The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

whose members were variously

prince 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. The ...

s, electors,

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

s and

emperors The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rule ...

Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. The family came from the area around the town of

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 th ...

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

during the late 11th century and took their name from

Hohenzollern Castle Hohenzollern Castle ( ) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castle, hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Hohenzollern (mountain), Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechin ...

. The first ancestors of the Hohenzollerns were mentioned in 1061. The Hohenzollern family split into two branches, the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

n branch and the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Franconian branch,''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XIX. "Haus Hohenzollern". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2011, pp. 30–33. . which ruled the

Burgraviate of Nuremberg The Burgraviate of Nuremberg () was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from the early 12th to the late 15th centuries. As a burgraviate, it was a county seated in the town of Nuremberg; almost two centuries passed before the burgraviate lost ...

and later became the Brandenburg-Prussian branch. The Swabian branch ruled the principalities of

Hohenzollern-Hechingen Hohenzollern-Hechingen () was a small principality in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to the House of Hohenzollern#Swabian branch, Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern dynasty. History The County of Hohenzollern- ...

and

Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen () was a principality in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to the junior House of Hohenzollern#Swabian branch, Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. The Swabian Hohenzollerns were elevated to princes in 162 ...

until 1849, and also ruled Romania from 1866 to 1947. Members of the Franconian branch became Margrave of Brandenburg in 1415 and

Duke of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

in 1525. The Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia were ruled in

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

after 1618 and were called Brandenburg-Prussia. From there, 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 ...

was created in 1701, eventually leading to the

unification of Germany The unification of Germany (, ) was a process of building the first nation-state for Germans with federalism, federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without Habsburgs' multi-ethnic Austria or its German-speaking part). I ...

and the creation of the German Empire in 1871, with the Hohenzollerns as hereditary

German Emperor The German Emperor (, ) was the official title of the head of state and Hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the abdicati ...

s and Kings of Prussia. Germany's defeat in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1918 led to the

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. The Hohenzollerns were overthrown and the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

was established, thus bringing an end to the German and Prussian monarchy.

Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia (born 10 June 1976, as ''Georg Friedrich Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen'') is a German heir who is the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling dynasty of the German Em ...

, is the current head of the formerly royal Prussian line, while

Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern (born 20 April 1952, as ''Prince Karl Friedrich Emich Meinrad Benedikt Fidelis Maria Michael Gerold of Hohenzollern'') is the eldest son of the late Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern and Princess M ...

, is the head of the formerly princely Swabian line.

County of Zollern

Zollern, from 1218 Hohenzollern, was a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. Later its capital was

. The Hohenzollerns named their estates after

in the

Swabian Alps The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...

. The Hohenzollern Castle lies on an 855 meters high mountain called

. It still belongs to the family today. The dynasty was first mentioned in 1061. According to the medieval chronicler

Berthold of Reichenau Berthold of Reichenau (died probably in 1088) was a Benedictine monk and chronicler of Reichenau Abbey. Life Berthold was a disciple and friend of Hermannus Contractus. When Hermannus saw death approaching, he entrusted to Berthold all the wax ta ...

Burkhard I, Count of Zollern Burkhard I, Lord of the House of Hohenzollern (; born before 1025; killed as part of a feud in 1061) is considered the first well-documented ancestor of the Hohenzollern dynasty. Because of his name, it has been attempted to link the Hohenzolle ...

(''de Zolorin'') was born before 1025 and died in 1061. In 1095, Count Adalbert of Zollern founded the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery of Alpirsbach, situated in the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

. The Zollerns received the

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

title from Emperor

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

in 1111. As loyal vassals of the Swabian

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 ...

dynasty, they were able to significantly enlarge their territory. Count Frederick III () accompanied Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

against

Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195), also known as Henry III, Duke of Saxony (ruled 1142-1180) and Henry XII, Duke of Bavaria (ruled 1156-1180), was a member of the Welf dynasty. Henry was one of the most powerful German princes of ...

in 1180, and through his marriage was granted the

by Emperor Henry VI in 1192. In about 1185, he married Sophia of Raabs, the daughter of

Conrad II Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

, Burgrave of Nuremberg. After the death of Conrad II who left no male heirs, Frederick III was granted Nuremberg as

Burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from , ), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a ''Burgraviate'' or ''Burgr ...

