Karl Friedrich (9 January 1724 – 20 December 1785) was a member of the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

and Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Lord of Haigerloch and Wehrstein from 1769 until his death. Born in

Sigmaringen Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle, Schloss Sigmaring ...

, he was the eldest son of

Joseph Friedrich Ernst, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Prince Joseph Ernst Friedrich Karl Anton Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (24 May 1702 in Sigmaringen – 8 December 1769 at Haag Castle, Haigerloch) was the fifth Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. He ruled from 1715 to 1769. Life J ...

and his first wife, Maria Franziska Louise of Oettingen-Spielberg. From the nine children that his father produced in his first and second marriage, only Karl Friedrich and a young full-sister, Maria Johanna (who became a nun) survived to adulthood.

Life

Karl Friedrich was first educated in Sigmaringen and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

. Later, he went to the Universities of

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

and

Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area. Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Ba ...

. He returned to Sigmaringen in 1746 and soon parted on the customary

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

(a kind of educational trip) through

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. During his stay in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

visiting relatives, he met his future wife. On 2 March 1749 at the Kail Castle, Karl Friedrich married with his first-cousin Johanna Josephina Antonia (14 April 1727 – 22 February 1787), a daughter of Count Franz Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Berg. The wedding took place not only for political reasons, but Karl Friedrich had a deep affection for his bride. Johanna was the heiress of the rich Dutch County of Bergh-'s-Heerenberg, and for this they spent more time in their Dutch states than in the Principality of Sigmaringen. Karl Friedrich sided with Empress

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

against

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 e ...

during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

. Until 1763 he served in the cavalry regiment as part of the troops of the Swabian Empire Circle. During the conflict, he mostly fought against

Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Seydlitz (3 February 1721 – 8 November 1773) was a Prussian officer, lieutenant general, and among the greatest of the Prussian cavalry generals. He commanded one of the first Hussar squadrons ...

, leader of the Prussian cavalry. In the Principality of Sigmaringen the military conflict had virtually no repercussions, a fact which favored the development of the local economy. Karl Friedrich was ''Erbkämmerer'' of the Holy Roman Empire and Field Marshal Lieutenant (''Feldmarschall-Leutnant'') of the Swabian Empire Circle. Despite his military activities, he was very enthusiastic for hunting.

Issue

*Friedrich Joseph Fidelis Anton (29 May 1750 – 17 August 1750) *Johann Baptist Friedrich Fidelis (born and died 18 August 1751) *Anton Joachim Georg Franz (12 July 1752 – 1 November 1752) *Fidelis Joseph Anton Franz (11 July 1753 – 6 February 1754) *Marie Franziska Anna Antonia (8 August 1754 – 22 April 1755) *Joachim Adam (15 August 1755 – 22 March 1756) *Joseph Friedrich Fidelis (17 June 1758 – 12 September 1759) *Franz Konrad Maria Fidelis (12 July 1761 – 18 July 1762) * Anton Aloys Meinrad Franz (20 June 1762 – 17 October 1831), Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen *Fidelia Theresia Karoline Creszentia (27 October 1763 - 3 November 1763) * Johanna Franziska Antonia (3 May 1765 – 23 August 1790), married in 1781 to

Frederick III, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg Frederick III, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg (Frederick John Otto Francis Christian Philip; 1744–1794) was the prince of Salm-Kyrburg, Hornes and Overijse, Gemen and Count of Solre-le-Château. He was the eldest son of Philip Joseph, Prince of Salm- ...

*Maria Kreszentia (23 July 1766 – 5 May 1844), created Lady of Holzen on 12 June 1813; married in 1807 to Franz Xaver Fischler, Count of Treuberg

Ancestry

References

Otto Hintze Otto Hintze (August 27, 1861 – April 25, 1940) was a German historian of public administration. He was Professor of Political, Constitutional, Administrative and Economic History at the University of Berlin. Influenced by Ernst Troeltsch and Max ...

: ''Die Hohenzollern und ihr Werk 1415-1915''. Verlag A. Steiger, Solingen 1982. * E. G. Johler: ''Geschichte, Land- und Ortskunde der souverainen teutschen Fürstenthümer Hohenzollern Hechingen und Sigmaringen.'' Stettin'sche Buchhandlung. Ulm 1824
p. 68
etrieved 5 March 2015 * J. Reiner: ''Genealogie des Hochfürstlichen Hauses Hohenzollern: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte desselben'', Stuttgart 184
online
etrieved 5 March 2015 * Gustav Schilling: ''Geschichte des Hauses Hohenzollern in genealogisch fortlaufenden Biographien aller seiner Regenten von den ältesten bis auf die neuesten Zeiten, nach Urkunden und andern authentischen Quellen.'' Fleischer, Leipzig 1843
S. 287ff.
*

Günter Schmitt Gunter or Günter may refer to: * Gunter rig, a type of rig used in sailing, especially in small boats * Gunter Annex, Alabama, a United States Air Force installation * Gunter, Texas, city in the United States People Surname * Chris Gunter ...

: ''Sigmaringen.'' In: Günter Schmitt: ''Burgenführer Schwäbische Alb.'' Band 3: ''Donautal. Wandern und entdecken zwischen Sigmaringen und Tuttlingen.'' Biberacher Verlagsdruckerei, Biberach 1990, pp. 41–62. {{DEFAULTSORT:Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 1724 births 1785 deaths