, spouse = Princess Maria Theresia Folch de Cardona y Silva

Countess Maria Theresia of Waldburg-Zeil 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. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, issue = Meinrad
Joseph
Maria Crescentia
Maria Theresia
Hieronymus
Maria Antonia , house = House of Hohenzollern-Hechingen , father =

Prince Herman Frederick of Hohenzollern-Hechingen A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, mother =

Countess Maria Josepha Theresia of Oettingen-Spielberg 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. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, birth_date = , birth_place =

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

, death_date = , death_place =

Hechingen Hechingen ( Swabian: ''Hächenga'') is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border. Geography The town lies at the foot of t ...

Josef Friedrich Wilhelm (born 12 November 1717 in

; died 9 April 1798 in

), was prince of

Hohenzollern-Hechingen Hohenzollern-Hechingen was a small principality in southwestern Germany. 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 Coun ...

from 1750 until his death.

Life

Prince Josef Friedrich Wilhelm, Officer in Imperial Service, was the son of Imperial field Marshal

Herman Friedrich of Hohenzollern-Hechingen Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Minn ...

and Josepha von Oettingen zu Spielberg. He succeeded his unmarried cousin, Frederick Louis, in 1750. On 25 June 1750 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Josef married Princess Maria Theresia Folch de Cardona y Silva, the 18-year-old daughter of Fürst von Cardona. Maria Theresia died only three months into the marriage and left behind her family's fortune in its entirety. Marriages in the House of Hohenzollern-Hechingen were often chosen based on dowry and inheritance. In 1751, Josef married Countess Maria Theresia of Waldburg-Zeil who bore him six children, of which only the youngest daughter grew past childhood. Josef was an enthusiastic hunter and traveler. In 1764, during a stay in

Bad Wildbad Bad Wildbad is a town in Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located in the government district (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Karlsruhe and in the district (''Landkreis'') of Calw. Its coordinates are 48° 45' N, 8° 33' E. About 10,1 ...

, he became acquainted with a Prussian

Stabskapitän ''Stabskapitän'' (en: Staff captain), in the cavalry also ''Stabsrittmeister'' (en: "Staff riding master" or "Staff cavalry master"), or ''Kapitänleutnant'' (en: Captain lieutenant), was a historic military rank in the Prussian Army. In refer ...

who had been released from the Prussian army after the end of 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� ...

. This man was

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who ...

(1730–1794), who would spend the next 12 years as

Hofmarschall The ''Hofmarschall'' (plural: Hofmarschälle) was the administrative official in charge of a princely German court, supervising all its economic affairs. Historically, every civil service was regarded as court service (e.g. the Russian nobility is ...

in Josef's service before his role assisting

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

in the Revolutionary War as General Inspector and Organizer of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. Steuben was also involved when the prince began to implement money-saving or money-creating policies. These include his attempt in 1772 to dissolve the court and to travel incognito with only his wife and Steuben accompanying him. He stayed for extended periods of time in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

, and

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

. Josef spent much of his money and time with company, fine dining, gambling, theater, carnival, and hunting. This continued for three full years, until the princess succeeded in convincing the prince to end his masquerade. In the following years, Josef became comfortable in the position of an enlightened leader; he promoted agriculture and established

compulsory education Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling ...

. In 1775, he founded a Gymnasium (roughly equivalent to the American high school) as well as a

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

in the "Old Castle", and contributed to the reduction of churchly holidays despite resistance from the population. He was considered to be tolerant towards

Protestants 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 ...

and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. His need for representation led to the establishment of the

Collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

. In 1764, the well-renowned French architect

Pierre Michel d'Ixnard Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

was hired as the director of this construction project. Although the prince intended to always appear as a friendly father-figure for his people, he was relentless in conflicts with his subjects and was always distrustful of his potential successors. On 9 April 1798, Josef died after 48 years of reigning. Because he had no male successors, the crown passed to his nephew Hermann.

Issue

Josef Friedrich Wilhelm and his second wife Countess Maria Theresia of Waldburg-Zeil zu Wurzach had six children: *Meinrad Joseph Maria Friedrich Erbgraf von Hohenzollern-Hechingen (* 9 October 1751, Hechingen; † 28 September 1752, Hechingen) *Joseph Wilhelm Franz Erbgraf von Hohenzollern-Hechingen (* 12 December 1752, Hechingen; † 7 July 1754, Hechingen) *Maria Crescentia Josepha Gräfin von Hohenzollern-Hechingen (* 4 September 1754, Hechingen; † 29 September 1754) *Maria Theresia Josephine Karoline Gräfin von Hohenzollern-Hechingen (* 3 December 1756, Hechingen; † December 1756) *Hieronymus Joseph Karl Erbgraf von Hohenzollern-Hechingen (* 18 April 1758, Hechingen; † 23 June 1759, Hechingen) *Maria Antonia Anna Gräfin von Hohenzollern-Hechingen (* 10 November 1760, Hechingen; † 25 July 1797, Hechingen) married in 1778 to Prince Joseph zu

Fürstenberg Fürstenberg (also Fuerstenberg and Furstenberg) may refer to: Historical states * Fürstenberg-Baar, county (1441–1559) * Fürstenberg-Blumberg, county (1559–1614) * Fürstenberg-Donaueschingen, county (1617–1698) * Fürstenberg-Fürsten ...