Frederick I. In 1218, the burgraviate passed to Frederick's elder son Conrad I, he thereby became the ancestor of the

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

n Hohenzollern branch, which acquired the

Electorate of Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the fifth-largest German state b ...

in 1415.

Counts of Zollern (1061–1204)

* until 1061: Burkhard I * before 1125:

Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I ...

* between and 1142: Frederick II, eldest son of Frederick I * between and 1150–1155: Burkhard II, 2nd oldest son of Frederick I * between –1155 and 1160: Gotfried of Zimmern, 4th oldest son of Frederick I * before 1171 – : Frederick III/I (son of Frederick II, also

Burgrave of Nuremberg The Burgraviate of Nuremberg () was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from the early 12th to the late 15th centuries. As a burgraviate, it was a county seated in the town of Nuremberg; almost two centuries passed before the burgraviate lost ...

) After Frederick's death, his sons partitioned the family lands between themselves: * Conrad I received the county of Zollern and exchanged it for the Burgraviate of Nuremberg with his younger brother Frederick IV in 1218, thereby founding the Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. Members of the Franconian line eventually became the Brandenburg-Prussia branch and later converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. * Frederick IV received the burgraviate of Nuremberg in 1200 from his father and exchanged it for the county of Zollern in 1218 with his brother, thereby founding the Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, which remains

Franconian branch

The senior Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern was founded by Conrad I, Burgrave of Nuremberg (1186–1261). The family supported the

and

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

rulers of the

during the 12th to 15th centuries, being rewarded with several territorial grants. Beginning in the 16th century, this branch of the family became Protestant and decided on expansion through marriage and the purchase of surrounding lands. In the first phase, the family gradually added to their lands, at first with many small acquisitions in the Franconian region of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

: *

Ansbach Ansbach ( , ; ) is a city in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk, administrative region of Mittelfranken, Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränk ...

in 1331 *

Kulmbach Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town, once a stronghold of the Principality of Bayreuth, is renowned for its University of Life Sciences, a branch of the University of Bayreuth, the massive Plasse ...

in 1340 In the second phase, the family expanded their lands further with large acquisitions in the Brandenburg and Prussian regions of Germany and present-day Poland: *

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

in 1417 *

Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (, , ) or Ducal Prussia (; ) was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the Monastic Prussia, the territory that remained under the control of the State of the Teutonic Order until t ...

in 1525 These acquisitions eventually transformed the Franconian Hohenzollerns from a minor German princely family into one of the most important dynasties in Europe. From 8 January 1701 the title of Elector of Brandenburg was attached to the title of King ''in'' Prussia and, from 13 September 1772, to that of King ''of'' Prussia.

Burgraves of Nuremberg (1192–1427)

* 1192–1200/1204:

(also count of Zollern as Frederick III) * 1204–1218: Frederick II (son of, also count of Zollern as Frederick IV) * 1218–1261/1262: Conrad I/III (brother of, also count of Zollern) * 1262–1297: Frederick III (–1297), son of * 1297–1300:

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

(c. 1279–1300), son of * 1300–1332: Frederick IV (1287–1332), brother of * 1332–1357:

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–114 ...

(c. 1309–1357), son of * 1357–1397:

Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: *Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) * Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble * Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick II ...

(before 1333–1398), son of At Frederick V's death on 21 January 1398, his lands were partitioned between his two sons: * 1397–1420: John III/I (son of, also

Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach The Principality of Bayreuth () or Margraviate of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (''Markgraftum Brandenburg-Bayreuth'') was an immediate territory of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a Franconian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty. Since Burgrave Frederic ...

) * 1397–1427: Frederick VI/I/I, (brother of, also

Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of t ...

and

Margrave of Brandenburg This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the time when Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Holy Roman Emp ...

, also

Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach The Principality or Margraviate of (Brandenburg) Ansbach ( or ) was a principality in the Holy Roman Empire centered on the Franconian city of Ansbach. The ruling Hohenzollern princes of the land were known as margraves, as their ancestors were ...

and Brandenburg-Kulmbach) After John III/I's death on 11 June 1420, the margraviates of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach were briefly reunited under Frederick VI/I/I. He ruled the Margraviate of Brandenburg-Ansbach after 1398. From 1420, he became Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. From 1411 Frederick VI became governor of Brandenburg and later Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg as Frederick I. Upon his death on 21 September 1440, his territories were divided among his sons: *

Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick II of Brandenburg () (19 November 1413 – 10 February 1471), nicknamed "the Iron" (''der Eiserne'') and sometimes "Irontooth" (''Eisenzahn''), was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1440 until his abdication in ...

