Hohenzollern-Hechingen was a small principality in southwestern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. Its rulers belonged to the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty.

History

The County of Hohenzollern-Hechingen was created in 1576, upon the partition of the County of Hohenzollern, a fief of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. When the last count of Hohenzollern, Charles I of Hohenzollern (1512–1579) died, the territory was to be divided up between his three sons: * Eitel Frederick IV of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1545–1605) * Charles II of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1547–1606) * Christopher of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch (1552–1592) Unlike the Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg and Prussia, the Hohenzollerns of southwest Germany remained Roman Catholic. The county was raised to a principality in 1623. The principality joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 and was a member state of the German Confederation between 1815 and 1850. The democratic Revolution of 1848 was relatively successful in Hohenzollern, and on 16 May 1848, the Prince was forced to accept the establishment of a constitution. However, the conflict between monarch and democrats continued, and on 6 August 1849, Hohenzollern was occupied by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n forces. On 7 December 1849, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Konstantin sold the country to his relative, King

Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

. On 12 March 1850, Hohenzollern-Hechingen officially became part of Prussia, and formed together with Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen the Province of Hohenzollern.

Rulers

Coat of Arms of the Principality of Hohenzollern-Hechingen

Counts of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1576–1623)

* Eitel Friedrich IV, Count 1576–1605 (1545–1605), ''eldest surviving son of Karl I of Hohenzollern'' ** Johann Georg, Count 1605–1623 (1577–1623), created Reichsfürst von Hohenzollern-Hechingen 1623

Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1623–1850)

* Johann Georg, 1st Prince Mar 23 – Sep 28 1623 (1577–1623) ** , 2nd Prince 1623–1661 (1601–1661) ** Philipp Christoph Friedrich, 3rd Prince 1661–1671 (1616–1671) *** Friedrich Wilhelm, 4th Prince 1671–1735 (1663–1735) **** Friedrich Ludwig, 5th Prince 1735–1750 (1688–1750) *** '' (1665–1733)'' **** Josef Friedrich Wilhelm, 6th Prince 1750–1798 (1717–1798) **** '' (1720–1765)'' ***** Hermann, 7th Prince 1798–1810 (1751–1810) ****** Frederick, 8th Prince 1810–1838 (1776–1838) ******* Constantine, 9th Prince 1838–1849 (1801–1869), ''sons were without dynastic rights, the Counts of Rothenburg'' :After cession of territory to Prussia, the Prince continued to use his title. :Line became extinct 1869 at Prince Constantine's death, and titles passed to the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen line.

References

{{coord, 48, 21, N, 8, 58, E, type:country, display=title 1850 disestablishments States and territories established in 1576 Hechingen States of the Confederation of the Rhine Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire States of the German Confederation Former states and territories of Baden-Württemberg Swabian Jura Early Modern history of Germany