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The County of Stolberg-Wernigerode (german: Grafschaft Stolberg-Wernigerode) was a
The town of Gedern in
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
located in the Harz
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
region around Wernigerode
Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012.
Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...
, now part of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making i ...
, 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 ...
. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg
The House of Stolberg is the name of an old and large German dynasty of the former Holy Roman Empire's high aristocracy ('' Hoher Adel''). Members of the family held the title of ''Fürst'' and ''Graf''. They played a significant role in feudal ...
.
History
The Counts of Wernigerode had become extinct in 1429 and their lands were inherited through Salic law by the Counts of Stolberg, sovereign counts of the Empire since the early 11th century. On 31 May 1645, the Harz line ofStolberg-Stolberg
Stolberg-Stolberg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the southern Harz region. Its capital was the town of Stolberg, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg.
In 1429, the County of Wernige ...
was divided between a senior Stolberg-Wernigerode line and a junior Stolberg-Stolberg line. Because Wernigerode was heavily damaged by the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
, the Counts of Stolberg-Wernigerode also resided in the castle of Ilsenburg.
The town of Gedern in Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are ...
, acquired in 1535, became the seat of the cadet branch of Stolberg-Gedern in 1677. This junior line, raised to an imperial principality by Emperor Charles VII of Wittelsbach in 1742, was reacquired by Stolberg-Wernigerode in 1804. The Wernigerode line also re-acquired Stolberg-Schwarza on 14 September 1748.
In 1714, Count Christian Ernest surrendered his military and the fiscal independence of Stolberg-Wernigerode to King Frederick William I of Prussia, although he still maintained subordinated rule over his territories as a count. The county was mediatised in 1807 and made part of the Kingdom of Westphalia. In the 1815 Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...
, Stolberg-Wernigerode was granted to 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 ...
, although successive counts retained sovereign rights until 1876. The territory was incorporated into the Prussian Province of Saxony in 1815.
The Counts of Stolberg-Wernigerode were considered '' Reichsfrei''. The children of ''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 ...
en'', ''Fürstinnen'' and ''Erbprinzen'' (Princes and Princesses) zu Stolberg-Wernigerode bore the title of Prince(ss) zu Stolberg-Wernigerode and were styled as Serene Highness. Other members of this line bore the equal title of ''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 " ...
/Gräfin zu Stolberg-Wernigerode'' (not to be confused with ordinary Counts) and were styled as Illustrious Highness.
Rulers of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Counts of Stolberg-Wernigerode
* Henry Ernest, 1645-1672 *Ernest
Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
People
*Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
* Ernest, ...
, son, 1672-1710
* Christian Ernest, nephew, 1710-1771
* Henry Ernest, son, 1771-1778
* Christian Frederick
Christian VIII (18 September 1786 – 20 January 1848) was King of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, King of Norway in 1814.
Christian Frederick was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick, a younger son of King Frederic ...
, son, 1778-1824
* Henry, son, 1824-1854
* Otto, grandson, 1854–1896, Vice-Chancellor of Germany
The vice-chancellor of Germany, unofficially the vice-chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (), officially the deputy to the federal chancellor (), is the second highest ranking German cabinet member. The chancellor is the head of governm ...
, ''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 ...
'' from 1890 on
Princes of Stolberg-Wernigerode
* Otto, 1st Prince 1890-1896 (1837-1896) -Vice-Chancellor of Germany
The vice-chancellor of Germany, unofficially the vice-chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (), officially the deputy to the federal chancellor (), is the second highest ranking German cabinet member. The chancellor is the head of governm ...
, ''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 ...
'' from 1890 on
** Christian Ernst, 2nd Prince 1896-1940 (1864-1940)
*** Botho, 3rd Prince 1940-1989 (1893-1989)
**** Christian-Heinrich, 4th Prince 1989-2001 (1922-2001)
***** Prince Ludwig-Christian (b.1958)
***** Prince Bolko (b.1959)
****** Princess Natasia (b.1992)
***** Philipp, 5th Prince 2001-''present'' (b.1967)
****** Carl, Hereditary Prince of Stolberg-Wernigerode (b.2009/10)
***** Prince George (b.1970)
****** Prince Tassilo (b.2005)
****** Prince Nikolas (b.2007)
**** Prince Elger (b.1935)
***** Prince Alexander (b.1967) - ''adopted by Stolberg-Roßla line''
See also
*House of Stolberg
The House of Stolberg is the name of an old and large German dynasty of the former Holy Roman Empire's high aristocracy ('' Hoher Adel''). Members of the family held the title of ''Fürst'' and ''Graf''. They played a significant role in feudal ...
References