The House of Württemberg is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

dynasty and former royal family from

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

History

County

The House probably originated in the vicinity of the

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the l ...

. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called "Wirtemberg", settled in the

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

area. Conrad of Württemberg became heir to the House of Beutelsbach and built the

Wirtemberg Castle Wirtemberg Castle, a ruined hilltop castle, is the second family seat of the House of Württemberg, whose ancestors had abandoned Beutelsbach Castle (also known as "Kappelberg Castle"). Built on the eponymous Württemberg mountain in a spur of t ...

. Around 1089, he was made Count. Their domains, initially only the immediate surroundings of the castle included, increased steadily, mainly through acquisitions such as those from impoverished homes of

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in three ...

Duchy

At the

Diet of Worms in 1495 At the Diet of Worms (german: Reichstag zu Worms) in 1495, the foundation stone was laid for a comprehensive reform (''Reichsreform'') of the Holy Roman Empire. Even though several elements of the reforms agreed by the Imperial Diet (''Reichstag'' ...

, Count Eberhard V was raised to Duke (''

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

'') by the

German King This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Emp ...

, later Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. During 1534 to 1537 Duke Ulrich introduced the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

, and the country became Protestant. Duke Ulrich became head of the local Protestant Church. In the 18th Century, the Protestant male line became extinct, the Head of the House was succeeded by Duke Charles Alexander a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. Despite having a Catholic royal family, Protestantism survived as the established church, run by a church council composed by members of the nobility of Württemberg. From 1797, with the accession of Duke Frederick II, the royal family was again Protestant. File:11Wiege Württemberg.jpg,

File:Altes Schloss S - vm01.jpg,

Old Castle (Stuttgart) , native_name_lang = de , image = AltesSchlossStuttgart.JPG , image_size = , image_alt = From Schlossplatz , image_caption = From Schlossplatz , map_type = Baden-Württemberg#Germany , map_alt = Location in Baden-Württemberg , map_captio ...

File:Neues Schloss mit Schlossplatz.jpg,

New Palace (Stuttgart) The New Palace (german: Neues Schloss) is an 18th-century Baroque palace in Stuttgart and is one of the last large city palaces built in Southern Germany. The palace is located in the on the Schlossplatz in front of the Jubiläumssäule colu ...

File:Ludwigsburg, November 2006, 42.jpg,

Ludwigsburg Palace Ludwigsburg Palace, nicknamed the "Versailles of Swabia", is a 452-room palace complex of 18 buildings located in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its total area, including the gardens, is the largest palatial estate in the country. T ...

Kingdom

Due to the political upheavals during the reign of

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, and being an ally of Napoleon, Württemberg became a part of the

Confederation of the Rhine The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria an ...

, Duke Frederick II was made Elector in May 1803, he collected and received secularized and mediated dominions, which greatly enlarged his country in territorial extension. In January 1806 he was made

King of Württemberg King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

. In 1828 King William I adopted a new house law, the rights and obligations of the ruling family have been established, including the exclusive primogeniture in the male line as well as marriage restrictions on coequal level. In 1867 the House created the Royal Dukedom of Urach for a younger cousin, Prince Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach, whose parents had married morganatically in 1800, whereby their sons were excluded from ruling the kingdom. In 1871 the Royal Dukedom of Teck was created for the same dynastic reason for Francis, Duke of Teck. At the end of World War I during the German Revolution all the monarchies in Germany were abolished, King William II abdicated on 30 November 1918. When former King William II died in 1921 the senior branch line of the House of Württemberg became extinct, the headship of the House passed to a distant relative,

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg Albrecht, Duke and Crown Prince of Württemberg (Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph; 23 December 1865 – 31 October 1939) was the last Württemberger crown prince, a German military commander of the First World War, and the head of the House ...

Dynasty

The line of succession of the house of Württemberg has continued to the present, although the house no longer plays any political role. For later rulers, see List of Ministers-President of Württemberg. Heads of the House of Württemberg since 1918 * King William II, 1918–1921. * Duke Albrecht, 1921–1939. * Duke Philipp, 1939–1975. * Duke Carl, 1975–2022 * Duke Wilhelm, 2022–present The former royal family still owns the castles

Monrepos Mon Repos or Monrepos (French for "my place of rest") may refer to: Places * Mon Repos, Queensland, Australia ** Mon Repos Conservation Park, a turtle rookery at Mon Repos * Mon Repos, Saint Lucia, a village on the island of Saint Lucia * Mon Re ...

, Altshausen and

Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...

. File:Schloss Monrepos 1.jpg,

, Ludwigsburg File:Altshausen Schloss Alter Bau 2005.jpg, Altshausen Palace File:Friedrichshafen Schloss.jpg,

Castle

Rulers

Branches

All branches descend from

Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756). He was born in Stut ...

