Constantine, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (Friedrich Wilhelm Konstantin Hermann Thassilo; 16 February 1801 – 3 September 1869), was the last Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. Constantine was the only child of Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and his wife, Princess Pauline of Courland, the daughter of the last Duke of Courland, Peter von Biron.

Regency and reign

Constantine served as

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

for his ill father, Frederick, beginning in 1834. Upon his father's death in 1838, Constantine became Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and after the death of his mother in 1845, he also inherited the Duchy of Sagan. Following the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

, Constantine and Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen both agreed to cede their principalities to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

and renounced their rights as sovereign princes and heads of government on 7 December 1849.

Marriages and issue

Constantine married firstly to Princess Eugénie de Beauharnais (1808–1847) on 22 May 1826 in

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Dioce ...

. They had no children. After her death in September 1847, he married secondly (and morganatically) to Baroness Amalie Schenk von Geyern; upon their marriage,

Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the "romanticist on the th ...

bestowed Amalie with the title ''Countess of Rothenburg''. The couple had three children: * Countess Friederike Wilhelmine ''Elisabeth'' von Rothenburg (1852–1914) * Count ''Friedrich'' Wilhelm Karl von Rothenburg (1856–1912) * Count ''Wilhelm'' Friedrich Louis Gustaf von Rothenburg (1861–1929) He also sired a daughter out of wedlock with Sophie Scherer: * Ludovika Sophia (1824–1884)

Death and dynastic end

Constantine died on 3 September 1869 at his estate in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. Because Constantine was the final dynast male member of the Hohenzollern-Hechingen dynastic line, having no legitimate heirs from his two marriages, his title passed to the head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern.

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:

Ancestry

References

Literature

* Anton-Heinrich Buckenmaier, Michael Hakenmüller: ''Friedrich-Wilhelm Constantin. Der letzte Fürst''. Glückler, Hechingen 2005 * 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, p. 257 ff. {{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine Of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Prince 1801 births 1869 deaths Members of the Prussian House of Lords House of Hohenzollern-Hechingen Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen People from Żagań People from the Province of Silesia Pretenders