[Legend of the Galactic Heroes] A summary of Reinhard, the man who unified the galaxy, and his family relationships!

2025.07.29

Reinhard von Lohengramm, the protagonist of the Galactic Empire in "Legend of the Galactic Heroes," achieves the great feat of unifying the galaxy in the story. Known as a genius who always won on the battlefield, Reinhard is surrounded by a variety of characters, including his parents, who are his sea parents, his sister Annerose, and his wife Hildegard. In this article, we'll summarize Reinhard's family relationships and introduce the people who make up his family, so be sure to read to the end.

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What about Reinhard and his family as the new emperor of the Galactic Empire?

Reinhard watching the battlefield
Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Reinhard rose to the ranks of a high-ranking general at a young age, achieving numerous accomplishments and achieving unprecedented success. Born with exceptional talent, he boasted unrivaled strength on the battlefield, earning him the nickname "the genius of unstoppable victory." What kind of people were the parents who gave birth to him, and his sister who inspired him to join the military? We'll summarize Reinhard's family relationships, touching on Hildegard, whom he marries after unifying the galaxy.

Reinhard von Lohengramm's Unprecedented Rise to the Top

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

To discuss Reinhard's family, let's first look at the details of the man himself. How did he join the military? What victories did he achieve on the battlefield and how did he rise to the top? We'll also follow his life and introduce the main story of the man known as Reinhard von Lohengramm. Reinhard spent an intense time before ascending to the throne as emperor, so take a look at the life he led.

Reinhard loved his sister more than anyone else

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Reinhard was born into a lower-class noble family and had an older sister, Annerose, who was five years older than him. It's no exaggeration to say he was practically raised by his sister; he loved her like a mother, and she was everything to him. However, when she turned 10, Annerose was summoned to the emperor's harem, and they were forced to suddenly part ways. From then on, Reinhard developed an intense hatred for the empire, and enrolled in the Imperial Military Academy with the goal of changing the system and, above all, overthrowing the Goldenbaum Dynasty in order to get his sister back.

In the military, he continues to achieve success as a genius and always wins.

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

After graduating from military academy, Reinhard distinguished himself and rose through the ranks at an unprecedented rate thanks to his numerous achievements on the battlefield. The reason behind his promotion was that he displayed a natural talent for battle, and his achievements led his staff officers and commanders to describe Reinhard as a "genius who always wins." At the young age of 20, he was promoted to General of the Field Marshal, and eventually gained real power in the military. He continued to advance through the ranks, and took control of national politics, becoming the de facto ruler of the Galactic Empire.

He married Hilda after founding the Lohengramm Dynasty.

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

After his ally Kircheis was shot and killed, Reinhard fulfilled his promise by conquering and annexing the Phezzan Dominion and the Free Planets Alliance, achieving galactic unification. He then received the imperial throne from the Goldenbaum dynasty, established the new Lohengramm dynasty, and ascended to the throne as Emperor Reinhard I. The year after becoming emperor, he took his chief secretary, Hildegard, as his empress and gave her the title of Archduchess Alex.

Reinhard Passed Away at the Young Age of 25

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Despite achieving galaxy unification, unrest continued in many regions. Even after becoming emperor, Reinhard continued to lead the charge. However, he later fell ill with a rare disease known as Emperor's Disease. Because it was a new and rare disease with no cure, Reinhard passed away just over two years after becoming emperor. The obstacles for this man, known as an undefeated genius, were surprisingly short-lived, and Hildegard subsequently became regent for Archduke Alex, further expanding the Lohengramm dynasty that he had created.

The One and Only Older Sister: Annerose von Grünewald

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Reinhard's older sister, Annerose, is the inspiration behind his quest to unify the galaxy, and can be said to be the origin of the story of "Legend of the Galactic Heroes." Rather than looking after her younger brother Reinhard, she instead raised him in place of their mother, and Reinhard sees her as more than just a brother and sister. Let's take a look at what kind of person Annerose is, and what her life has been like since she separated from Reinhard.

Accepting the Emperor's Mistress at Age 15

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Born as the eldest daughter of a lower-class noble family, Annerose was offered the love of Emperor Frederick IV at the age of 15. As it was essentially an order, she could not disobey, and although Annerose felt sad about her situation, she humbly accepted it and parted ways with her family. It must have been heartbreaking to part with her younger brother Reinhard, but she entrusted him to his best friend, Kircheis, and moved into a mansion by a pond with a linden tree.

After parting ways with their family, they can no longer look forward.

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Reinhard and Kircheis visit Annerose between missions, reminiscing about their childhood memories. For Annerose, seeing her brothers is synonymous with returning to everyday life, to the point where she is unable to move forward in her own life otherwise. Nevertheless, she is always worried about Reinhard, and only begs Kircheis, who is always by her side, to help him. Kircheis, who also has feelings for Annerose, understands her feelings.

