House of Urach

House of Urach
Country	Germany and Lithuania.
Parent house	House of Württemberg
Titles	King of Lithuania Prince of Urach Duke of Urach Count of Württemberg
Founded	1867–Wilhelm, Duke of Urach, younger brother of King Frederick I of Württemberg. Roots: 1024 (as Württemberg).
Final ruler	Lithuania Mindaugas II (1815)

The House of Urach is a branch of the House of Württemberg founded in 1867.^[1] The House of Württemberg and the House of Urach are both an European Royal Families and German Dynasties from Württemberg (Germany) and has existed for almost a thousand years. The House of Urach is a part of the House of Württemberg, but the House of Württemberg is not a part of the House of Urach. The House of Urach never reigned in the Kingdom of Württemberg, but from July 11, 1918 to November 2, 1918 they reigned in the Kingdom of Lithuania (former Grand Duchy of Lithuania).

Origins

The House of Württemberg (predecessor of the House of Urach) probably has its origins, according to recent research, in the vicinity of the Salian Dynasty, a Dynasty in the High Middle Ages of four German Kings (1024-1125), also known as the Frankish Dynasty after the family’s origin as Dukes of Franconia.

Around 1080, the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called “Wirtemberg”, settled in the Stuttgart area. Conrad of Württemberg became heir to the House of Beutelsbach and built Württemberg (then Wirtemberg) Castle. Around 1089, he was made Count of Württemberg by the Holy Roman Empire (First Reich). Their domains were initially only the immediate surroundings of their castle, but these increased steadily, mainly through acquisitions such as those from impoverished homes of Tübingen.

At the Diet of Worms in 1495, Count Eberhard V was elevated to Duke (Herzog) of Württemberg by the German King (later the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I), thus establishing the Duchy of Württemberg (with treatment of Prince to the Duke).^[2]

Between 1534 and 1537 Duke Ulrich of Württemberg introduced the Protestant Reformation, and the Duchy became Protestant with Duke Ulrich as Head of the local Protestant Church. In the 18th Century, the Protestant male line died out, and Duke Charles Alexander, a Roman Catholic ruler, succeeded the Head of the House. Despite having a Catholic Royal Family, Protestantism survived as the established religion, run by a church council composed of members of the nobility of Württemberg. From 1797, with the accession of Duke Frederick II, the Royal Family was once again Protestant.

The new Duchy of Württemberg was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495, the year of its founding, until 1806. The survival of the dukedom for nearly four centuries was mainly due to its size – being larger than its immediate neighbours. During the Protestant Reformation, the Duchy of Württemberg was under great pressure from the Holy Roman Empire to remain a member.

During the 17th and 18th centuries the Duchy of Württemberg resisted repeated French invasions. The Duchy was directly in the path of French and Austrian armies who were engaged in hostilities between the House of Bourbon and the House of Habsburg for a long period.^[3] In 1803, Napoleon elevated the Duchy to the status of Electorate of Württemberg (part of the Holy Roman Empire), and when he abolished the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, due to the political upheavals during his reign, the Duchy of Württemberg, being an ally of Napoleon, was elevated to the status of Kingdom of Württemberg.

The Kingdom of Württemberg survived until 1918 as part of the Confederation of the Rhine, and was ruled by four Kings: 1. – Frederick Wilhelm Karl von Württemberg (1806–1816), 2. – Wilhelm Friederich Karl von Württemberg (1816–1864), 3. – Karl Friedrich Alexander König von Württemberg (1864–1891), and 4. – Wilhelm Karl Paul Heinrich Friedrich (1891–1918).

In 1828, King Wilhelm Friederich Karl von Württemberg adopted a new House (family) law, and the rights and obligations of the ruler of the family were established, including exclusive primogeniture in the male line as well as marriage restrictions on coequal level.