* Albert III, Elector of Brandenburg and Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach * John II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach In 1427 Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg sold

Nuremberg Castle Nuremberg Castle () is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The castle, together with the City walls of Nuremberg, city walls, is considered to be one ...

and his rights as burgrave to the

Imperial City of Nuremberg The Free Imperial City of Nuremberg () was a free imperial city – independent city-state – within the Holy Roman Empire. After Nuremberg gained piecemeal independence from the Burgraviate of Nuremberg in the High Middle Ages and considerab ...

. The territories of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach remained possessions of the family, once parts of the Burgraviate of Nuremberg. File:Nürnberger Burg im Herbst 2013.jpg,

(the Emperor's castle, left, and the Burgrave's castle, right) File:Cadolzburg-burg-wseite-gesamt-v-nw.jpg,

Cadolzburg Cadolzburg (outdated also ''Kadolzburg'' , colloquially pronounced "Kalschbuʳch" or "Sporch" in the local dialect) is a municipality in the Middle Franconian Fürth (district), district of Fürth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated west of F� ...

Castle near Nuremberg (from 1260 seat of the Burgraves) File:Münster (Heilsbronn).jpg,

Heilsbronn Abbey Heilsbronn Abbey was a Cistercian monastery at Heilsbronn in the district of Ansbach (district), Ansbach in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It was part of the Bishop of Eichstätt, Diocese of Eichstätt. History It was founded in 1132–33 b ...

, which the Hohenzollerns used as the family burial place

Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1398–1791)

* 1398–1440:

(also Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach) * 1440–1486: Albert I/I/III Achilles (son of, also Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Elector of Brandenburg) * 1486–1515: Frederick II/II (son of, also Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach) * 1515–1543: George I/I the Pious (son of, also Duke of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf) * 1543–1603: George Frederick I/I/I/I (son of, also Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Duke of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf and Regent of Prussia) * 1603–1625: Joachim Ernst (1583–1625), son of John George of Brandenburg * 1625–1634: Frederick III (1616–1634), son of * 1634–1667: Albert II, brother of * 1667–1686: John Frederick (1654–1686), son of * 1686–1692: Christian I Albrecht, son of * 1692–1703: George Frederick II/II (brother of, later Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach) * 1703–1723: William Frederick (before 1686–1723), brother of * 1723–1757: Charles William (1712–1757), son of * 1757–1791: Christian II Frederick (1736–1806) (son of, also Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach) On 2 December 1791, Christian II Frederick sold the sovereignty of his principalities to King

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was also the prince-elector of Brandenburg and (through the Orange-Nassau inheritance of his grandfather) sovereign princ ...

Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1398–1604), later Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1604–1791)

Wappen Brandenburg Ansbach Kulmbach Bayreuth

* 1398–1420:

(c. 1369–1420), son of

Frederick V of Nuremberg Frederick V of Nuremberg (before 3 March 1333 – 21 January 1398) was a Burgrave (''Burggraf'') of Nuremberg, of the House of Hohenzollern. Life He was the elder son of John II, Burgrave of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Henneberg. From the ...

* 1420–1440:

(also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach) * 1440–1457:

(1406–1464), son of * 1457–1486: Albert I/I/III Achilles (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Elector of Brandenburg) * 1486–1495: Siegmund (1468–1495), son of * 1495–1515: Frederick II/II, brother of (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach) * 1515–1527:

Casimir Casimir is a Latin version of the Polish male name Kazimierz (). The original Polish feminine form is Kazimiera, in Latin and other languages rendered as Casimira. It has two possible meanings: "preacher of peace" or alternatively "destroyer of p ...

(1481–1527), son of * 1527–1553: Albert II Alcibiades (1522–1557), son of * 1553–1603: George Frederick I/I/I/I (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Duke of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf and Regent of Prussia) * 1603–1655:

Christian I Christian I ''(Christiern I)'' (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a German noble and Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he ...