Kircheis' death leads to Annerose becoming even more detached from the world

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

While Reinhard was busy trying to recapture the days he spent with Annerose, Annerose was living a life that further removed herself from the world. This was further exacerbated by the news of Kircheis' death, which left Annerose overcome with despair and remorse. She then moved to a mountain lodge and spent her days doing needlework, withdrawing from the world. By this time, she no longer saw Reinhard, and it was at his brother's wedding that they were reunited for the first time in five years.

She became close friends with Reinhard's wife, Hilda.

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Since Kircheis's death, Annerose has lived a secluded life, but Hildegard visits her and they meet for the first time. Hildegard visits to ask for permission to guard the mountain villa, but after persuading Annerose when she refuses, she successfully gets her permission. The two then become close, and she becomes close to Hildegard, who would later become Reinhard's empress. Annerose makes contributions to Hildegard that are uniquely hers, not only supporting her but also continuing to protect her during childbirth, suggesting that they built a special relationship.

Reinhard's Parents

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Reinhard and Annerose's relationship feels more than just family, but not much is known about their parents. Here, we've compiled some details about Reinhard's parents based on a few scenes. Find out how he treated Reinhard and Annerose and what he did for them as a father and mother.

Father: Sebastian von Musel

Source: Legend of the Galactic Heroes © Yoshiki Tanaka / Production IG / Tokuma Shoten

Sebastian, Reinhard and Annerose's father, is depicted as a lower-ranking aristocrat without a title. After losing his wife, Claribel, in an accident, he abandoned his two children and eventually became addicted to alcohol. When Annerose was taken into the emperor's harem, he spent all of the dowry and pension given to her by the empire on alcohol, and eventually suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and collapsed. However, he did not seem to accept that his own daughter had been taken away by the empire, and his statement that "if I can't resist, I'd rather turn it into money" suggests that this was not his intention.

Mother: Claribel von Musel

Reinhard and Annerose's mother, Claribel, died in an accident when they were still young. In the manga, she was allegedly hit by a car driven by an aristocrat, and since the accident happened right in front of the children, it must have been traumatic for the young children. In the film version, he takes the place of the children to save them from a car that has skidded, so either way, this must have been a deep emotional trauma for the two of them.

Hildegard von Mariendorf, Reinhard's Marriage

Hildegard von Mariendorf, commonly known as Hilda, was married to Reinhard, who would later unify the galaxy. She also served as regent after his death, taking part in national politics. She is a person of rare talent, and because the old dynasty was a male-dominated society, her meeting with Reinhard marked a major turning point for her. We will introduce what kind of person Hilda was and how she interacted with Reinhard.

Becomes Kircheis's advisor

After losing his ally Kircheis, Reinhard fell into a state of depression. It was Hilda, who served as his chief secretary at the time, who helped him get back on his feet and became Kircheis' advisor on both political and military strategy. She also continued to support Reinhard in his private life, supporting him from behind the scenes until he achieved galactic unification. Furthermore, during Operation Ragnarok, she used her natural wisdom to save Reinhard from peril, and without her, Reinhard's life would likely have been much shorter.

Becoming Reinhard's Chief Secretary

Reinhard achieved extraordinary success through his military exploits, while Hilda's talent was recognized and she was given important positions. After ascending to the throne, Reinhard appointed Hilda as his chief secretary, and later appointed her as the second Chief of Staff of the Imperial General Headquarters, a series of events that would have been impossible under the old system. All of this was because Reinhard had a clear understanding of Hilda's abilities, to the point that the military men around her had no choice but to acknowledge her talent.

After marriage, she gave birth to Archduke Alex

Eventually, Hilda accepted Reinhard's proposal and married him. This made her the first empress of the Lohengramm dynasty, and she gave birth to Archduke Alex some time later. However, when Hilda gave birth, she went into labor at the same time as the attack by the Earth Cultists, and there is no doubt that both mother and child were in a dangerous situation. However, once the terrorist attack was successfully suppressed, she was rushed to the hospital and gave birth to a baby boy, and both mother and child are now in good health.

After Reinhard's death, she became the Empress Dowager Regent.

Just over two years after Reinhard became emperor, he passed away, leaving many in mourning. However, Hilda acted in accordance with Reinhard's will, first promoting six senior generals to field marshal and giving Mittermeyer the title of chief field marshal. Hilda, who was naturally talented, appointed her young son as the second emperor and herself as empress regent, taking charge of the national affairs of the Lohengramm dynasty. For this reason, Hilda came to be known as the "foster mother of the Lohengramm dynasty," and made a significant contribution to the succession and development of the New Galactic Empire.

Also pay attention to the actions of Reinhard's family members

Reinhard was a gifted genius, but he died at a young age. His sister Annerose was heartbroken, and Empress Hilda was also overcome with a sense of loss. However, Hilda later inherited Reinhard's will and continued the Lohengramm dynasty, and Annerose, who is also on friendly terms with her, supports her. The main characters of "Legend of the Galactic Heroes" are Yang Wen-li and Reinhard, but their exploits are also essential to the story, so if you pay attention to them, you will find a different kind of enjoyment.