House of Hohenzollern
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The House of Hohenzollern is a family dynasty of electors, kings, and emperors of Prussia, Germany, and Romania.
It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near the forementioned town.
The family uses the motto Nihil sine Deo ("nothing without God"). The family coat of arms, first adopted in 1192, began as a simple shield with four silver and black quarters in the form of a saltire. The head and shoulders of a hound were added in 1317 by Frederick IV.[1] Later quartering incorporated other branches of the family.
The family split into three 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 the Duchy of 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.
Social unrest at the end of World War I led to the German Revolution in 1918, with the subsequent formation of the Weimar Republic causing the Hohenzollerns to abdicate, and thus bring an end to the German monarchy. The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 set the terms for the dismantling of the German Empire.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] Swabian branch
Ruling the minor German principalities of Hechingen and Sigmaringen, this branch of the family decided to remain Roman 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.
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 Franz Ferdinand of the House of Habsburg). However, a member of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, Karl Eitel, second son of Prince Karl Anton, was chosen to become Prince of Romania as Carol I in 1866. In 1881 Carol became the first King of Romania. Carol's older brother, Leopold, was offered the Spanish throne after a revolt removed Queen Isabella 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.
Carol I had no children of his own, so Leopold's younger son Ferdinand would succeed his uncle as King of Romania 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 Wilhelm continue to use the titles of Prince or Princess of Hohenzollern.
[edit] 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 Margravates of Ansbach in 1331 and Kulmbach in 1340. However, the awarding of Brandenburg in 1417 and the inheritance of the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 was to eventually 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 territorial benefits.
[edit] Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach
[edit] Margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
There were also Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Brandenburg-Küstrin, Brandenburg-Ansbach-Bayreuth and many more.
[edit] Dukes of Prussia
- Albert (1525–1568)
- Albert Frederick (1568–1618)
- Joachim II Hector Co-Inheritor (1568–1571)
- George Frederick (Regent, 1578–1603)
- Joachim Frederick (Regent, 1603–1608)
- John Sigismund (1618–1619; Regent, 1608–1618)
- George William (1619–1640)
- Friedrich Wilhelm I (1640–1688)
- Frederick III (1688–1701), later King Frederick I
[edit] Kings of Prussia
- Frederick I (1701–1713), formerly Elector Frederick III
- Frederick William I (1713–1740)
- Frederick II "Frederick the Great" (1740–1786)
- Frederick William II (1786–1797)
- Frederick William III (1797–1840)
- Frederick William IV (1840–1861)
- William I (1861–1888)
- Frederick III (1888)
- William II (1888–1918)
[edit] German Emperors
- William I (1871–1888)
- Frederick III (1888)
- William II (1888–1918)
The Hohenzollern family continues to exist, and since the death of William II the scions have been:
- Wilhelm, German Crown Prince (1941–1951)
- Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (1951–1994)
- Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia (1994– )
see Line of succession to the German throne
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.
[edit] Kings of Romania
- Carol I (Charles I) (1881–1914; Prince 1866–1881)
- Ferdinand (1914–1927)
- Michael I (1927–1930 and 1940–1947)
- Carol II (Charles II) (1930–1940)
see: Line of succession to the Romanian throne
