The House of Oettingen was a high-rank noble

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...

n and Swabian family. It ruled various estates that composed the County of Oettingen between the 12th century and the beginning of the 19th century. In 1674 the house was raised to the rank of prince for the first time. Despite the extinction of their lands following the German mediatisation of 1806, the family retained their titles and still have representatives today.

Origins

The Oettingen family traces its descent back to ''Fridericus comes'', documented in 987, and his father Sieghard V. (''Sigehardus comes in pago Riezzin'' - Sieghard, Count in Riesgau) from the Sieghardinger family , documented in 1007. These are also considered to be the ancestors of the Staufers . The Oettingen family was first mentioned in 1147 with ''Ludovicus comes de Otingen'', a relative of the Imperial

House of Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

who was granted the county surrounding the

Imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was b ...

as a fief, possibly with his brother ''Chuno comes de Othingen''. .The relationship between the family and the Hohenstaufens is also proven by documents. The family built Steinsberg Castle around 1200 as vassals of the

Hohenstaufen dynasty The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

From the 12th to the 14th century the family gained the largest secular territory in East Swabia. The county of Oettingen lay around the imperial city of Nördlingen in present -day Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg . At the end of the Old Kingdom in 1806, the area covered around 850 km² and had around 60,000 inhabitants.

Main branches

From 1410, the county started its first divisions within the family, as noted below. Following the partitions, the remaining land was called ''Oettingen-Oettingen'' and was located in modern-day eastern

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

and western

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. This branch was

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, created Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1674 but became extinct in 1731, when the County was divided and inherited by

Oettingen-Spielberg The House of Oettingen was a high-rank noble Franconian and Swabian family. It ruled various estates that composed the County of Oettingen between the 12th century and the beginning of the 19th century. In 1674 the house was raised to the rank of p ...

(Princes since 1734) that obtained the town and castle of Oettingen, and

Oettingen-Wallerstein The House of Oettingen was a high-rank noble Franconian and Swabian family. It ruled various estates that composed the County of Oettingen between the 12th century and the beginning of the 19th century. In 1674 the house was raised to the rank of ...

(Princes since 1774).

Wallerstein

Oettingen-Wallerstein (''German'' Öttingen-Wallerstein) is a noble family related to a former County in modern-day eastern

and western

, Germany. Oettingen-Wallerstein was twice created; first as a partition of ''Oettingen'' (modern day town of

Oettingen in Bayern Oettingen in Bayern (Swabian: ''Eadi'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated northwest of Donauwörth, and northeast of Nördlingen. Geography The town is located on the river Wörnitz, a tributary ...

) in 1423 which became extinct in 1486 and was inherited by

Oettingen-Oettingen The House of Oettingen was a high-rank noble Franconian and Swabian family. It ruled various estates that composed the County of Oettingen between the 12th century and the beginning of the 19th century. In 1674 the house was raised to the rank of ...

, and the second time as a partition of Oettingen-Oettingen in 1557, as a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

branch of the family. Oettingen-Oettingen suffered one partition, between itself and

in 1602. It was raised to a Principality in 1774 by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1806, it was mediatised to the Kingdom of

, and divided with the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...

in 1810. At this time, the Principality had a territory of 850 km² with 60.000 inhabitants.

Spielberg

Oettingen-Spielberg is a noble family and former principality in modern-day eastern

and western

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 betwe ...

. It was partitioned of

in 1602. It was raised to a Principality in 1734 (after it inherited the town and the castle of Oettingen in 1731), mediatised to the Kingdom of

in 1806, and divided with the

in 1810. The other still existing branch of the Oettingen family is the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein.

Baldern

Oettingen-Baldern was a line of the Swabian-Franconian noble house of Oettingen . It was created by dividing the Oettingen-Alt-Wallerstein line in 1623. The Counts of Oettingen-Baldern died out in 1789. The possessions including Baldern Castle and Katzenstein Castle as well as the Sötern lordship went over to the Oettingen-Wallerstein line .

