Name Frederick Prince | ||
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Spouse(s) Magdalena Henrietta of Nassau-WeilburgSophia Magdalena Benigna of Solms-Laubach-UtpheCharlotte Catherine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen Born 11 January 1696Braunfels ( 1696-01-11 ) Died 24 February 1761(1761-02-24) (aged 65)Braunfels | ||
Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels (11 January 1696 in Braunfels – 24 February 1761, ibid.) was the first Prince of Solms-Braunfels. He was the son of Count William Maurice of Solms-Braunfels (1651–1724) and his wife Magdalene Sophie of Hesse-Homburg (1660–1720).
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Life
Frederick William received an aristocratic education . When his father died on 18 February 1724, he became Count of Somls-Braunfeld, Greifenstein and Hungen, Tecklenburg, Kriechingen and Lingen, Lord of Munzenberg, Wildenfels, Sonnewalde, Puttlingen, Dortweiler and Beaucourt. However, because of his poor health, he did not rule much personally. He did, however, succeed in his marriage policy, which allowed his children to marry into powerful families around the country.
Financial difficulties forced him to sell the city of Butzbach, which his family had owned since 1478, to Hesse-Darmstadt on 17 March 1741. On 22 May 1742, Emperor Charles VII raised the House of Solms-Braunfels to the rank of Imperial Prince.
When Frederick William died in 1761, he was succeeded by his son Ferdinand William Ernest.
Marriage and issue
He was married three times. His first wife was Princess Magdalena Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg (1691-1725), the daughter of John Ernst of Nassau-Weilburg. They had the following children:
On 9 May 1726 he married his second wife, the Countess Sophia Magdalena Benigna of Solms-Laubach-Utphe, the daughter of Charles Otto of Solms-Laubach-Utphe and Tecklenburg. They had the following children
His third wife was the Countess Palatine Charlotte Catherine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen (1699–1785), the daughter of Count palatine John Charles of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen. This marriage remained childless.