(1758-1796)

Bibliography

Philipp Matthäus Hahn Philipp Matthäus Hahn (25 November 1739 in Scharnhausen (today part of Ostfildern), Duchy of Württemberg – 2 May 1790 in Echterdingen (today part of Leinfelden-Echterdingen)) was a German pastor, astronomer and inventor. In about 1763 he ...

: Kurze Beschreibung einer kleinen beweglichen Welt-MACHINE, welche Sr. Hochfürstl. Durchlaucht dem regierenden Fürsten oseph Friedrich Wilhelmzu Hohenzollern Hechingen unter der DIRECTION des Pfarrers M gistri Hahns von Onstmettingen von dem Schulmeister Schaudten . e. Philipp Gottfried Schaudtdaselbst verfertiget worden. 1770. ignetteGedruckt zu Constanz bey Johann Gerhard Lüdolph.A nephew of Prince Josef Friedrich Wilhelm ordered also an astronomic machine constructed by

: Franz Joseph Reichsgraf von

Thun und Hohenstein The House of Thun und Hohenstein, also known as Thun-Hohenstein, belonged to the historical Austrian and Bohemian nobility. There is one princely and several comital branches of the family. The princely branch of the family lived at Děčín (Te ...

(* 1734). – Cf. Reinhard Breymayer: Erhard Weigels Schüler Detlev Clüver und sein Einfluss auf

Friedrich Christoph Oetinger Friedrich Christoph Oetinger (2 May 1702 – 10 February 1782) was a German Lutheran theologian and theosopher. Biography Oetinger was born at Göppingen. He studied philosophy and Lutheran theology at Tübingen (1722-1728), and was impressed by ...

(1702–1782) ... In: Katharina Habermann, Klaus-Dieter Herbst (Hg.):

Erhard Weigel Erhard Weigel (16 December 1625 – 20 March 1699) was a German mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. Biography Weigel earned his M.A. (1650) and his habilitation (1652) from the University of Leipzig. From 1653 until his death he was profe ...

(1625–1699) und seine Schüler. Universitätsverlag Göttingen, 2016, pp. (269)–323; here pp. 317–322: "Nachweis einer Verbindung zwischen dem mit Mozart und Beethoven vertrauten Franz Joseph Reichsgraf von

, dem Mechaniker Philipp Gottfried Schaudt und dem Pfarrer Philipp Matthäus Hahn. Findet sich eine Spur von Hahns Theologie in Schillers Ode 'An die Freude'?" According to Breymayer's statement Schiller's verses "Brüder - überm Sternenzelt/ muß ein lieber Vater wohnen" ("Brothers, above the starry canopy/ There must dwell a loving Father"; ''

Ode to Joy "Ode to Joy" (German language, German: , literally "To heJoy") is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller and published the following year in ''Thalia (magazine), Thalia''. A slightl ...

'') reflecting the poet's Philosophy of Love are a reference to Philipp Matthäus Hahn's Theology of Love. – Franz Joseph Reichsgraf von Thun und Hohenstein, owner of a palace in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, was husband of Maria Wilhelmina Reichsgräfin von Thun und Hohenstein née Comtessin von Uhlfeld and wife's father of

Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky (german: Karl Alois Johann-Nepomuk Vinzenz Leonhard, Fürst Lichnowsky, also known as ''Carl Alois, Fürst von Lichnowsky-Woschütz''; 21 June 1761 – 15 April 1814) was the second Prince Lichnowsky and a chamberla ...

(1761–1814), both remembered for her patronage of music and his relationships with

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

and

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

who integrated these verses in his Symphony No. 9. * Jürgen Brüstle: ''Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben – Eine Biographie''. Marburg 2006. * Ludwig Egler: ''Chronik der Stadt Hechingen''. 1889. S. 158-167. * 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''. F. Fleischer, 1843, pp. 245 ff. * E. G. Johler: ''Geschichte, Land- und Ortskunde der souverainen teutschen Fürstenthümer Hohenzollern, Hechingen und Sigmaringen''. 1824, pp. 58 ff.
Digitalisat

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Josef Friedrich Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Prince House of Hohenzollern-Hechingen Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen 1717 births 1798 deaths People from Bayreuth