Philip IV, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Encyclopedia
Philip IV of Hanau-Lichtenberg (20 September 1514, Babenhausen
– 19 February 1590, Lichtenberg
) was from 1538 to 1590 the reigning Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg. Before his accession he had already conducted gouvernment business on behalf of his father, Count Philip III
. He was very interested in alchemy
.
. During his reign, the Lutheran faith took hold in the county. He appointed priests himself. After a long vacancy, he appointed a priest in Bouxwiller
( who was committed to the new doctrine. He worked with theologicians Erasmus Sarcerius and Philipp Neunheller, the reformer of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg. The new faith was widely introduced in 1544 and on 28 May 1548, Philip convened a synod at Bouxwiller with all the pastors of the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg, in order to commit them to the new doctrine. This apparently happened very hesitantly, and the process of changing the clergy to adherents of the Lutheran faith continued well into the 1560s.
Philip participated in the Diet of Augsburg
in 1555, where the Peace of Augsburg
was agreed, as well as the Diet in Augsburg in 1556, and the Diet of Speyer
in 1570. The Catholic equipment that the, now Lutheran, churches no longer needed, was sold off from 1558 onwards. Philip exchanged the possessions of the secularized Patershausen Abbey for Brumath
, which had been held by the Archbishopric of Mainz
. In 1573, a chuch order was adopted in Hanau-Lichtenberg. In 1580, he was among the signatories of the Book of Concord
.
was still a minor when he inherited Hanau-Münzenberg in 1561. Philip IV took up the guardianhship, together with Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg. When Philip Louis I died in 1580, they again acted as guardian for his minor sons Philip Louis II and Albert of Hanau-Münzenberg. This time, there was a third guardian: Count Louis I of Sayn-Wittgenstein. Because Albert was only born in the year before his father's death and the fact that there were substantial religious disputes between the guardians, the guardianship could only be terminated in 1608. Philip IV, however, could be replaced by his son Philip V
in this guardianship council in 1585.
Philip Louis I's widow, Countess Magdalena of Hanau-Münzenberg, married in 1581 with John VII "the Middle" of Nassau-Siegen, a son of John VI. Consequently, the ward
s, Philip Louis II and Albert, grew up at the court in Nassau-Dillenburg
, a center of Calvinism
and closely connected with the, also Calvinist, Palatine court. The Lutheran Philip IV opposed this Calvinist influence, as did his son Philip V after he took over. This opposition, however, was in vain. Philip V also tried to have the Lutheran Count Palatine Richard
of Simmern-Sponheim appointed as an extra guardian. This attempt failed, despite a ruling in his favour by the Reichskammergericht
. The Calvinist majority of the guardians prevented the population of Hanau-Münzenberg from paying homage
to Richard. The majority then had the Electoral Administrator Count Palatine John Casimir of Simmern appointed as "upper guardian" — a purely honorary position — thereby strengthening the Calvinist majority among the guardians.
also objected to the Calvinist policy of Hanau-Lichtenberg and saw to it that Catholicism prevailed in the condominium
s of Ober-Roden and Rodgau
. Philip IV managed to largely keep his county out of the armed conflicts of the second half of the 16th Century, that were often started under the pretext of religious differences.
Hanau-Lichtenberg owned half of the Lordship of Lichtenberg
. In 1570, Count James of Zweibrücken-Bitsch, who owned the other half, died without a male heir and Philip IV manage to acquire his half as well. He had Lichtenberg Castle renovated and modernized by the military architect Daniel Specklin
.
Philip IV tried to conclude an inheritance treaty between the two lines of Counts of Hanau, Hanau-Münzenberg and Hanau-Lichtenberg, to the effect that, should one of the lines die out, the other line would inherit. Such a treaty was eventually signed after his death, in 1610, so when the Hanau-Münzenberg line died out in 1642, Hanau-Lichtenberg inherited.
In 1565, Philip IV was appointed councillor to Emperor Maximilian II
. Later, he became councillor to Maximilian II's successor Rudolf II
.
and he moved his residence there. Nevertheless, in 1578 he added a south wing to Babenhausen Castle. He also purchased Falkentein Castle and built the Château du Falkenstein
on the castle grounds. The village of Philippsbourg
developed around the château.
.
