Philip Louis I, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg
Encyclopedia
Philip Louis I, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg (21 November 1553 – 4 February 1580) succeeded his father in the government of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg in 1561.
of Hanau-Münzenberg and the countess palatine Helena of Simmern. His godparents were:
His hobby was collecting coins and medals.
. Presumably, this was a sinecure
.
Just one year later, his father died and he inherited the county of Hanau-Münzenberg. A committee of regents was appointed to rule on his behalf.
("Imperial Supreme Court") at the request of his mother. Three regents were appointed, as requested:
Count Reinhard I of Solms, who had already acted as a guardian for Philip Louis's father and who was more closely related to Philip Louis, was apparently ignored when the regency was established. He had expected to be regent and had already accepted the homage
of the subjects
, whom he now had to release. The reason may have been that Reinhard was a Catholic
and Hanau-Münzenberg had joine to Reformation
religiously as well as prolitically. On the other hand, the contrast between Calvinism
(as practised in the Palatinate) and Lutheranism
(in Hanau-Lichtenberg) was not as pronounced at this time as it was a generation later, when the Count of Hanau-Münzenberg acted as regent of Hanau-Lichtenberg and the difference it caused violent clashes between Regent and his Lutheran subjects. Philip Louis disagreed for a while of the religious orientation that count's education should take, and at which court he should receive this education. In the end, they reached an agreement.
, where he was educated together with his guardian's youngest brother, Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg
(1550–1574). From 1567 to 1569, they studied together at the University of Strasbourg
and after 1569 at the University of Tübingen. Here, count Philip Louis I came into contact with the fiercely unfolding theological
controversy within the Protestant movement.
After a stay in Tübingen, the education continued in France
. Count Philip Louis I arrived in Paris
in 1572. Here, he came into contact with Admiral Gaspard II de Coligny, the leader of Huguenots. He narrowly escaped the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre and returned to Buchsweiler (now called Bouxwiller
), the capital of the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg.
He continued his studies at the University of Basel
, from where he also took excursions further into Switzerland
. In 1573, he travelled to Italy and visited in the numerous places in northern Italy before reaching his destination, the University of Padua
. He then continued to study in Rome
. The return journey took him to Vienna
in 1574. This educational program was quite extraordinary for a count.
(1558–1599). Sources differ on the exact date of the wedding: 2 February 1576, or 5 February or 6 February. His guardian opposed the marriage, because Magdalena was of lower rank than the Counts of Hanau, and her family held lands in Hesse
and Cologne
. He would have preferred a bride from a family closer to Hanau. He may have married her out of true love, or to counter the political dominance of Nassau over Hanau.
Philip and Magdalena had four children together:
passed the residence of Hanau on his way to the coronation
of his son Maximilian II
on 24 November 1562 in Frankfurt
. Ferdinand was welcomed at court and Philip Louis and Ferdinand went hunting together.
In 1563, a consistory
was founded in Hanau, so that the Reformation
was institutionalized administratively. The consistory was initially a department of the count's Chancery
. Under his son, count Philip Louis II, however, the authority of the church was legally separated as an independent institution in 1612.
In 1571, the Statutes of Solms
were published, codifying the law as it stood in the County of Solms. This work had been commissioned by the Counts of Solms. Since the law in neighbouring territories was very similar, the work spread quickly in the area of the Wetterau College of Imperial Counts. Local differences from the Solms statute were published as local notices. In the county of Hanau-Münzenberg this law code collection was used from 1581 (if not earlier) until the introduction of the Civil Code
on 1 January 1900.
Count Philip Louis I ruled the county autonomously from 1575. His government is characterized by careful maneuvering among the various confessions and the imperial territories in pursuit of consolidation and the web of political relations in the Empire
and in the Wetterau
region. In 1578 the Lutheran Church Order of Hanau-Lichtenberg was introduced in Hanau-Münzenberg as well. In this issue, Count Philip Louis acted very carefully and did not follow, probably against his personal conviction, the more radical Calvinist model. His son and successor, Count Philip Louis II, later carried through the so-called "second Reformation", the turn towards Calvinism.
During Count Philip Louis I's reign, Hanau could finally definitively purchase the villages of Dorheim, Schwalheim and Rödgen and the former monasteries Konradsdorf and Hirzenhain
and one third of the district of Ortenberg
from the Count of Stolberg
. These areas had previously been pledged to Hanau. He also purchased Ober-Eschbach, Nieder-Eschbach, Steinbach
and Holzhausen
.
He was buried in the choir of the St. Mary's Church in Hanau
, on the right side, hence near the south wall of the choir, in the immediate vicinity of his father. A funeral sermon was published. An epitaph was mounted above his grave, which was considered a major example of High Renaissance art. The epitaph was destroyed during World War II
, a few surviving fragments are kept in the Historical Museum of Hanau. The location of the epitaph on the south wall is indicated by four empty brackets.
