Philipp Reinhard came to the throne of Hanau-Münzenberg at the age of 16 on. His uncle Friedrich Casimir had financially ruined the county with his escapades and he was overthrown by his family. They put Philipp Reinhard on the throne, but as he was still a minor, his guardians acted as regents until 1687. His younger brother Johann Reinhard III was put on the throne of Hanau-Lichtenberg, which had also been ruined by Friedrich Casimir. The district of Babenhausen was awarded to Hanau-Münzenberg; this decision was confirmed in a treaty in 1691. Philipp Reinhard came of age in 1687 and began to rule independently. In 1691, Duke Christian II filed his final report on the guardianship. Philipp Reinhard's reign was marked by a thoughtful territorial and fiscal policy that tried to repair the damage done by the Thirty Years' War and the reign of his predecessor.
Foreign policy
In 1692, Philipp Reinhard was elected as the permanent director of the Wetterau Association of Imperial Counts. In 1704, Philipp Reinhard was made a member of the Order of the Black Eagle by King Friedrich I of Prussia. For the investiture, he had to travel to Berlin, which he did in 1710. In 1711, Emperor Karl VI visited Hanau while travelling to Frankfurt for his coronation. His territorial policies met with little success. The districts Schwarzenfels and Kellerei with Naumburg Castle had been pledged to Hesse-Kassel. He tried to redeem them and failed. He did manage to redeem some smaller territories, notably Konradsdorf monastery. He exchanged some territory with Isenburg, swapping parts of Hain in Dreieich for a share in Dudenhofen. He also bought the Gronauer Court, which formerly belonged to the Ilbenstadt monastery.
Domestic policy
During his reign, religious refugees migrated into the county, as had happened 100 years earlier during the reign of Count Philipp Ludwig II, especially after Louis XIV had revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and the Waldensians began to be persecuted in Savoy. The refugees were admitted, partly as a humanitarian act and partly to strengthen the county's economic position. The Waldensians only stayed in Hanau temporarily, though.
Elevation to the rank of prince
In the older literature it is repeatedly claimed that Philipp Reinhard would have obtained the rank of Prince. This appears not to be the case. There is no record of such an elevation, neither in the archives of Hanau, which have since been moved to the Hessian State Archive at Marburg, nor in the Austrian House-, Court- and State Archives in Vienna, nor is there a record of any related payments. It has been documented that Philipp Reinhard spent time and expenses to obtain such a title and that he never used one, which would have been a very strange behaviour if he had received it.
Culture
In 1701, Philipp Reinhard began the construction of Philippsruhe Castle, which was named after him, in the village of Kesselstadt, to the west of Hanau, just outside the city gate. In 1712, he began the construction of new stables for the City Palace in Hanau. This project was completed after his death by his brother Johann Reinhard III. Philipp Reinhard was able to complete, during his lifetime, the construction of the college building, which today houses the city library, opposite the City Palace.
Marriage and issue
On, Philipp Reinhard married his cousin, Countess Palatine Magdalena Claudia, the daughter of Duke Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. Her dowry was. This marriage produced:
Stillborn child, buried in the crypt in the Lutheran Church in Hanau
Stillborn child
Katharina Magdalene of Hanau, the daughter of Duke Johann Ernst IV of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Her dowry was also. This second marriage remained childless.
Death
Philipp Reinhard died at his Philippsruhe Castle on 4 October 1712 alone. He was buried in the family vault in the Lutheran Church (now the St. Johann's Church in Hanau. The tomb was destroyed when Hanau bombed during the Second World War. His second wife, Wilhelmine Charlotte, survived him by 55 years. His younger brother Johann Reinhard III, who had until then ruled the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg, inherited Hanau-Münzenberg. This would be the last time all of Hanau was united in one hand.