Philip IV died on 19 February 1590 in Lichtenberg
. Philip IV was the longest-lived member of the House of Hanau and also the count from Hanau, who has ruled the longest. A funeral sermon was published. He was buried in the crypt he had created in the Castle Church in Lichtenberg.
with Eleonore of Fürstenberg (born: 11 October 1523; died: 23 June 1544). They had the following children:
Philip IV made his son Philip V marry, contrary to his otherwise Lutheran policy, with the distantly related Roman Catholic Ludowika Margaretha of Zweibrücken-Bitsch
, daughter of James, the last Count of Zweibrücken-Bitsch. He tought her inheritance was more important than her religion
.
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...
– 19 February 1590, 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:...
) was from 1538 to 1590 the reigning Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg. Before his accession he had already conducted gouvernment business on behalf of his father, Count Philip III
Philip III, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Philip III of Hanau-Lichtenberg was the third Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg.- Childhood and Youth :Philip III was the eldest son of Count Philip II of Hanau-Lichtenberg and his wife Anna of Isenburg-Büdingen....
. He was very interested in alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
.
Reformation
Unlike his father, Philip IV stood behind the ReformationReformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
. During his reign, the Lutheran faith took hold in the county. He appointed priests himself. After a long vacancy, he appointed a priest in 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:*...
( who was committed to the new doctrine. He worked with theologicians Erasmus Sarcerius and Philipp Neunheller, the reformer of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg. The new faith was widely introduced in 1544 and on 28 May 1548, Philip convened a synod at Bouxwiller with all the pastors of the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg, in order to commit them to the new doctrine. This apparently happened very hesitantly, and the process of changing the clergy to adherents of the Lutheran faith continued well into the 1560s.
Philip participated in the Diet of Augsburg
Diet of Augsburg
The Diet of Augsburg were the meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in the German city of Augsburg. There were many such sessions, but the three meetings during the Reformation and the ensuing religious wars between the Roman Catholic emperor Charles V and the Protestant...
in 1555, where the Peace of Augsburg
Peace of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement, was a treaty between Charles V and the forces of the Schmalkaldic League, an alliance of Lutheran princes, on September 25, 1555, at the imperial city of Augsburg, now in present-day Bavaria, Germany.It officially ended the religious...
was agreed, as well as the Diet in Augsburg in 1556, and the Diet of Speyer
Diet of Speyer
Diet of Speyer or Diet of Spires refers to any of the sessions of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire, of which 50 took place between 838 and 1570 in the city of Speyer , now in Germany...
in 1570. The Catholic equipment that the, now Lutheran, churches no longer needed, was sold off from 1558 onwards. Philip exchanged the possessions of the secularized Patershausen Abbey for Brumath
Brumath
Brumath, also Brumpt, is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-History:Brumath occupies the site of the Roman Brocomagus....
, which had been held by the Archbishopric of Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
. In 1573, a chuch order was adopted in Hanau-Lichtenberg. In 1580, he was among the signatories of the Book of Concord
Book of Concord
The Book of Concord or Concordia is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century...
.
Guardianships in Hanau-Münzenberg
Count Philip Louis IPhilip Louis I, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg
Philip Louis I, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg succeeded his father in the government of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg in 1561.- Background :...
was still a minor when he inherited Hanau-Münzenberg in 1561. Philip IV took up the guardianhship, together with Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg. When Philip Louis I died in 1580, they again acted as guardian for his minor sons Philip Louis II and Albert of Hanau-Münzenberg. This time, there was a third guardian: Count Louis I of Sayn-Wittgenstein. Because Albert was only born in the year before his father's death and the fact that there were substantial religious disputes between the guardians, the guardianship could only be terminated in 1608. Philip IV, however, could be replaced by his son Philip V
Philip V, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Philip V of Hanau-Lichtenberg was Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1590 until his death.- Life :...
in this guardianship council in 1585.
Philip Louis I's widow, Countess Magdalena of Hanau-Münzenberg, married in 1581 with John VII "the Middle" of Nassau-Siegen, a son of John VI. Consequently, the ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
s, Philip Louis II and Albert, grew up at the court in Nassau-Dillenburg
Dillenburg
Dillenburg is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis....
, a center of Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
and closely connected with the, also Calvinist, Palatine court. The Lutheran Philip IV opposed this Calvinist influence, as did his son Philip V after he took over. This opposition, however, was in vain. Philip V also tried to have the Lutheran Count Palatine Richard
Richard, Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim
Richard was the Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim from 1569 until 1598.Richard was born in Simmern in 1521 to John II, Count Palatine of Simmern. In 1569 he succeeded his brother George as Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim. Richard died in Simmern in 1598...
of Simmern-Sponheim appointed as an extra guardian. This attempt failed, despite a ruling in his favour by the Reichskammergericht
Reichskammergericht
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...