His widow, Countess Magdalene, née of Waldeck, remarried in 1581, with Count John VII of Nassau-Siegen.
Background
Philip Louis I, was the son of Count Philip IIIPhilip III, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg
Count Philip III of Hanau-Münzenberg ruled the County of Hanau-Münzenberg from 1529 until his death.- Life :...
of Hanau-Münzenberg and the countess palatine Helena of Simmern. His godparents were:
- Duchess Palatinate Maria of Simmern (1519–1567), daughter of the Margrave Casimir of Brandenburg-KulmbachCasimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-BayreuthCasimir of Brandenburg-Bayreuth was Margrave of Bayreuth from 1515 to 1527.- Family background :...
, married to ElectorElectorElector may refer to:* Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors...
Frederick IIIFrederick III, Elector PalatineFrederick III of Simmern, the Pious, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach, branch Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim. He was a son of John II of Simmern and inherited the Palatinate from the childless Elector Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine in 1559... - Count Philip of Solms-Braunfels
- Count Louis of Stolberg-Königstein
His hobby was collecting coins and medals.
Childhood
Nothing is known about his early years. In 1560, when he was seven years old, his father appointed him as bailiff of the district of SteinauSteinau
Steinau can refer to:*Steinau an der Straße, a town in Hesse, Germany*Steinau, Lower Saxony, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany*Steinau an der Oder, the German name for Ścinawa, a town in southwestern Poland...
. Presumably, this was a sinecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
.
Just one year later, his father died and he inherited the county of Hanau-Münzenberg. A committee of regents was appointed to rule on his behalf.
Regency
The regency was established by 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...
("Imperial Supreme Court") at the request of his mother. Three regents were appointed, as requested:
- Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg, a step-great-uncle of the ward, who was also related directly to his ward
- Count Philip IVPhilip IV, Count of Hanau-LichtenbergPhilip IV of Hanau-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.- Reformation :Unlike his father, Philip IV stood behind...
of Hanau-Lichtenberg, the reigning Count of Hanau in the other line, and thus - very distantly - related to his ward. - Elector Palatine Frederick III is mentioned in the literature as the chief recent. There is, however, no documentary evidence that he acted as such.
Count Reinhard I of Solms, who had already acted as a guardian for Philip Louis's father and who was more closely related to Philip Louis, was apparently ignored when the regency was established. He had expected to be regent and had already accepted the 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....
of the subjects
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
, whom he now had to release. The reason may have been that Reinhard was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and Hanau-Münzenberg had joine to Reformation
Reformation
- 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...
religiously as well as prolitically. On the other hand, the contrast between Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
(as practised in the Palatinate) and Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
(in Hanau-Lichtenberg) was not as pronounced at this time as it was a generation later, when the Count of Hanau-Münzenberg acted as regent of Hanau-Lichtenberg and the difference it caused violent clashes between Regent and his Lutheran subjects. Philip Louis disagreed for a while of the religious orientation that count's education should take, and at which court he should receive this education. In the end, they reached an agreement.
Education
The young Count Philip Louis I was described by his teachers as highly intelligent and eager to learn. From 1563 onwards, his guardians looked into the possibility of him being educated abroad. As this led to nothing, he stayed for three years at the court of his guardian in DillenburgDillenburg
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....
, where he was educated together with his guardian's youngest brother, Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg
Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg
Henry of Nassau, count of Nassau-Dillenburg, was the youngest brother of William I of Orange-Nassau....
(1550–1574). From 1567 to 1569, they studied together 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 after 1569 at the University of Tübingen. Here, count Philip Louis I came into contact with the fiercely unfolding theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
controversy within the Protestant movement.
After a stay in Tübingen, the education continued in 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...
. Count Philip Louis I arrived in 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 1572. Here, he came into contact with Admiral Gaspard II de Coligny, the leader of Huguenots. He narrowly escaped the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre and returned to Buchsweiler (now called 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:*...
), the capital of the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg.
He continued his studies at the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
, from where he also took excursions further into 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....
. In 1573, he travelled to Italy and visited in the numerous places in northern Italy before reaching his destination, the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
. He then continued to study in 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...
. The return journey took him to 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...
in 1574. This educational program was quite extraordinary for a count.
Family
Count Philip Louis I married Countess Magdalena of WaldeckCountess Magdalena of Waldeck
Countess Magdalena of Waldeck was a daughter of Philip IV of Waldeck-Wildungen and his wife, Jutta of Isenburg .- First marriage :...
(1558–1599). Sources differ on the exact date of the wedding: 2 February 1576, or 5 February or 6 February. His guardian opposed the marriage, because Magdalena was of lower rank than the Counts of Hanau, and her family held lands in Hesse
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a unity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided between the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.-History:...
and Cologne
Archbishopric of Cologne
The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...
. He would have preferred a bride from a family closer to Hanau. He may have married her out of true love, or to counter the political dominance of Nassau over Hanau.
Philip and Magdalena had four children together:
- Philip Louis II (1576–1612)
- Juliane (born: 13 October 1577; died: 2 December 1577), buried in the choir of the St. Mary's Church in HanauHanauHanau 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 :...
- William (born: 26 August 1578; died: 14 June 1579), also buried in the choir of the St. Mary's Church in Hanau
- Albert of Hanau-Münzenberg Schwarzenfels (1579–1635)
Government
On 13 November 1562 Emperor Ferdinand IFerdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
passed the residence of Hanau on his way to the 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...
of his son 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...
on 24 November 1562 in 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...
. Ferdinand was welcomed at court and Philip Louis and Ferdinand went hunting together.
In 1563, a consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
was founded in Hanau, so that the Reformation
Reformation
- 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...
was institutionalized administratively. The consistory was initially a department of the count's Chancery
Chancery
Chancery may refer to:* Chancery , the building that houses a diplomatic mission, such as an embassy* Chancery , a medieval writing office* Chancery , in Ceredigion, Wales...
. Under his son, count Philip Louis II, however, the authority of the church was legally separated as an independent institution in 1612.
In 1571, the Statutes of Solms
Solms
Solms is a town west of Wetzlar in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse, Germany.In the constituent community of Burgsolms once stood the ancestral castle of the Counts and Princes of Solms, whose main lines were Solms-Braunfels, with their seat in Braunfels, and Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, with their seat in...
were published, codifying the law as it stood in the County of Solms. This work had been commissioned by the Counts of Solms. Since the law in neighbouring territories was very similar, the work spread quickly in the area of the Wetterau College of Imperial Counts. Local differences from the Solms statute were published as local notices. In the county of Hanau-Münzenberg this law code collection was used from 1581 (if not earlier) until the introduction of the Civil Code
Civil code
A civil code is a systematic collection of laws designed to comprehensively deal with the core areas of private law. A jurisdiction that has a civil code generally also has a code of civil procedure...
on 1 January 1900.
Count Philip Louis I ruled the county autonomously from 1575. His government is characterized by careful maneuvering among the various confessions and the imperial territories in pursuit of consolidation and the web of political relations in the Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and in the Wetterau
Wetterau
The Wetterau is a fertile undulating tract, watered by the Wetter, a tributary of the Nidda River, in the western German state of Hesse, between the hilly province Oberhessen and the north-western Taunus mountains....
region. In 1578 the Lutheran Church Order of Hanau-Lichtenberg was introduced in Hanau-Münzenberg as well. In this issue, Count Philip Louis acted very carefully and did not follow, probably against his personal conviction, the more radical Calvinist model. His son and successor, Count Philip Louis II, later carried through the so-called "second Reformation", the turn towards Calvinism.
During Count Philip Louis I's reign, Hanau could finally definitively purchase the villages of Dorheim, Schwalheim and Rödgen and the former monasteries Konradsdorf and Hirzenhain
Hirzenhain
Hirzenhain is a municipality in the Wetteraukreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 45 kilometers northeast of Frankfurt am Main....
and one third of the district of Ortenberg
Ortenberg
Ortenberg may refer to two places in Germany:*Ortenberg, Hesse*Ortenberg, Baden-Württemberg...
from the Count of Stolberg
House of Stolberg
The counts of Stolberg are members of a large German noble family that has many branches.- History :There are over ten different theories about the origin of the counts of Stolberg, but none has been become commonly accepted. However, it is most likely that they are descended from the counts of...
. These areas had previously been pledged to Hanau. He also purchased Ober-Eschbach, Nieder-Eschbach, Steinbach
Steinbach (Taunus)
Steinbach is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis that borders in the east on Frankfurt am Main. Other neighbouring towns are Oberursel, Kronberg im Taunus and Eschborn. It is in the German state of Hesse.-Location:...
and Holzhausen
Burgholzhausen vor der Höhe
Burgholzhausen vor der Höhe is a quarter of the city of Friedrichsdorf at the foothills of the Taunus mountain range, approx. north of Frankfurt am Main.- History :...
.
Death
Count Philip Louis I died quite suddenly. He had complained about weakness and nausea for three or four days before his death, but even Philip Louis himself took it very seriously. He fainted unexpectedly between 4 and 5 PM and died soon after.He was buried in the choir of the St. Mary's Church in 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 :...
, on the right side, hence near the south wall of the choir, in the immediate vicinity of his father. A funeral sermon was published. An epitaph was mounted above his grave, which was considered a major example of High Renaissance art. The epitaph was destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a few surviving fragments are kept in the Historical Museum of Hanau. The location of the epitaph on the south wall is indicated by four empty brackets.
His widow, Countess Magdalene, née of Waldeck, remarried in 1581, with Count John VII of Nassau-Siegen.