Rulers

House of Oettingen

Partitions of Oettingen under Oettingen family

Table of rulers

Lines of succession (post-mediatisation)

Mediatized line of Wallerstein

Oettingen Wallerstein Oettingen Spielberg - Tyroff AT

* Ludwig Kraft, 2nd Prince 1806–1823 (1791-1870) * Friedrich Kraft, 3rd Prince 1823-1842 (1793–1842) ** Karl Friedrich I, 4th Prince 1842–1905 (1840-1905) *** Karl Friedrich II, 5th Prince 1905–1930 (1877-1930) *** Eugen, 6th Prince 1930–1969 (1885-1969), politician **** Karl Friedrich III, 7th Prince 1969–1991 (1917-1991) ***** Moritz, 8th Prince 1991–present (born 1946

****** Karl Eugen,

Hereditary Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Wallerstein (born 1970) ******* Princess Helena (born 1995) ******* Prince Johannes (born 1998) ******* Prince Eugen (born 2004) ****** Prince Ludwig-Maximilian (born 1972) ******* Prince Felix (born 2003) ******* Prince Dominik (born 2007) ****** Prince Friedrich-Alexander (born 1978) ***** Prince Kraft Ernst (born 1951) ****** Prince Philipp-Karl (born 1983) ****** Prince Leopold-Ludwig (born 1987)

Mediatised line of Spielberg

* Johann Aloys III Anton, 4th Prince 1806–1855 (1788–1855) ** Otto I Karl, 5th Prince 1855–1882 (1815–1882) *** Franz Albrecht II, 6th Prince 1882–1916 (1847–1916) *** Emil, 7th Prince 1916–1919 (1850–1919) **** Otto II Joseph, 8th Prince 1919–1952 (1879–1952) ***** Aloys Philipp, 9th Prince 1952–1975 (1920–1975) ****** Albrecht Ernst, 10th Prince 1975–present (born 1951) ******* Franz Albrecht,

of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg (born 1982) ******** Prince Louis-Albrecht of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg (born 2019)

Other important members

Irmengard of Oettingen Irmengard of Oettingen ( – 6 November 1389 in Worms, Germany) was a princess of the Counts von Oettingen by birth, and by marriage, Countess Palatine of the Rhine and, as a widow, a Dominican nun. Life Countess Palatine Irmengard ...

, Countess Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1304-1389) *

Elisabeth of Oettingen Elisabeth of Oettingen also known as ''Elizabeth of Leuchtenberg'' (born: ; died: 9 July 1406) was a member of the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein by birth. She was a Landgravine of Leuchtenberg by marriage and a lady in waiting for the Elector P ...

, Landgravine of Leuchtenberg (c. 1360-1406) *

Wolfgang I of Oettingen Wolfgang I of Oettingen (16 May 1455 – 29 January 1522, Harburg) was a Count of Oettingen-Oettingen. He was third son of Count Wilhelm of Oettingen (1413 – 12 March 1467) and his wife Beatrice della Scala from the family of Scaliger. H ...

, Count of Oettingen-Oettingen (1455-1522) *

Maria Magdalena of Oettingen-Baldern Countess Maria Magdalena of Oettingen-Baldern (1619 – 31 August 1688 in Baden-Baden) was the second wife of the Margrave William of Baden-Baden. Mary Magdalene was a daughter of Count Ernst I von Oettingen to Baldern (1584–1626) and his wife ...

, Margravine of Baden-Baden (1619-1688) * Maria Dorothea Sophia of Oettingen-Oettingen (1639-1698), second wife of

Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (16 December 1614, in Stuttgart – 2 July 1674, in Stuttgart) ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1628 until his death in 1674. Eberhard III became the heir under guardianship in 1628 during the Thirty Years' W ...

Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen (20 March 1671 – 3 September 1747) was Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was the maternal grandmother of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, Emperor Peter II of Russia and also Charles I, Duke of ...

(1671-1747), wife of

Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Louis Rudolph (german: Ludwig Rudolf; 22 July 1671 – 1 March 1735), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruling Prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1731 until his death. Since 1707, he ruled as an immediate Prince of B ...

