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Hohenzollern

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de Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, of Brandenburg and 16 others
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The purpose of this project is to display a list of all ruling members of the house of Hohenzollern.

Region of Zollern, Nuremberg, Ansbach, Kulmbach and Bayreuth, (Franconia and Bavaria, Germany)

Counts of Zollern - 1061

Burgraves of Nuremberg 1105-1440

  • Frederick I/III 1192-1200 (also count of Zollern)
  • Frederick II/IV 1204-1218 (son of Frederick I/III, also count of Zollern)
  • Conrad I/III 1218-1261/1262 (son of FredrickI/III, also count of Zollern)
  • Frederick III 1262-1297 (son of Conrad)
  • John I(Johann I) 1297-1300 (son of Frederick III)
  • Frederick IV 1300-1332 (son of Frederick III)
  • John II 1332-1357 (son of Frederick III)
  • Frederick V 1357-1398 (son of John II) At Frederick V's death on 21 January 1398, his lands were partitioned between his two sons:'
  • John III/I 1398-1420 (son of Frederick V, also Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach)
  • Frederick VI/I 1420-1427, (son of Frederick V, also Elector of Brandenburg and Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach) After John III/I's death on 11 June 1420, the two principalities were briefly reunited under Frederick VI/I From 1412 Frederick VI became Margrave of Brandenburg as Frederick I and Elector of Brandenburg as Frederick I. From 1420, he became Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. Upon his death on 21 September 1440, his territories were divided between his sons:
  • John II (The Alcemist) , Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
  • Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Albert III, Elector of Brandenburg and Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach From 1427 onwards the title of Burgrave of Nuremberg was absorbed into the titles of Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.

Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1398–1791)

Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1398-1604), later Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1604–1791)

Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg (1417–1806)

Dukes of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf 1523-1622

The Duchy of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf was purchased in 1523.

  • George I/I the Pious 1541-1543 (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach)
  • George Frederick I/I/I/I 1543-1603 (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Regent of Prussia)
  • Joachim I/I/III 1603-1606 (also Regent of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg)
  • Johann Georg 1606-1621 The duchy of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf was confiscated by Ferdinand III of the Holy Roman Empire in 1622.

Margraves of Brandenburg-Küstrin (1535–1571)

The short-lived Margraviate of Brandenburg-Küstrin was set up, against the Hohenzollern house laws on succession, as a secundogenitur fief of the House of Hohenzollern, a typical German institution.

  • Johan the Wise 1535-1571 (son of Joachim I Nestor) He died without issue. The Margraviate of Brandenburg-Küstrin was absorbed in 1571 into the Margraviate and Electorate of Brandenburg.

Margraves of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1688–1788)

From 1688 onwards the Margraves of Brandenburg-Schwedt were a side branch of the House of Hohenzollern. Though recognised as a branch of the main dynasty the Margraviate of Brandenburg-Schwedt never constituted a principality with allodial rights of its own.

Dukes of Prussia (1525–1701)

In 1525 the Duchy of Prussia was established as a fief of the King of Poland.

Kings in Prussia (1701–1772)

In 1701 the title of King in Prussia was granted, without the Duchy of Prussia being elevated to a Kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire. From 1701 onwards the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title of King in Prussia.

Kings of Prussia (1772–1918)

In 1772 the title of King of Prussia was granted with the establishment of the Kingdom of Prussia. From 1772 onwards the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title of King of Prussia

German Kings and Emperors (1871–1918)

In 1871 the German empire was proclaimed. With the accession of Wilhelm I to the newly-established imperial German throne, the titles of King of Prussia, Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title of German Emperor.

Line of Succession (1918 to Present)

Prince Georg Friedrich head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern
Despite the abolition of the German monarchy in 1918, the House of Hohenzollern never relinquished their claims to the thrones of Prussia and the German Empire. These claims are linked by the Constitution of the second German Empire: according to this, whoever was King of Prussia was also German Emperor. However, these claims are not recognised by the Federal Republic of Germany.