(1732–1797). Succession is on the basis of

Agnatic primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

Descent from father to eldest male son, excluding female and illegitimate descendants *The first branch descends from

Frederick I of Württemberg , image = Seele-Friedrich I..jpg , caption = Portrait by Johann Baptist Seele , birth_date = , birth_place = Treptow an der Rega, Prussia (now Trzebiatów, Poland) , death_date = , death_place = Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württe ...

. This branch became extinct at the death of

William II of Württemberg , spouse = , issue = Pauline, Princess of WiedPrince Ulrich , house = Württemberg , father = Prince Frederick of Württemberg , mother = Princess Catherine of Württemberg , birth_date = , birth_place = St ...

in 1921. *The second branch descends from

Duke Louis of Württemberg Duke Ludwig Friedrich Alexander of Württemberg (; 30 August 1756, in Treptow an der Rega20 September 1817, in Kirchheim unter Teck) was the second son of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1732–1797) and Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Br ...

, and belonged to the

Teck Teck may refer to: * Teck Castle (Burg Teck) in Württemberg, Germany * Teckberg, mountain on which it is located * Duke of Teck, a title of nobility, associated with Teck Castle * Teck Railway, Germany * Teck Resources, a Canadian mining company ...

family. This branch became extinct at the death of

George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge George Francis Hugh Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge, (11 October 1895 – 16 April 1981), known as Prince George of Teck until 1917 and as Earl of Eltham from 1917 to 1927, was a relative of the British royal family, a great-great-grand ...

in 1981. It was not considered dynastic due to the

morganatic marriage Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

of Duke Alexander of Württemberg to

Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde Countess Claudine Susanna Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde (; 21 September 18121 October 1841) was the Hungarian wife of Duke Alexander of Württemberg. Her son, Francis, Duke of Teck, was the father of Mary of Teck, queen consort to George V of the Unit ...

. A cognatic descendant from this branch was

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. *The third branch " Carlsruhe" descends from Duke Eugen of Württemberg. This branch became extinct at the death of Duke Nicholas of Württemberg in 1903. *The fourth branch descends from

Duke William Frederick Philip of Württemberg Duke William Frederick Philip of Württemberg (27 December 1761, in Stettin – 10 August 1830, in Schloss von Stetten im Remstal) was a prince of the House of Württemberg and a minister for war. Early life William was the fourth son of Frede ...

, and belongs to the Urach family. This branch is extant, but as the Teck branch, it is not considered dynastic because of the morganatic marriage of Duke William Frederick Philip to Baroness Wilhelmine von Tunderfedt-Rhodes in 1800. The first Duke was created a "Serene Highness" in the 1860s. The current head of this branch is Wilhelm Albert, Duke of Urach. *The fifth " Altshausen" branch descends from Duke Alexander of Württemberg. The current pretender to the throne of Württemberg, Wilhelm, Duke of Württemberg belongs to this branch. Through the marriages of its female members, many royal families, descend from any of the Württemberg branches. Royal houses include:

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Wied-Neuwied Wied-Neuwied was a German statelet in northeastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located northeast of the Rhine River flanking the northern side of the city of Neuwied. Wied-Neuwied emerged from the partitioning of Wied. Its status was elevated ...

, etc.

Notes and sources

* Robert Uhland (Hrsg.): ''900 Jahre Haus Württemberg. Leben und Leistung für Land und Volk.'' Stuttgart 1984, * Gerhard Raff: ''Hie gut Wirtemberg allewege I. Das Haus Württemberg von Graf Ulrich dem Stifter bis Herzog Ludwig''. Mit einer Einleitung von Hansmartin Decker-Hauff. Stuttgart 1988, * Gerhard Raff: ''Hie gut Wirtemberg allewege II. Das Haus Württemberg von Herzog Friedrich I. bis Herzog Friedrich III. Mit den Linien Stuttgart, Mömpelgard, Weiltingen, Neuenbürg, Neuenstadt am Kocher und Oels in Schlesien''. Degerloch 1993, * Gerhard Raff: ''Hie gut Wirtemberg allewege III. Das Haus Württemberg von Herzog Wilhelm Ludwig bis Herzog Friedrich Karl. Mit den Linien Stuttgart, Winnental, Neuenstadt am Kocher, Neuenbürg, Mömpelgard und Oels, Bernstadt und Juliusburg in Schlesien und Weiltingen''. Degerloch 2002, * Sönke Lorenz, Dieter Mertens, Volker Press (Hrsg.): ''Das Haus Württemberg. Ein biographisches Lexikon.''

Kohlhammer Verlag W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart. History Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-l ...

, Stuttgart 1997, * Harald Schukraft: ''Kleine Geschichte des Hauses Württemberg.'' Tübingen 2006, * Sabine Thomsen: ''Goldene Bräute. Württembergische Prinzessinnen auf europäischen Thronen'', Silberberg Verlag, Tübingen 2010

References

External links

Hofkammer des Hauses Württemberg
(in German) , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Wurttemberg * Wurttemberg Wurttemberg Wurttemberg 1081 establishments in Europe 1080s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire