Solms-Braunfels was a County and later Principality with

Imperial immediacy Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular pri ...

in what is today the federal Land of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

in Germany. Solms-Braunfels was a partition of

Solms Geography Location Solms lies right in the Lahn valley at the mouth of the eponymous little river Solmsbach and is nestled between the foothills of both the Taunus and Westerwald at heights from 140 to 400 m above sea level. It is about 7& ...

, ruled by the

House of Solms A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, and was raised to a Principality of the Holy Roman Empire in 1742. The county of Solms-Braunfels was partitioned between: itself and Solms-Ottenstein in 1325; itself and Solms-Lich in 1409; and itself, Solms-Greifenstein and Solms-Hungen in 1592. Frederick William (1696–1761) was created a ''

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

'' in 1742, with his younger offspring also bearing the title prince and princess, styled ''

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

''. The Principality of Solms-Braunfels was mediatised to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

and

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

in 1806.

Rulers

Counts of Solms-Braunfels (1258–1742)

* Henry III, Count 1258–1312 (died 1312), ''elder son of Henry II, Count of Solms'' ** Bernhard I, Count 1312–49 (died 1349), ''second son of Henry III'' *** Otto I, Count 1349–1410 (died 1410) **** Bernhard II, Count 1409–59 (died 1459) ***** Otto II, Count 1459–1504 (1426–1504) ****** Bernhard III, Count 1504–47 (1468–1547) ******* Philipp, Count 1547–81 (1494–1581) ******** Konrad, Count 1581–92 (1540–1592) ********* Johann Albrecht I, Count 1592–1623 (1563–1623); his third daughter was Amalia, wife of

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last ...

********** Konrad Ludwig, Count 1623–35 (1595–1635) ********** Johann Albrecht II, Count 1635–48 (1599–1647) *********** Heinrich Trajectinus, Count 1648–93 (1639–1693) ********* '' Wilhelm I, Count of Solms-Greifenstein (1570–1635)'' ********** ''Wilhelm II, Count of Solms-Greifenstein (1609–1676)'' *********** Wilhelm Moritz, Count of Solms-Greifenstein 1676–1720, and of Solms-Braunfels 1693–1720 (1651–1720) ************ Friedrich Wilhelm, Count 1720–42 (1696–1761), created

Reichsfürst Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

1742

Princes of Solms-Braunfels (1742–1806)

* Friedrich Wilhelm, 1st Prince 1742–61 (1696–1761) ** Ferdinand Wilhelm Ernst, 2nd Prince 1761–83 (1721–1783) *** Wilhelm Christian Karl, 3rd Prince 1783–1837, ''mediatized 1806'' (1759–1837)

Mediatized Princes of Solms-Braunfels

* ''Ferdinand Wilhelm Ernst, 2nd Prince of Solms-Braunfels 1761–83 (1721–1783)'' ** Wilhelm Christian Karl, 3rd Prince 1783–1837, ''mediatized 1806'' (1759–1837) *** Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand, 4th Prince 1837–73 (1797–1873) ** '' Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels (1770–1814)'' *** ''Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich of Solms-Braunfels (1801–1868)'' **** Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm, 5th Prince 1873–80 (1835–1880) **** Georg Friedrich Bernhard, 6th Prince 1880–91 (1836–1891) ***** Georg Friedrich Victor, 7th Prince 1891–1970 (1890–1970) The main branch of the princely House of Solms-Braunfels became extinct with Georg Friedrich Victor in 1970. Braunfels and Hungen Castles including their agricultural and forest estates were inherited by the last Prince's daughter Maria Gabrielle Princess of Solms-Braunfels (1918−2003) and her husband Hans Georg Count von Oppersdorff (1920−2003). Since 1969, they and their offspring bear the name ''Count/Countess von Oppersdorff-Solms-Braunfels'', with consent of the Hessian Ministry of the Interior. An Austrian side branch (which had owned estates in Bohemia and Hungary until 1945) became extinct in 1989. Schloss Braunfels 2.jpg, Braunfels Castle (owned by the family since 1260) Burg Greifenstein 2 Juli 2011.jpg,

Greifenstein Castle Greifenstein Castle is a ruined castle in the municipality of Filisur of the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is included on the register of the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance. History The cas ...

(owned 1382−1969 by the House of Solms) Schloss Hungen 09.JPG,

Hungen Hungen () is a town in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 20 km southeast of Gießen, and 18 km northeast of Friedberg. Surrounding towns are Laubach to the north, Nidda to the east, Wölfersheim to the south ...

Castle (owned 1418−1974 by Solms-Braunfels) Wappen-Solms-Braunfels.jpg, Solms-Braunfels coat of arms

References

{{Reflist Former states and territories of Hesse