. She was the maternal grandmother of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, Tsar Peter II of Russia, Queen Elisabeth Christine of Prussia and Queen Juliane Marie of Denmark and Norway. * Maria Anna of Oettingen-Spielberg (1693-1729), wife of

Joseph Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein Joseph Johann Adam (25 May 1690 – 17 December 1732) was the Prince of Liechtenstein from 1721 to his death. Born in Vienna, he was the only living son of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein and Eleonore Barbara von Thun und Hohenstein. J ...

* Princess Gabriele of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg (b. 1953), daughter of the 9th Prince * Princess Nora of Oettingen-Spielberg (b. 1990), daughter of Albrecht Ernst, Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg. Married 2017, Lord Max Percy, youngest son of

Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland Ralph George Algernon Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, (born 16 November 1956), styled Lord Ralph Percy until 1995, is a British hereditary peer and rural landowner and current head of the House of Percy. Biography Ralph Percy was born th ...

* Cleopatra, Hereditary Princess of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg (b. 1987), wife of Franz Albrecht, Hereditary Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg

Residences

The following castles are still owned by the Princes of Oettingen-Spielberg and Oettingen-Wallerstein: Oettingen Schloss 1.JPG,

Oettingen Oettingen in Bayern (Swabian: ''Eadi'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated northwest of Donauwörth, and northeast of Nördlingen. Geography The town is located on the river Wörnitz, a tributary ...

Wallerstein Schloss.jpg, Wallerstein Schloss Baldern 140707.jpg, Baldern (near

Bopfingen Bopfingen (Swabian: ''Bopfeng'') is a small city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the Ostalbkreis, between Aalen and Nördlingen. It consists of the city Bopfingen itself and its suburbs Aufhausen, Baldern, Flochberg, Kerkinge ...

) Schloss Hohenaltheim Südseite.JPG,

Hohenaltheim Hohenaltheim is a municipality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in 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, ...

Burg Harburg 001.jpg, Harburg Dornstadt Schloss Hirschbrunn 166.JPG, Hirschbrunn Burg Spielberg.jpg, Dornstadt Schloss Hirschbrunn 166.JPG, Schloss Hirschbrunn

References

External links

* *
genealogie-mittelalter.de

Website of the Prince of Oettingen-Spielberg

*
Counts of Oettingen in the ADB
*

Bibliography

* Fürstlich Oettingen-Wallerstein'sche Bibliothek (1985) ''Oettingen-Wallerstein'sche Musiksammlung''. München: K. G. Saur (reproduced on 3819 microfiches) *

Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published ...

, Band IX, C. A. Starke Verlag, 1998, ISBN 3-7980-0816-7 (= Adelslexikon, Gesamtreihe Band 116) (for further references). * Teresa Neumeyer: ''Dinkelsbühl. Der ehemalige Landkreis'' Kommission für bayerische Landesgeschichte München 2018 (= Historischer Atlas von Bayern, 40. Franken I), ISBN 978-3-7696-6562-8 (). * ''Europäische Stammtafeln. Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der europäischen Staaten'', Bd. V. Von Frank Baron Freytag von Loringhoven aus dem Nachlass hrsg. von Detlev Schwennicke, Marburg 1978, Tafeln 152–155. * * * Jacob Paul Lang: ''Materialien zur oettingischen älteren und neueren Geschichte'', Bd. 2, Wallerstein 1773. * ''Zedlers Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexikon'', Bd. 25, Leipzig und Halle 1740, Sp. 801–820. * {{coord missing, Germany Swabian noble families Counties of the Holy Roman Empire Counts of the Holy Roman Empire House of Oettingen

Origins

Main branches

Wallerstein

Spielberg

Baldern

Rulers

House of Oettingen

Partitions of Oettingen under Oettingen family

Table of rulers

Lines of succession (post-mediatisation)

Mediatized line of Wallerstein

Mediatised line of Spielberg

Other important members

Residences

See also

References

External links

Bibliography