House of Hohenzollern

"Hohenzollern" redirects here, see also Province of Hohenzollern.

The House of Hohenzollern is a German dynasty of electors, kings, and emperors of Prussia, Germany, and Romania. The family uses the motto Nihil sine Deo (nothing without God).

The Hohenzollern family originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from the Burg Hohenzollern Castle near the aforementioned town which was their ancestral home.

The family split into two branches, the Catholic Swabian and Protestant Franconian. The Swabian branch ruled the area of Hechingen until their eventual extinction in 1869. The Franconian branch was comparatively more successful. Branches of the Franconian line ascended the throne of Brandenburg in 1415 and of Ducal Prussia in 1525. The union of these two Franconian lines in 1618 allowed the creation of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, the state which led the Unification of Germany and the creation of the German Empire in 1871. The Hohenzollern family abdicated the German throne in 1918.

Origins

The oldest known mentioning of the Hohenzollern dates from 1061. The accepted origin of the counts of Zollern is that they are derived from the Burchardinger dynasty.

Burkhard I (until 1061)
Frederick I (before 1125)
Frederick II (ca. 1142)
Frederick III (before 1171 - ca. 1200), since 1192 also Burgrave of Nuremberg

Count Frederick III was a loyal retainer of Emperors Frederick Barbarossa and Henry VI and ca. 1185 married Sophia of Raabs, the daughter of Burgrave Conrad II of Nuremberg. After the death of Conrad II, who left no male heirs, Frederick III was granted the Burgraviate of Nuremberg in 1192 as Burgrave Frederick I of Nuremberg-Zollern. Since then the family name became to be known as Hohenzollern. After Frederick's death, his sons partitioned the family lands between themselves. The oldest, Conrad III, received the burgraveship of Nuremberg in 1218 from his younger brother, thereby founding the Franconian line of the Hohenzollerns. The younger brother, Frederick IV, founded the Swabian line. The Franconian line later converted to Protestantism, while the Swabian line remained Catholic.

Swabian branch

Ruling the minor German principalities of Hechingen and Sigmaringen, this branch of the family decided to remain Catholic and later split into the Hechingen and Sigmaringen branches. They never expanded from these two 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. The Hohenzollern-Hechingen finally became extinct in 1869 {A desendent of this branch was Archduchess Sophie Chotek wife of ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand of the House of Hapsburg}. However, the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family was chosen to become the Romanian royal family in 1866. Another member of this royal family, Leopold, was offered the Spanish throne after a revolt removed Queen Isabella. 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. Finally, Prince Charles Anthony ceded Sigmaringen to Prussia.

Franconian branch

Beginning in the 14th Century, this branch of the family decided on expansion through marriage and a purchase of lands. The family gradually added to their lands, at first with many small acquisitions, such as the margraviates of Ansbach in 1331 and Kulmbach in 1340. However, the awarding of Brandenburg and the inheritance of Ducal Prussia was to propel the Hohenzollerns from a minor German princely family into one of the most important in Europe. The family were supporters of the Hohenstaufen and the Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire during the 12th to 15th centuries, by which they were rewarded with several territoral benefits.

Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach

Margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth

There were also Margraves of Brandenburg-Culmbach, Brandenburg-Küstrin, Brandenburg-Ansbach-Bayreuth and many more.

Dukes of Prussia

Albert of Prussia (1525–1568)
Albert Frederick (1568–1618)
Joachim II Hector Co-Inheritor (1568–1571)
Georg Friedrich (Regent, 1578–1603)
Joachim Friedrich (Regent, 1603–1608)
Johann Sigismund (1618–1619; Regent, 1608–1618)
Georg Wilhelm (1619–1640)
Friedrich Wilhelm I (1640–1688)
Friedrich III (1688–1701), later King Friedrich I

Kings of Prussia

Friedrich I of Prussia (1701–1713), formerly Friedrich III
Friedrich Wilhelm I (1713–1740)
Friedrich II of Prussia "Frederick the Great" (1740–1786)
Frederick William II of Prussia (1786–1797)
Frederick William III of Prussia (1797–1840)
Frederick William IV of Prussia (1840–1861)
Wilhelm I (1861–1888)
Friedrich III (1888)
Wilhelm II (1888–1918)

German Emperors

Wilhelm I (1871–1888)
Friedrich III (1888)
Wilhelm II (1888–1918)

The Hohenzollern family continues to exist, and since Wilhelm's death the scions have been:

Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (1941–1951)
Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1951–1994)
Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia (1994– )

Another branch of the Hohenzollerns, actually the dynastically senior line, the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringens, were also important landowners in pre-German-Empire Germany, and later were the princes (1866–1881) and kings (1881–1947) of Romania. French opposition to their candidacy for the throne of Spain led to the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) and the founding (January 1871) of the German Empire.

Kings of Romania

Carol I (1881–1914; Prince 1866–1881)
Ferdinand (1914–1927)
Mihai (1927–1930 and 1940–1947)
Carol II (1930–1940)

External link

Official site of the House of Hohenzollern

House of Hohenzollern | Royal families

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