Swabian senior branch

The senior Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern was founded by Frederick II, Burgrave of Nuremberg.
Ruling the minor German principalities of Hechingen, Sigmaringen and Haigerloch, this branch of the family decided to remain Roman Catholic and from 1567 onwards split into the Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern-Haigerloch branches. When the last count of Hohenzollern, Charles I of Hohenzollern (1512–1579) died, the territory was to be divided up between his three sons:

  • Eitel Frederick I of Hohenaollern Hechingen 1545–1605
  • Charles II of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 1547–1606
  • Christoph of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch 1552–1592 They never expanded from these three Swabian principalities, which was one of the reasons they became relatively unimportant in German history for much of their existence. However, they kept royal lineage and married members of the great royal European houses. In 1767 the principality of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch was incorporated in the other two principalities. In 1850, the princes of both Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen abdicated their thrones, and their principalities were incorporated as the Prussian province of Hohenzollern. The last ruling Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Karl Anton, would later serve as Minister-President of Prussia between 1858 and 1862. The Hohenzollern-Hechingen finally became extinct in 1869. A descendent of this branch was Sophie Chotek, wife of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Este. 'However, a member of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, Charles Eitel, second son of prince Karl Anton, was chosen to become prince of Romania as Charles I in 1866. In 1881 Charles I became the first king of the Romanians. Charles' older brother, Leopold, was offered the Spanish throne after a revolt removed queen Isabella II in 1870. Although encouraged by Bismarck to accept it, Leopold backed down once France's Emperor, Napoleon III, stated his objection. Despite this, France still declared war, beginning the Franco-Prussian war. Charles I had only a daughter who died very young, so Leopold's younger son Ferdinand I would succeed his uncle as king of the Romanians in 1906, and his descendants continued to rule in Romania until the end of the monarchy in 1947. Today this branch is represented only by the last king, Michael, and his daughters. The descendants of Leopold's oldest son William continue to use the titles of prince or princess of Hohenzollern.

Counts of Hohenzollern (1204–1575)

In 1204, the County of Hohenzollern was established out of the fusion of the County of Zollern and the Burgraviate of Nuremberg.

Counts of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch (1567–1630 and 1681–1767)

The County of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch was established in 1567 without allodial rights.

Counts, later Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1576–1623–1850)

The County of Hohenzollern-Hechingen was established in 1576 with allodial rights.

History of the County In Deutsch

Counts/Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1576–1623–1849)

The County of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was established in 1576 with allodial rights and a seat at Sigmaringen Castle.

Following cession of their sovereignty over the principality to their kinsmen the Kings of Prussia in 1849, the heirs of Karl Anton continued to bear the same title, "Prince (Fürst) of Hohenzollern":

Kings of the Romanians (1866–1947)

The Principality of Romania was established in 1862, after the Ottoman vassal states of Wallachia and Moldavia had been united in 1859 under Alexandru Ioan Cuza as Prince of Romania in a personal union.
He was deposed in 1866 by the Romanian parliament which then invited a German prince of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, Charles, to become the new Prince of Romania. In 1881 the Principality of Romania was proclaimed a Kingdom.

Succession (1947 until today)

King Michael has retained his claim on the Romanian throne. At present, the claim is not recognised by Romania, a republic. At 10th May 2011, King Michael severed all of the dynastic and historical ties between the House of Romania and the House of Hohenzollern.

House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

The princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen never relinquished their claims to the princely throne of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen or the royal throne of Romania. Because the last reigning king of the Romanians, Michael I, has no male issue, upon his death the claim will devolve to the head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (or to the king's female line descendants, if one follows the amended Romanian house laws).

References

  • Romanticism and Revolt: Europe 1815-1848 by J. L. Talmon. History of European Civilization Library, General Editor: Geoffrey Barraclough. Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., c. 1967. Reprinted 1970.
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