Prince of Bismarck (german: Fürst von Bismarck) is a title of the

German nobility The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the begi ...

. The German word ''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

'' historically denotes a

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

ruler, and is a higher title than ''Prinz''; however both titles are conventionally rendered as ''Prince'' in English. The Prince of Bismarck holds the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

. The title was created in 1871 for the statesman

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

(1815–1898), who received several noble titles during the course of his career. Born into a noble ''

Junker Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...

'' family (the

House of Bismarck The House of Bismarck is a German noble family that rose to prominence in the 19th century, largely through the achievements of the statesman Otto von Bismarck. He was granted a hereditary comital title in 1865, the hereditary title of Prince of ...

), he began life as simply "Mister (

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 **Ger ...

: ''Herr'') Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck". In 1865, he was made ''

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

von Bismarck-Schönhausen'' (Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen) following the Prussian victory over Denmark in the

Second War of Schleswig The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...

Schönhausen Schönhausen ( Low Saxon: ''Schöönhusen'') is a municipality in the district of Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Elbe-Havel-Land. Geography The village is situated on a ...

was the Bismarck family's estate, in the Prussian province of Saxony. This hereditary

comital title Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

is borne by all of Otto von Bismarck's descendants in the male line. After Prussia and its allies had defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and following the establishment of a new

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

which followed in 1871, Bismarck was made ''

von Bismarck'' (Prince of Bismarck). This hereditary princely title descends in the male line, but it is only held by the eldest son of the family. Finally, as a consolation for his dismissal by Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...

in 1890, Bismarck was made ''

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. T ...

von Lauenburg'' (

Duke of Lauenburg The title of Duke of Lauenburg derives from the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, which, since its foundation in 1269, was ruled in succession by 29 dukes from six dynastic houses and lines, and by an additional four dukes from a temporary dynastic branch ...

) for his own lifetime only, and he was accorded the hereditary style of ''

Durchlaucht His/Her Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

'' (equivalent to "Serene Highness"), held by the incumbent Prince. The

Duchy of Lauenburg The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a '' reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme s ...

was one of the territories which Prussia (and Austria) seized from Denmark in 1864, and the choice of this title was therefore a nod to Bismarck's career. Upon Bismarck's death in 1898, his dukedom became extinct and his princely title passed to his eldest son,

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

. The current prince is the Iron Chancellor's great-great-grandson.

Princes of Bismarck

# Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck (1815–1898) # Nikolaus Heinrich Ferdinand Herbert, Prince of Bismarck (1849–1904) # Otto Christian Archibald, Prince of Bismarck (1897–1975) # Ferdinand Herbord Ivar, Prince of Bismarck (1930–2019) # Carl, Prince of Bismarck (born 1961) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the title is the current prince's son, Count Alexei von Bismarck (born 2006). {{DEFAULTSORT:Bismarck, Princes Of 1871 establishments in Germany Noble titles created in 1871 Bismarck family Otto von Bismarck