(1581–1655), son of John George, of Brandenburg * 1655–1712: Christian II Ernst (1644–1712), son of Erdmann August * 1712–1726: George I William (1678–1726), son of * 1726–1735: George Frederick II/II (previously Margrave of Kulmbach) * 1735–1763: Frederick IV (1711–1763), son of * 1763–1769: Frederick V Christian (1708–1769), son of Christian Heinrich * 1769–1791: Charles Alexander (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach) On 2 December 1791, Charles Alexander sold the sovereignty of his principalities to King Frederick William II of Prussia.

Dukes of Jägerndorf (1523–1622)

The Duchy of Jägerndorf (Krnov) was purchased in 1523. * 1541–1543: George I the Pious (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach) * 1543–1603: George Frederick I (also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Regent of Prussia) * 1603–1606: Joachim I (also Regent of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg) * 1606–1621:

Johann Georg von Brandenburg Johann Georg ohn Georgevon Brandenburg (16 December 1577 – 2 March 1624) was a German nobleman and Protestant ecclesiastic in the Holy Roman Empire. He was the administrator (bishop) of Strasbourg from 1592 until 1604 and the Duke of Jägernd ...

The duchy of Jägerndorf was confiscated by

Emperor Ferdinand III Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608 – 2 April 1657) was Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1625, King of Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 to his death. Ferdinand ascended the throne at the begi ...

in 1622.

Brandenburg-Prussian branch

Margraves of Brandenburg (1415–1619)

In 1411, Frederick VI, Burgrave of the small but wealthy Nuremberg, was appointed governor of Brandenburg in order to restore order and stability. At the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...

in 1415, King

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

elevated Frederick to the rank of Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg as Frederick I. In 1417, Elector Frederick purchased Brandenburg from its then-sovereign, Emperor Sigismund, for 400,000 Hungarian guilders.

Margraves of Brandenburg-Küstrin (1535–1571)

The short-lived

Margraviate of Brandenburg-Küstrin The Neumark (), also known as the New March () or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945 except some villages of ...

was set up as a

secundogeniture A secundogeniture (from 'following, second', and 'born') was a dependent territory given to a younger son of a princely house and his descendants, creating a cadet branch.Luard, Evan. The Balance of Power: The System of International Relations, ...

of the House of Hohenzollern. * 1535–1571: John the Wise, Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin (son of

Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg Joachim I Nestor (21 February 1484 – 11 July 1535) was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1499–1535), the fifth member of the House of Hohenzollern. His nickname was taken from King Nestor of Greek mythology. Biography Th ...

). He died without issue. The Margraviate of Brandenburg-Küstrin was absorbed in 1571 into Brandenburg.

Margraves of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1688–1788)

Although recognized as a branch of the dynasty since 1688, the Margraviate of Brandenburg-Schwedt remained subordinate to the electors, and was never an independent principality. * 1688–1711: Philip William, Prince in Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (son of

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick William (; 16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as "th ...

) * 1731–1771:

Frederick William The name Frederick William usually refers to several monarchs and princes of the Hohenzollern dynasty: * Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (1620–1688) * Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1675–1713) * Frederick William I of ...

, Prince in Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (son of) * 1771–1788: Frederick Henry, Prince in Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg Schwedt (brother of)

Dukes of Prussia (1525–1701)

In 1525, the

was established as a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

Albert of Prussia Albert of Prussia (; 17 May 149020 March 1568) was a German prince who was the 37th grand master of the Teutonic Knights and, after converting to Lutheranism, became the first ruler of the Duchy of Prussia, the secularized state that emerged fr ...

was the last Grand Master of the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

and the first Duke of Prussia. He belonged to the Ansbach branch of the dynasty. The Duchy of Prussia adopted Protestantism as the official state religion. * 1525–1568:

Albert I Albert I may refer to: People Born before 1300 * Albert I, Count of Vermandois (917–987) * Albert I, Count of Namur () * Albert I of Moha *Albert I of Brandenburg (), first margrave of Brandenburg * Albert I, Margrave of Meissen (1158–1195) *Al ...

