Löwenstein-Wertheim
Löwenstein-Wertheim was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, part of the Franconian Circle. It was formed from the counties of Löwenstein (based in the town Löwenstein) and Wertheim (based in the town Wertheim am Main).
The county of Löwenstein belonged to a branch of the family of the counts of Calw before 1281, when it was purchased by the German king Rudolph I of Habsburg, who presented it to his natural son Albert. In 1441 Henry, one of Albert's descendants, sold it to the Frederick I, Count Palatine of the Rhine, and later it served as a portion for Louis (d. 1524), a son of the elector by a morganatic marriage, who became a count of the Empire in 1494. The county was disbanded in 1806. The Löwenstein-Wertheim family is a morganatic branch of the House of Wittelsbach. The current monarchs of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein, as well as the pretenders to the thrones of Portugal, Italy (Naples branch), Bavaria, and Austria–Hungary are descended (not in the male line) from the Rosenberg branch. Rupert zu Löwenstein, a financier to the Rolling Stones, is a member of the Freudenberg branch.
Rulers of Löwenstein
Counts of Löwenstein (1494–1571)
- Louis I, Count of Löwenstein 1494–1524.
- Louis II, Count of Löwenstein 1524–1536. Eldest son of predecessor.
- Frederick I, Count of Löwenstein 1536–1541. Younger brother of predecessor.
- Wolfgang I, Count of Löwenstein 1541–1571. Son of predecessor.
Counts of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck (1571–1633)
- Wolfgang II, Count of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck 1571–1596. Eldest son of Wolfgang I.
- George Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck 1596–1633. Eldest son of predecessor.
George Louis survived his only son. His daughter and heiress Maria Christina of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck (1625–1673) married Gabriel Oxenstierna, Count of Korsholm and Vaasa (1619–1673). The further Counts of Korsholm and Vaasa were their descendants.
Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1571–1636)
- Louis IV, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1611–1635. Second son of predecessor, co-heir with his brothers. Succeeded by his brothers.
- Wolfgang Ernest, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1611–1636. Third son of predecessor, co-heir with his brothers. Succeeded by his brothers.
Louis IV has no known descendants. Wolfgang Ernest only had one daughter, Dorothea Walpurga of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1628–1634) who predeceased him. Their lines were extinct with their own deaths.
Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg (1611–1812)
- Christopher Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1611–1618. Eldest son of Louis III, co-heir with his brothers. Became ruler of Virneburg through marriage with its heiress.
- Frederick Louis , Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1618–1657. Eldest son of predecessor.
- Louis Ernest, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1657–1681. Eldest son of predecessor.
- Joachim Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1681–1689. Eldest son of predecessor.
- Eucharius Kasimir, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1689–1698. Younger brother of predecessor.
- Henry Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1698–1721. Paternal first cousin of predecessor.
- John Louis Vollrath, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1721–1790. Eldest son of predecessor.
- John Karl Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1790–1812. Title changed to Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.
Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1611–1712)
- Maximilian Karl Albert, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1672–1712
Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1712–1803)
- Karl Thomas, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1735–1789. Eldest son of predecessor.
Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (1803–present)
- Dominick Constantine, 4th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1803–1814. The last Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort following a change of title.
- Charles Thomas, 5th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1814–1849. Eldest son of predecessor.
- Karl, 8th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1952–1990. Son of predecessor, titular use only.
Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1812–present)
- John Karl Louis, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1812–1816. The last Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg following a change of title.
- George, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1816–1855. Eldest son of predecessor.
- Adolf Karl, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1855–1861. Eldest son of predecessor.
- William, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1861–1887. First cousin of predecessor.
- Ernest Alban Louis, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1887–1918/1931. Eldest son of predecessor. Title effectively abolished with the collapse of the German Empire but titular use continues.
- Udo, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1931–1980. Nephew of predecessor. Titular use only.
- Alfred Ernest, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1980–2010. Eldest son of predecessor.
- Louis Udo Hans Peter Alfred, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 2010–. Eldest son of predecessor, current claimant.
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