Charles of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich


Prince Charles Ferdinand William of Solms-Lich-Hohensolms was a German politician. He was president of the First Chamber of the Estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Life

Charles was the eldest son of Prince Hermann of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich and his wife Agnes, Countess of Stolberg-Wernigerode.
He married on 16 October 1894 in Wernigerode with Princess Emma, daughter of the prince Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode. The marriage produced four children:
As his only son Philip was killed in World War 1 in 1918, after Charles' death in 1920 his younger brother Reinhard Louis inherited the title of prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich.

Politics

When his father, Hermann, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, died in 1899, Charles took over as sovereign. As a Hessian nobleman, he was a member of the First Chamber of the Estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse under the 1899 constitution until the November Revolution of 1918. He was Vice President of the First Chamber from 1908 to 1914 and President from 1914 to 1918. From 1901 to 1918, he was also a member of the Prussian House of Lords.