* 1568–1618: Albert II Frederick co-heir (son of) * 1568–1571: Joachim I/II Hector co-heir (also Elector of Brandenburg) ** 1578–1603: George Frederick I/I/I/I (Regent, also Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Duke of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf) ** 1603–1608: Joachim I/I/III Frederick (Regent, also Duke of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf and Elector of Brandenburg) ** 1608–1618: John Sigismund (Regent, also Elector of Brandenburg) * 1618–1619: John Sigismund (Regent, also Elector of Brandenburg, after 1618 Brandenburg-Prussia) * 1619–1640: George William I/I (son of, also Elector of Brandenburg) * 1640–1688: Frederick I/III William the Great Elector (son of, also Elector of Brandenburg) * 1688–1701: Frederick II/IV/I (also Elector of Brandenburg and King in Prussia) From 1701, the title of Duke of Prussia was attached to the title of King in and of Prussia.

Kings in Prussia (1701–1772)

In 1701, the title of

King in Prussia King ''in'' Prussia (German language, German: ''König in Preußen'') was a title used by the Prussian kings (also in personal union Elector of Brandenburg, Electors of Brandenburg) from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently, they used the title King ''of' ...

was granted, without the Duchy of Prussia being elevated to a Kingdom within Poland but recognized as a kingdom by the Holy Roman Emperor, theoretically the highest sovereign in the West. From 1701 onwards the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title of King in Prussia. The Duke of Prussia adopted the title of king as

, establishing his status as a monarch whose royal territory lay outside the boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire, with the assent of Emperor Leopold I: Frederick could not be "King of Prussia" because part of Prussia's lands were under the

suzerainty A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...

of the

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (; ) was a political and legal concept formed in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, assuming unity, indivisibility and continuity of the state. Under this idea, the state was no longer seen as the Pat ...

. In Brandenburg and the other Hohenzollern domains within the borders of the empire, he was legally still an elector under the ultimate overlordship of the emperor. By this time, however, the emperor's authority had become purely nominal over the other German princes outside the immediate hereditary lands of the emperor. Brandenburg was still legally part of the empire and ruled in personal union with Prussia, though the two states came to be treated as one ''de facto.'' The king was officially ''Margrave of Brandenburg'' within the Empire until the Empire's dissolution in 1806. In the age of absolutism, most monarchs were obsessed with the desire to emulate

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

with his luxurious palace at Versailles. In 1772, the Duchy of Prussia was elevated to a kingdom.

Kings of Prussia (1772–1918)

's successor,

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

gained

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, ...

in the

Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars () were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Austria (under Empress Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...

so that Prussia emerged as a

great power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

. The king was strongly influenced by French culture and civilization and preferred the French language. In the 1772

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

, the Prussian king

annexed neighboring

Royal Prussia Royal Prussia (; or , ) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) became a province of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, which was annexed follow ...

, i.e., the Polish voivodeships of

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

(

Gdańsk Pomerania Gdańsk Pomerania (; ; ) is the main geographical region within Pomerelia (also known as Vistula Pomerania, Eastern Pomerania, and previously Polish Pomerania) in northern Poland, covering the bulk of Pomeranian Voivodeship. In contrast to ''Pome ...

Pomerelia Pomerelia, also known as Eastern Pomerania, Vistula Pomerania, and also before World War II as Polish Pomerania, is a historical sub-region of Pomerania on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland. Gdańsk Pomerania is largely c ...

Malbork Malbork (German: ''Marienburg'') is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a population of 36,709 people as of 2024. The town is located on the Nogat river, in the historical region of Pomerelia. Fo ...

Chełmno Chełmno (; older ; , formerly also ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional importance ...

and the

Prince-Bishopric of Warmia The Prince-Bishopric of Warmia (; ) was a semi-independent ecclesiastical state, ruled by the incumbent ordinary of the Warmia see and comprising one third of the then diocesan area. The Warmia see was a Prussian diocese under the jurisdictio ...

, thereby connecting his Prussian and Farther Pomeranian lands and cutting the rest of Poland from the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

coast. The territory of

Warmia Warmia ( ; Latin: ''Varmia'', ''Warmia''; ; Warmian subdialect, Warmian: ''Warńija''; Old Prussian language, Old Prussian: ''Wārmi'') is both a historical and an ethnographic region in northern Poland, forming part of historical Prussia (reg ...

was incorporated into the lands of former Ducal Prussia, which, by administrative deed of 31 January 1772 were named ''East Prussia''. The former Polish Pomerelian lands beyond the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

River together with Malbork and

Chełmno Land Chełmno land (, or Kulmerland) is a part of the historical region of Pomerelia, located in central-northern Poland. Chełmno land is named after the city of Chełmno. The largest city in the region is Toruń; another bigger city is Grudziąd ...

formed the province of

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and from 1878 to 1919. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773, formed from Royal Prussia of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonweal ...

with its capital at

Marienwerder Kwidzyn (; ; Latin: ''Quedin''; Old Prussian: ''Kwēdina'') is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa River. With a population of 36,731, it is the capital of Kwidzyn County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Geography Kwidzyn is located on the L ...