In 1828, Wilhelm Friedrich Herzog von Württemberg abdicated as heir of the throne of the Kingdom of Württemberg thanks to his morganatic marriage in 1801 with Wilhelmine Baronin von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis, daughter of Karl August von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis, a new Baron.^[4]

In 1867, the House of Württemberg created the Royal Duchy of Urach for a younger cousin, Prince Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach. This was because Prince Wilhelm’s parents were married morganatically in 1801, and this meant that their sons were excluded from ruling the Kingdom. So King Wilhelm Friederich Karl von Württemberg created the Royal Duchy of Urach because Bad Urach was a very important town in the Kingdom of Württemberg, and had important historical connections with the family. So it could be said that the House of Urach was born as a new House in 1867, established from a morganatic branch of the House of Württemberg.

The new House created its own House law, establishing that the Head of the House must be firstborn in the male line, have more than 32 direct noble ancestors and have no morganatic marriage with a commoner, or with a noblewoman with less than 32 direct noble ancestors. The new Royal House had the “status” of Royal Family, but could not reign in the Kingdom of Württemberg.^[5]

Lithuania

However, despite not being able to reign in Germany, in 1918 the House of Urach was invited to rule another country – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later know as the Kingdom of Lithuania. On June 4, 1918, the Council of Lithuania voted to offer the Lithuanian throne to the German noble Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of Urach. He was elected on July 11, 1918 and he accepted taking the name of Mindaugas II, King of Lithuania.^[6]

The Kingdom of Lithuania was a short-lived constitutional monarchy created towards the end of World War I when Lithuania was part of the German Empire. The Council of Lithuania declared Lithuania’s independence on February 16, 1918, but the Council was unable to form a government, police, or other state institutions due to the continued presence of German troops.

The Germans presented various proposals to incorporate Lithuania into the German Empire, because Lithuania was the predecessor of the State of Prussia, the precursor State of the German Empire. The Lithuanians resisted this idea and hoped to preserve their independence by creating a separate constitutional monarchy, so they invited H.R.H. Prince Wilhem von Urach to become King of Lithuania.

The reign of Mindaugas II was accepted by the Catholic Church and by several European countries as is seen in the letter from Pope Benedict XV welcoming Wilhelm’s selection as the future King of Lithuania, as well as different “noble registers” such as the Almanac of Gotha.

Although his reign was very short, H.M. King Mindaugas II was the last King of Lithuania, and if the monarchy is restored his heir would be the only legitimate King of Lithuania according to all monarchical laws.

Rules of succession (Lithuania)

According to the rules of the old House of Urach and to the requirements imposed by Council of Lithuania in 1918, the Head of the House of Urach and of Lithuanian monarchy must: Be first born in the male line, have more than 32 direct noble ancestors, not have a morganatic marriage with a commoner or a noblewoman with less than 32 direct noble ancestors, must have a military rank, must be able to learn Lithuanian language and must be able to live in Lithuania.

Nobility titles of the House of Urach

Since the establishment of the House of Urach with the Duchy of Urach, the duke has always been addressed as: Herzog von Urach; his wife as Herzogin; his sons as Fürst (Prince) von Urach; all male members of the family as Graf (Count) von Württemberg; female members as: Fürstin von Urach and Gräfin von Württemberg. Throughout their history the House of Urach held the titles of:

• King of Lithuania.
• Prince of Urach.
• Duke of Urach.
• Count of Württemberg.

Throughout their history the House of Württemberg held the titles of:

• King of Württemberg.
• Prince of Württemberg.
• Duke of Württemberg.
• Count of Württemberg.
• Elector of Württemberg.
• Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.

Today

The House of Urach is the claimant to the throne of the former Kingdom of Lithuania. Its head in Lithuania is H.S.H. Prince Inigo von Urach, Prince of Urach and Count of Württemberg, who is the legitimate pretender to the throne of Lithuania ^[7] because he is the only of his brothers who meets all the requirements to become King of Lithuania (House of Urach rules + Council of Lithuania rules). Through the marriages of its female members, both Houses (Urach and Württemberg) are related to many European Royal Families: Bourbon, Liechtenstein, Orléans, Windsor, Wied-Neuwied, etc, so H.S.H. Prince Inigo von Urach is connected to Albanian, Bavarian, British, Liechtensteiner, Luxembourgish, Monegasque, Portuguese and Russian Royal Families by birth.

Ancestors of the House of Urach (Lithuania)

References