hanau, which have since been moved to the Hessian State Archive at Marburg, nor in the Austrian House-, Court- and State Archives in Vienna, nor is there a record of any related payments. It has been documented that Philip Reinhard spent time and expenses to obtain such a title and that he never used one, which would have been a very strange behaviour if he had received it.
In 1701, Philip Reinhard began the construction of Philippsruhe Castle, which was named after him, in the village of Kesselstadt, to the west of Hanau, just outside the city gate. In 1712, he began the construction of new stables for the City Palace in Hanau (later Hanau's City Hall; today the "Congress Park Hanau"). This project was completed after hsi death by his brother Johann Reinhard III. Philip Reinhard was able to complete, during his lifetime, the construction of the college building, which today houses the city library, opposite the City Palace.
(born: 16 September 1668; died 28 November 1704), the daughter of Duke Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
(born: 22 June 1637; died 26 April 1717). Her dowry
was . This marriage produced:
After the death of his first wife, Philip Reinhard was engaged with Elizabeth Louise Christine of Mauchenheim named Bechtolsheim, a lady in waiting
of his first wife. He intended to marry her after she had been elevated to countess. Both his relatives and his councillors opposed the marriage on the grounds that she was of lower birth. He then broke off the engagement and bought her off with money
On 26 December 1705, Philip Reinhard married Charlotte Wilhelmine (born: ; died: 5 April 1767), the daughter of Duke John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-John Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-SaalfeldCoburg-Saalfeld. Her dowry
was also . This second marriage remained childless.
His younger brother Johann Reinhard III, who had until then ruled the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg, inherited Hanau-Münzenberg. This would be the last time all of Hanau was united in one hand.
Rheinau (Baden)
Rheinau is a town in southwestern Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is part of the district of Ortenau.-Geography:Rheinau is located in the Upper Rhine River Plains directly on the Rhine and as such at the German-French border...
– 4 October 1712, Philippsruhe Castle, Hanau
Hanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
) from 1680 to 1712 in the County of Hanau-Münzenberg.
Childhood and Youth
Philipp Reinhard was born in 1664 Bischofsheim am hohen Steg (now RheinbischofsheimRheinau (Baden)
Rheinau is a town in southwestern Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is part of the district of Ortenau.-Geography:Rheinau is located in the Upper Rhine River Plains directly on the Rhine and as such at the German-French border...
) as a child of Johann Reinhard II of Hanau-Lichtenberg and the Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. When his father died in 1666, his mother and his uncle Duke Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Christian II was the Duke of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler from 1654 until 1717, the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1671 until 1717, and the Count of Rappoltstein from 1673 until 1699.-Life:...
(1654–1717) became guardian for him and his younger brother Johann Reinhard III.
He was educated together with his younger brother Johann Reinhard III, initially in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. In 1678, they moved to Babenhausen
Babenhausen
Babenhausen is a town in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, in Hesse, Germany.-Geography:It is situated on the river Gersprenz, 25 km southeast of Frankfurt, and 14 km west of Aschaffenburg. South of its general borders, the mountain range of the Odenwald is situated about 15 km away...
, where their mother lived at the time. In 1678, they started 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...
to 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...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. In 1690, the travelled for a year in Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, in 1681 to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, in 1683 to 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...
, 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...
and some French provinces. In early 1684, the were in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, from there they went to see the carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, followed by a trip to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(with audiences with pope Innocent XII and queen Christina of Sweden
Christina of Sweden
Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
), then to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
and Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
. In 1686, they visited the imperial court in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and on the way back, they traveled to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and visited the Electoral Saxon
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
court in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
.
Policy
Philip Reinhard came to the throne of Hanau-Münzenberg at the age of 16 on . His uncle Frederick CasimirFrederick Casimir, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Frederick Casimir of Hanau was a member of the Hanau-Lichtenberg branch of the House of Hanau...
had financially ruined the county with his escapades and he was overthrown by his family. They put Philip Reinhard on the throne, but as he was still a minor, his guardians actedas regents until 1687. His younger brother Johann Reinhard III was put on the throne of Hanau-Lichtenberg, which had also been ruined by Frederick Casimir. The district of Babenhausen was awarded to Hanau-Münzenberg; this decision was confirmed in a treaty in 1691.
Philip Reinhard came of age in 1687 and began to rule independently. In 1691, Duke Christian II filed his final report on the guardianship. Philip Reinhard's reign was marked by a thoughtful territorial and fiscal policy that tried to repair the damage done by 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....
and the reign of his predecessor.