(Kwidzyn) in 1773. The Polish

Partition Sejm The Partition Sejm () was a Sejm lasting from 1773 to 1775 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, convened by its three neighbours (the Russian Empire, Prussia and Austria) in order to legalize their First Partition of Poland. During its first ...

ratified the cession on 30 September 1772, whereafter Frederick officially went on to call himself King "of" Prussia. From 1772 onwards the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title King of Prussia. In 1871, the Kingdom of Prussia became a constituent member of the

, and the King of Prussia gained the additional title of

German Emperors (1871–1918)

In 1871, the German Empire was proclaimed. With the accession of

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

to the newly established imperial German throne, the titles of King of Prussia, Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were always attached to the title of

. Prussia's Minister President

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...

convinced William that German Emperor instead of Emperor of Germany would be appropriate. He became ''

primus inter pares is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their seniority in office. H ...

'' among other German sovereigns. William II intended to develop a

German navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

capable of challenging Britain's

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. The assassination of

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassination in Sarajevo was the ...

on 28 June 1914 set off the chain of events that led to

. As a result of the war, the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist. In 1918, the German empire was abolished and replaced by the

. After the outbreak of the German revolution in 1918, both Emperor William II and Crown Prince

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

signed the document of abdication. File:Kaiser Wilhelm I. .JPG,

(1871–1888) File:Emperor Friedrich III.png, Frederick III (1888) File:Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany - 1902.jpg, William II (1888–1918)

Prussian Hohenzollern religion and religious policy

The official religion of the state was "bi-confessional". John Sigismund's most significant action was his conversion from

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

, after he had earlier equalized the rights of Catholics and Protestants in the Duchy of Prussia under pressure from the King of Poland. He was probably won over to Calvinism during a visit to

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

in 1606, but it was not until 25 December 1613 that he publicly took communion according to the Calvinist rite. The vast majority of his subjects in Brandenburg, including his wife Anna of Prussia, remained deeply Lutheran, however. After the Elector and his Calvinist court officials drew up plans for mass conversion of the population to the new faith in February 1614, as provided for by the rule of ''

Cuius regio, eius religio () is a Latin phrase which literally means "whose realm, his religion" – meaning that the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled. This legal principle marked a major development in the collective (if not individual) ...

'' within the

, there were serious protests, with his wife backing the Lutherans. This was doubly important as Anna brought with her the duchy of Prussia into the Brandenburg line of the house and the nascent Brandenburg-Prussian state. Resistance was so strong that in 1615, John Sigismund backed down and relinquished all attempts at forcible conversion. Instead, he allowed his subjects to be either Lutheran or Calvinist according to the dictates of their own consciences. Henceforward, Brandenburg-Prussia would be a bi-confessional state, with the ruling Hohenzollern house staying

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

. This situation persisted until Frederick William III of Prussia. Frederick William was determined to unify the Protestant churches to homogenize their liturgy, organization, and architecture. The long-term goal was to have fully centralized royal control of all the Protestant churches in the

Prussian Union of churches The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in P ...

. The merging of the Lutheran and Calvinist (Reformed) confessions to form the United Church of Prussia was highly controversial. Angry responses included a large and well-organized opposition. The crown's aggressive efforts to restructure religion were unprecedented in Prussian history. In a series of proclamations over several years, the ''Church of the Prussian Union'' was formed, bringing together the majority group of Lutherans and the minority group of Reformed Protestants. The main effect was that the government of Prussia had full control over church affairs, with the king himself recognized as the leading bishop.

