Charles, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld

Charles was a son of the Landgrave Adolph of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1743-1803) from his marriage to Louise (1752-1805 ), the daughter of the Duke Anton Ulrich of Saxe-Meiningen. In 1803, he succeeded his father as Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld.

In 1806, Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld was annexed by the Kingdom of Westphalia. After Napoleon had been defeated in the Battle of Leipzig, Charles was restored as Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld under the supremacy of the Electorate of Hesse.

Charles served in the Prussian and later joined the Russian army. He fought on the Russian side in the Napoleonic wars, in particular in the Battle of Borodino. After he retired from the Russian military service, he joined the Hessain army, where he was promoted to lieutenant general in 1836.

He later lived at Augustenau Castle in Herleshausen.

Charles first married on 19 Jul 1816, in Öhringen, to Auguste (1793-1821), the daughter of Prince Frederick Louis of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, with whom he had the following children:

• Bertha (1818-1888), married in 1839 Prince Louis of Bentheim and Steinfurt (1812-1890)
• Emily (1821-1836)

He married his second wife on 10 September 1823 in Steinfurt. She was Sophie (1794-1873), the daughter of Prince Louis William Geldricus Ernest of Bentheim and Steinfurt, with whom he had the following children:

• Victor (1824-1846)
• Alexander (1826-1841)
• Alexis (1829-1905), Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld

married in 1854 to Princess Louise of Prussia (1829-1901), divorced in 1861

• William (1831-1890), married:
  1. in 1857 morganatically to Princess Maria of Hanau and Hořowitz (1839-1917), divorced in 1872
  2. in 1873 to Princess Juliane of Bentheim and Steinfurt (1842-1878), had issue including Chlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld
  3. in 1879 to Princess Adelheid of Bentheim and Steinfurt (1840-1880)
  4. in 1884 to Princess Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1844-1932), they were the parents of Prince Christian of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld

• Johann Samuel Ersch (ed.): Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste in alphabetischer ..., p. 297