View source for Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich
| image        = EleonoreofHesse2.jpg
| caption      = Grand Duchess Eleonore in 1905
| succession   = [[Grand Duchess consort of Hesse and by Rhine]]
| reign        = 2 February 1905 – 9 November 1918
| reign-type   = Tenure
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1871|9|17|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Lich, Hesse|Lich]], [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]], [[German Empire]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1937|11|16|1871|9|17|df=y}}
| death_place  = Steene near [[Ostend]], [[Belgium]]
| burial_place = [[Darmstadt#Parks, architecture, and attractions|New Mausoleum]], [[Rosenhöhe Park]] in [[Darmstadt]]
| full name    = Eleonore Ernestine Marie
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine]]|1905|1937|reason=died}}
| father       = [[Hermann of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich|Hermann, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
| mother       = Countess Agnes of [[Stolberg-Wernigerode]]
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine]]
* [[Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine]]
}}
| house        = [[House of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich|Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
}}

'''Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich''' (Eleonore Ernestine Marie; 17 September 1871 &ndash; 16 November 1937) was [[Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine]] as the second wife of [[Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse|Grand Duke Ernest Louis]]. She was nicknamed "Onor" by her family. She was regent of Hesse in the absence of her spouse during [[World War I]].<ref>Manfred Knodt: Die Regenten von Hessen-Darmstadt. 1. Auflage. Schlapp, Darmstadt 1976, ISBN 3-87704-004-7</ref>

==Biography==

===Family===
[[File:Royal Monogram of Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich.svg|thumb|left|125px|Royal Monogram of Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
She was the fourth child and second daughter of Prince [[Hermann of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]] and his wife, Countess Agnes of [[Stolberg-Wernigerode]] (1842-1904).<ref>https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00007515&tree=LEO</ref>

===Grand Duchess of Hesse===
Eleonore married [[Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse]] in [[Darmstadt]] on 2 February 1905. By marriage, she became [[Grand Duchy of Hesse|Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine]]. As Grand Duchess, she took over the sponsor- and leadership of a number of charity organizations previously managed by her [[Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|mother-in-law]]. 

When her spouse left to join the First world war in 1914, she was appointed to serve the affairs of state as regent in his absence. She was regarded as a competent regent. She equipped a hospital train to the front.

The Hesse monarchy was abolished in 1918. Eleonore continued to manage her charitable programs after the introduction of democracy.

===Death===
Eleonore died in an [[1937 Sabena Junkers Ju 52 Ostend crash|airplane crash]] on her way to her son [[Prince Louis of Hesse and by Rhine|Louis']] wedding in [[London]]. Also killed in the crash was her elder son [[Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse]], his wife [[Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark]], and their two sons, Ludwig and Alexander.<ref>https://time.com/archive/6757726/germany-curse-of-hesse/</ref> The remains of their stillborn son was also found in the wreckage. She is buried alongside members of her family in the New Mausoleum Rosenhöhe, Darmstadt.<ref>http://www.royaltyguide.nl/families/fam-H/hessen/hessendarmstadt2.htm</ref>

==Orders and decorations==
* {{flag|Kingdom of Prussia}}: Lifesaving Medal on Band, ''20 April 1898''<ref>{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.)|volume=1|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=513&skin=2021 263]|chapter=Rettungsmedaille am Bande|lang=German|location=Berlin|year=1886|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
* {{flag|Grand Duchy of Hesse}}:<ref name="ordensliste">{{citation|title=Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste|pages=2, 4|lang=German|location=Darmstadt|year=1914|publisher=Staatsverlag}}</ref>
** Dame of the [[House Order of the Golden Lion (Hesse)|Order of the Golden Lion]], in Diamonds, ''2 February 1905''
** Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], in Diamonds, ''2 February 1905''

==Issue==
Eleonore and Ernest Louis had two sons:

*[[Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse|Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine]] (1906–1937), who married [[Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark]] (sister of [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]), and had issue.
*[[Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine]] (1908–1968). Married [[The Honourable#United Kingdom|Hon.]] [[Margaret, Princess of Hesse and by Rhine|Margaret Campbell Geddes]], daughter of [[Auckland Geddes|Lord Geddes]], no issue. He adopted [[Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse]] as heir.

==Ancestry==
{{Ahnentafel|collapsed=yes|align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Eleonore, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine'''
|2= 2. Prince [[Hermann of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
|3= 3. Countess Agnes of Stolberg-Wernigerode
|4= 4. Ferdinand, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich
|5= 5. Countess Caroline of Collalto and San Salvatore
|6= 6. [[William, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode]]
|7= 7. Countess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Roßla
|8= 8. Karl Ludwig, Prince of [[Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
|9= 9. Princess Henriette of [[Bentheim-Steinfurt|Bentheim and Steinfurt]]
|10= 10. Anton Octavian, Prince of [[Collalto family|Collalto and San Salvatore]]
|11= 11. Countess Karolina [[Apponyi family|Apponyi de Nagyappony]]
|12= 12. Konstantin, Count of [[Stolberg-Wernigerode]]
|13= 13. Baroness Ernestine von der Recke
|14= 14. August, Count of [[Stolberg-Rossla|Stolberg-Roßla]]
|15= 15. Countess Caroline of [[Erbach Palace|Erbach-Schönberg]]
}}

==Notes==
{{Commons category|Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich}}
{{Reflist}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]|17 September|1871|16 November|1937|[[Solms|House of Solms]]}}
{{S-roy|de}}
|-
{{S-vac|last=[[Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine]]|years=2 February 1905 &ndash; 9 November 1918}}
{{S-non|reason=None<br /> ''[[German Revolution of 1918–19|Grand Duchy abolished in 1918]]''}}
{{S-pre}}
|-
{{S-non|reason=None}}
{{S-tul|title=[[Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine]]|years=9 November 1918 &ndash; 9 October 1937|reason=[[German Revolution of 1918–19|Grand Duchy abolished in 1918]]}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark|Cecilie of Greece and Denmark]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, Princess}}
[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1937 deaths]]
[[Category:Grand duchesses of Hesse]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium]]
[[Category:Burials at the Mausoleum for the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, Rosenhöhe (Darmstadt)]]
[[Category:House of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
[[Category:House of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1937]]
[[Category:20th-century women regents]]
[[Category:20th-century regents]]