County (Principality) of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich Grafschaft (Fürstentum) Solms-Hohensolms-Lich | |||||||||||||||||
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| 1718–1806 | |||||||||||||||||
 Coat of arms
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| Status | State of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Lich | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Principality | ||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||
| 1718 | |||||||||||||||||
• Raised to principality | 1792 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1806 | |||||||||||||||||
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Solms-Hohensolms-Lich was at first a County and later Principality with Imperial immediacy in what is today the federal Land of Hessen, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Solms,[1] originally from Solms.
The county was originally created in 1718 as a union of the counties of Solms-Hohensolms and Solms-Lich for Count Friedrich Wilhelm zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (1682-1744). It existed from 1718 until 1792.
Hohensolms was an old territory of the lords and counts of Solms, with Alt-Hohensolms Castle built in 1321 and destroyed in 1349, and Neu-Hohensolms Castle built in 1350. The latter was owned by the princely family until 1969.
The county of Lich was inherited by the Counts of Solms-Braunfels after the Counts of Falkenstein-Münzenberg died out in 1418, resulting in strong territorial growth of the House of Solms in the Wetterau, including the lordships of Münzenberg Castle, Hungen Castle, Lich Castle and Laubach Castle. Shortly thereafter, the branch of Solms-Lich split off from Solms-Braunfels.
It was raised to a Principality of the Holy Roman Empire in 1792 for Prince Karl Christian zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (1725-1803). Solms-Hohensolms-Lich was mediatised to Austria, Hesse-Darmstadt, Prussia and Württemberg in 1806. The House of Solms had its origins at Solms, Hesse. The Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich still resides at Castle Lich in Lich.
Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, daughter of Hermann, 5th Prince, wed Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, becoming a Grand Duchess.
The House of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich is a Hessian princely family, and a collateral line of the House of Solms-Braunfels. The House of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich originally were imperial counts, raised to the rank of Imperial Prince in 1792.