. The Calvinist majority of the guardians prevented the population of Hanau-Münzenberg from paying homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to Richard. The majority then had the Electoral Administrator Count Palatine John Casimir of Simmern appointed as "upper guardian" — a purely honorary position — thereby strengthening the Calvinist majority among the guardians.
Territorial policies
The Archbishopric of MainzArchbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
also objected to the Calvinist policy of Hanau-Lichtenberg and saw to it that Catholicism prevailed in the condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
s of Ober-Roden and Rodgau
Rodgau
Rodgau is a town in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany. It lies southeast of Frankfurt am Main in the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region and has the greatest population of any municipality in the Offenbach district...
. Philip IV managed to largely keep his county out of the armed conflicts of the second half of the 16th Century, that were often started under the pretext of religious differences.
Hanau-Lichtenberg owned half of the Lordship of 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 1570, Count James of Zweibrücken-Bitsch, who owned the other half, died without a male heir and Philip IV manage to acquire his half as well. He had Lichtenberg Castle renovated and modernized by the military architect Daniel Specklin
Daniel Specklin
Daniel Specklin was an Alsatian fortress architect, engineer, and cartographer.He was born and died in Strasbourg.- Further reading :...
.
Philip IV tried to conclude an inheritance treaty between the two lines of Counts of Hanau, Hanau-Münzenberg and Hanau-Lichtenberg, to the effect that, should one of the lines die out, the other line would inherit. Such a treaty was eventually signed after his death, in 1610, so when the Hanau-Münzenberg line died out in 1642, Hanau-Lichtenberg inherited.
In 1565, Philip IV was appointed councillor to Emperor Maximilian II
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...
. Later, he became councillor to Maximilian II's successor Rudolf II
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Hungary and Croatia , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria...
.
Move to Alsace
He was the first Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg who saw the Alsatian possessions as the most important part of the county, rather than BabenhausenBabenhausen
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...
and he moved his residence there. Nevertheless, in 1578 he added a south wing to Babenhausen Castle. He also purchased Falkentein Castle and built the Château du Falkenstein
Château du Falkenstein
The Château du Falkenstein is a ruined castle in the commune of Philippsbourg in the Moselle département of France, at the heart of the Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord. This semi-troglodyte castle dominates the Zinsel valley.- History :...
on the castle grounds. The village of Philippsbourg
Philippsbourg
Philippsbourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.- Sites and monuments :* Château du Falkenstein, 12th century ruined castle, built for surveillance of the Zinsel valley....
developed around the château.
Old age and death
From 1585, the gradually transferred the business of government to his son, Philip VPhilip V, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Philip V of Hanau-Lichtenberg was Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1590 until his death.- Life :...
.
Philip IV died on 19 February 1590 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:...
. Philip IV was the longest-lived member of the House of Hanau and also the count from Hanau, who has ruled the longest. A funeral sermon was published. He was buried in the crypt he had created in the Castle Church in Lichtenberg.
Marriage and issue
Philip IV married on 22 August 1538 in HeiligenbergHeiligenberg
Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the Bodensee district in Baden-Württemberg, about seven kilometres north of Salem, in Germany.-Location and climate:...
with Eleonore of Fürstenberg (born: 11 October 1523; died: 23 June 1544). They had the following children:
- Amalie (born: 23 February 1540 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:*...
; died: 1 May 1540). - Philip VPhilip V, Count of Hanau-LichtenbergPhilip V of Hanau-Lichtenberg was Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1590 until his death.- Life :...
(born: 21 February 1541 in Bouxwiller; died: 2 June 1599). - Anna Sibylle (born: 16 May 1542; died: 24 March 1612).
- Johanna (born: 23 May 1543 in Bouxwiller; died: 5 December 1599 in Babenhausen, buried there).
- Eleonore (born: 26 April 1544, Bouxwiller; died: 6 January 1585, buried in IngelfingenIngelfingenIngelfingen is a town in the Hohenlohe district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Kocher, 4 km northwest of Künzelsau, and 36 km northeast of Heilbronn....
), married to Albert of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim-Langenburg (born: 28 May 1543; died: 16 November 1575). This marriage was childless.
Philip IV made his son Philip V marry, contrary to his otherwise Lutheran policy, with the distantly related Roman Catholic 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....
, daughter of James, the last Count of Zweibrücken-Bitsch. He tought her inheritance was more important than her religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
.