Eitel Friedrich II, Count of Hohenzollern

Eitel Friedrich II, Count of Hohenzollern

Eitel Friedrich II, Count of Hohenzollern
Spouse(s) Magdalena of Brandenburg
Noble family House of Hohenzollern
Father Jobst Nikolaus I, Count of Hohenzollern
Mother Agnes of Werdenberg-Heiligenberg
Born c. 1452
Died 18 June 1512
Trier
Buried Collegiate Church in Hechingen

Eitel Friedrich II, Count of Hohenzollern (c. 1452 – 18 June 1512 in Trier) was a count of Hohenzollern and belonged to the Swabian line of the House of Hohenzollern. He was the first president of the Reichskammergericht. As a close friend of the Archduke and later Emperor Maximilian I, he gained great influence in the imperial politics. He managed to consolidate and expand his own territory.

Relationship with the Franconian line

Eitel Friedrich II was the son and heir of Count Jobst Nikolaus I (1433–1488). He continued his father's policy of good relationships with the Franconian line of the House of Hohenzollern, who ruled the Burgraviate of Nuremberg and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. During his father's reign, he spent several years at the court of Elector Albrecht Achilles. From 1481, he served as captain of the Lordship of Krosno Odrzańskie, east of the Oder. In 1483, he became a Councillor in Brandenburg. Later, he served as governor of Kottbus and Züllichau.

In 1482 in Berlin, he married Magdalena, the daughter of Margrave Friedrich of the Altmark, thus creating a family relationship between the two lines of Hohenzollern. Elector Albrecht Achilles, who held some possessions in Swabia himself, protected his Swabian relatives against the powerful Counts of Württemberg, who had formed a threat to the Swabian Hohenzollerns for a long time.

Relationship with the House of Habsburg

Eitel Friedrich II was a close friend of Maximilian I and maintained excellent relations with the House of Habsburg. This gained great influence on imperial politics. He provided diplomatic services for Maximilian and fought for him in the Netherlands. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Guinegate in 1479 and in 1488, he led the vanguard against rebellious citizens of Bruges, who held the newly elected Emperor captive.

Eitel Friedrich had served Maximilan as judge and when the Reichskammergericht was established in 1495, Eitel Friedrich was its first president. In 1497 or 1498, he was appointed as Councillor in Austria. In 1499, Eitel Friedrich and Dietrich Blumeneck led a small army against Switzerland and conquered Rorschach on the south bank of Lake Constance. In 1500, he occupied the County of Gorizia for Austria. In 1501, he was awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece.

On 12 September 1504, during the Landshut War of Succession, the fought at Regensburg against Bohemia and the Palatinate. He commanded the right wing of the cavalry and contributed significantly to the victory.

Legacy

Tombstone of Eitel Friedrich II and his wife in the Collegiate Church in Hechingen

In 1505 Eitel Friedrich II founded the Collegiate Church in Hechingen, where a tombstone for him and his wife can be seen.

Issue

The following children were born from the marriage of Eitel Friedrich and Magdalena of Brandenburg:

References

External links

Eitel Friedrich II, Count of Hohenzollern
Born: c. 1452 Died: 18 June 1512
Preceded by
Jobst Nikolaus I		 Count of Hohenzollern
1488–1512 		Succeeded by
Eitel Friedrich III