Foreign policy
In 1692, Philipp Reinhard was elected as the permanent director of the Wetterau Association of Imperial CountImperial Count
Imperial Count was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. On the one hand, it was used to designate the holders of a imperial county, that is, a county that was a fief directly from the emperor, rather than from a duke; on the other hand, the owner of the title of "Count" could be elevated to...
s.
In 1704, Philip Reinhard was made a member of the Order of the Black Eagle
Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg . In his Dutch exile after WWI, deposed Emperor Wilhelm II continued to award the order to his family...
by King Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union . The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia . From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
. For the investiture, he had to travel to Berlin, which he did in 1710. In 1711, Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
visited Hanau while travelling to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
for his coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
.
His territorial policies met with little success. The districts Schwarzenfels
Schwarzenfels
Schwarzenfels is a village in the German municipality of Sinntal in Main-Kinzig-Kreis in the state of Hesse.The population in 2009 was 577.- References :...
and Kellerei with Naumburg Castle had been pledged to Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
. He tried to redeem them and failed. He did manage to redeem some smaller territories, notably Konradsdorf monastery. He exchanged some territory with Isenburg, swapping parts of Hain in 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 :...
for a share in Dudenhofen
Dudenhofen
Dudenhofen is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated about 3 kilometers west of Speyer.Dudenhofen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Dudenhofen....
. He also bought the Gronauer Court, which formerly belonged to the Ilbenstadt monastery.
Domestic policy
During his reign, religious refugees migrated into the county, as had happened 100 years earlier during the reign of Count Philip Louis II, especially after Louis XIV had revokedEdict of Fontainebleau
The Edict of Fontainebleau was an edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes of 1598, had granted the Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the state...
the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
in 1685 and the Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
began to be persecuted in Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. The refugees were admitted, partly as a humanitarian act and partly to strengthen the county's economic position. The Waldensians only stayed in Hanau temporarily, though.
Elevation to the rank of prince
In the older literature it is repeatedly claimed that Philip Reinhard, the would have obtained the rank of PrincePrince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
. This appears not to be the case. There is no record of such an elevation, neither in the archives of Hanau, which have since been moved to the Hessian State Archive at Marburg, nor in the Austrian House-, Court- and State Archives in Vienna, nor is there a record of any related payments. It has been documented that Philip Reinhard spent time and expenses to obtain such a title and that he never used one, which would have been a very strange behaviour if he had received it.
Culture
Marriage and issue
On , Philip Reinhard married his cousin, Countess Palatine Magdalena ClaudiaCountess Palatine Magdalena Claudia of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler
Countess Palatine Claudia Magdalena of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler , was the daughter of the Count Palatine Christian II of Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler...
(born: 16 September 1668; died 28 November 1704), the daughter of Duke Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Christian II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
Christian II was the Duke of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler from 1654 until 1717, the Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1671 until 1717, and the Count of Rappoltstein from 1673 until 1699.-Life:...
(born: 22 June 1637; died 26 April 1717). Her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
was . This marriage produced:
- Stillborn child (1691), buried in the crypt in the Lutheran Church (now called: Old St. John's Church) in Hanau
- Stillborn child (1693)
- Catherine Magdalene of Hanau (born: ; died: , buried in the crypt in the Lutheran Church in Hanau
After the death of his first wife, Philip Reinhard was engaged with Elizabeth Louise Christine of Mauchenheim named Bechtolsheim, a lady in waiting
Lady in Waiting
Lady in Waiting is the 2nd album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released in 1976. -Track listing:#"Breaker-Breaker" – 2:59#"South Carolina" – 3:05#"Ain't So Bad" – 3:48...
of his first wife. He intended to marry her after she had been elevated to countess. Both his relatives and his councillors opposed the marriage on the grounds that she was of lower birth. He then broke off the engagement and bought her off with money
On 26 December 1705, Philip Reinhard married Charlotte Wilhelmine (born: ; died: 5 April 1767), the daughter of Duke John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-John Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-SaalfeldCoburg-Saalfeld. Her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
was also . This second marriage remained childless.
Death
Philipp Reinhard died at his Philippsruhe Castle on 4 October 1712 alone. He was buried in the family vault in the Lutheran Church (now the St. John's Church in Hanau. The tomb was destroyed when Hanau bombed during the Second World War. His second wife, Wilhelmine Charlotte, survived him by 55 years.His younger brother Johann Reinhard III, who had until then ruled the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg, inherited Hanau-Münzenberg. This would be the last time all of Hanau was united in one hand.