Brandenburg-Prussian branch since 1918 abdication

In June 1926, a referendum on expropriating the formerly ruling princes of Germany without compensation failed and as a consequence, the financial situation of the Hohenzollern family improved considerably. A settlement between the state and the family made

Cecilienhof Cecilienhof Palace () is a palace in Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany, built from 1914 to 1917 in the layout of an English Tudor manor house. Cecilienhof was the last palace built by the House of Hohenzollern that ruled the Kingdom of Prussia and t ...

property of the state but granted a right of residence to Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie. The family also kept the ownership of

Monbijou Palace Monbijou Palace was a Rococo palace in central Berlin located in the present-day Monbijou Park on the north bank of the Spree river across from today's Bode Museum and within sight of the Hohenzollern city palace. Heavily damaged in World War ...

in Berlin,

Oleśnica Castle Oleśnica Castle () is a castle in Oleśnica, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, southwestern Poland. History It was erected in 1542–1561, replacing a Gothic fortress from the thirteenth century. It was the seat of the Dukes of Oleśnica until the ...

in Silesia,

Rheinsberg Palace Rheinsberg Palace () lies in the municipality of Rheinsberg, about northwest of Berlin in the German district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. The palace on the eastern shore of the is a classic example of the so-called Frederician Rococo architecture st ...

Schwedt Schwedt (or Schwedt/Oder; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in northeastern Germany. With the official status of a ''Große Kreisstadt, Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (major district town), it is the largest town of the Uckermark (district), Uckermark ...

Palace and other property until 1945. Since the abolition of the German monarchy, no Hohenzollern claims to imperial or royal prerogatives are recognized by Germany's

Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany () is the constitution of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came into effect on 23 May after having been approved b ...

of 1949, which guarantees a republic. The communist government of the

Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

expropriated all landowners and industrialists; the House of Hohenzollern lost almost all of its fortune, retaining a few company shares and

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. The Polish government appropriated the

n property and the Dutch government seized

Huis Doorn Huis Doorn (; ) is a manor house and national museum in the town of Doorn in the Netherlands. The residence has early 20th-century interiors from the time when former German Emperor Wilhelm II resided there (1920–1941). Huis Doorn was first b ...

, the Emperor's seat in exile. After

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, however, the family was legally able to reclaim their portable property, namely art collections and parts of the interior of their former palaces. Negotiations on the return of or compensation for these assets are not yet completed. The

Berlin Palace The Berlin Palace (), formerly known as the Royal Palace (), is a large building adjacent to Berlin Cathedral and the Museum Island in the Mitte area of Berlin. It was the main residence of the Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia and Ge ...

, home of the German monarchs, was rebuilt in 2020. The Berlin Palace and the

Humboldt Forum The Humboldt Forum is a museum dedicated to human history, art and culture, located in the Berlin Palace on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. It is named in honour of the Prussian scholars Wilhelm von Humboldt, Wilhelm and Alexa ...

are located in the middle of Berlin.

Order of succession

File:Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany - 1902.jpg,

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, the last incumbent of the throne File:Kronprinz Wilhelm 1. Leib-Husarenregiment.jpg, Crown Prinz Wilhelm File:Louis ferdinand c1930.jpg, Louis Ferdinand File:Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen1, Pour le Merite 2014.JPG, Georg Friedrich The head of the house is the titular King of Prussia and German Emperor. He also bears a historical claim to the title of

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

. Members of this line style themselves princes of Prussia.

, the current head of the royal Prussian House of Hohenzollern, was married to

Princess Sophie of Isenburg Sophie, Princess of Prussia (born Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg; 7 March 1978) is married to Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preussen, head of the formerly-ruling House of Hohenzollern. Early life and education Sophie Johanna Maria of Ise ...

on 27 August 2011. On 20 January 2013, she gave birth to twin sons, Carl Friedrich Franz Alexander and Louis Ferdinand Christian Albrecht, in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

. Carl Friedrich, the elder of the two, is the heir apparent.

Royal House of Hohenzollern table

Family tree of the House of Hohenzollern

Living legitimate members of the Prussian branch

Bold signifies heads of the house and numbers shown indicate the pretense to the kingship of Prussia and the German Empire: * ''

(1797–1888)'' ** '' Frederick III (1831–1888)'' *** ''

(1859–1941)'' **** ''

Wilhelm, German Crown Prince Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last German emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, an ...

(1882–1951)'' ***** ''

Prince Wilhelm of Prussia 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. The fema ...

(1906–1940)'' ***** ''

Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (; 9 November 1907 – 26 September 1994) was a member of the princely House of Hohenzollern, which occupied the Prussian and German thrones until the abolition of those monarchies in 1918. He was also notewo ...

(1907–1994)'' ****** ''Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (1939–2015)'', married non-dynastically and had issue ****** '' Prince Michael of Prussia (1940–2014)'', twice married non-dynastically and had issue ****** Princess Marie Cécile of Prussia (born 1942), married

Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg (11 January 19369 July 2017) was a member of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. He is a son of Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Family and early life Frede ...

(1936–2017) and has issue ****** '' Princess Kira of Prussia (1943–2004)'', married Thomas Liepsner and had issue ****** ''Louis Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Prussia (1944–1977), married Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen and had issue *******

(born 1976) ******** (1) Carl Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Prussia (born 2013) ******** (2) Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (born 2013) ******** Princess Emma Marie of Prussia (born 2015) ******** (3) Prince Heinrich Albert of Prussia (born 2016) ******* Princess Cornelie-Cécile of Prussia (born 1978) ****** (4) Prince Christian-Sigismund of Prussia (born 1946) ******* Princess Isabelle Alexandra of Prussia (born 1969) ******* (5) Prince Christian Ludwig of Prussia (born 1986) ******* Princess Irina of Prussia (born 1988) ****** ''Princess Xenia of Prussia (1949–1992)'', married Per-Edvard Lithander and had issue ***** ''

Prince Hubertus of Prussia Prince Hubertus Karl Wilhelm of Prussia (30 September 1909 – 8 April 1950) was the third son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and member of the princely House of Hohenzollern. Biography He joi ...

(1909–1950)'' ***** '' Prince Frederick of Prussia (1911–1966)'' ****** Prince Frederick Nicholas of Prussia (born 1946), married non-dynastically and has issue ****** Prince Andreas of Prussia (born 1947), married non-dynastically and has issue ****** Princess Victoria Marina of Prussia (born 1952), married Philippe Alphonse Achache (born 1945) and has issue ****** Prince Rupert of Prussia (born 1955), married non-dynastically and has issue ****** Princess Antonia of Prussia (born 1955), married

Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington, 9th Prince of Waterloo, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, 9th Duke of Victoria, GE, OBE, DL (born 19 August 1945), styled Earl of Mornington between 1945 and 1972 and Marquess of Douro be ...

(born 1945), and has issue ***** '' Princess Alexandrine of Prussia (1915–1980)'', unmarried without issue ***** '' Princess Cecilie of Prussia (1917–1975)'', married

Clyde Kenneth Harris Clyde Kenneth Harris (April 18, 1918 – March 2, 1958) was an American soldier and interior decorator. He served as one of the "Monuments Men" during World War II and later married a granddaughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Early life Harris was bor ...

(1918–1958) and had issue **** ''

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was bo ...

(1883–1942)'', married

Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg (; 2 February 1879 – 29 March 1964) was a member of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. She was the only surviving child of Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg by his first wife Princess Elisabeth ...

(1879–1964) without issue **** '' Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1884–1948)'' ***** ''Princess Victoria Marina of Prussia (1915)'' ***** ''Princess Victoria Marina of Prussia (1917–1981)'', married Kirby Patterson (1907–1984) and had issue ***** '' Prince Wilhelm Victor of Prussia (1919–1989) ****** Princess Marie Louise of Prussia (born 1945), married Count Rudolf of Schönburg-Glauchau and has issue ****** (6) Prince Adalbert of Prussia (born 1948) ******* (7) Prince Alexander of Prussia (born 1984) ******* (8) Prince Christian of Prussia (born 1986) ******* (9) Prince Philipp of Prussia (born 1986) **** ''

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia (29 January 1887 – 25 March 1949), nicknamed "Auwi", was the fourth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. A vocal supporter of Na ...

(1887–1949)'' ***** ''Prince Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia (1912–1985)'' ****** ''Prince Stephan Alexander (1939–1993)'' **** ''

Prince Oskar of Prussia Oskar Karl Gustav Adolf Prince of Prussia (27 July 1888 – 27 January 1958) was the fifth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. Biography Birth and family Prinz Oskar of Prussia ...

(1888–1958)'' ***** ''Prince Oskar of Prussia (1915–1939)'' ***** ''Prince Burchard of Prussia (1917–1988)'', married Countess Eleonore Fugger von Babenhausen without issue ***** '' Princess Herzeleide of Prussia (1918–1989)'', married Karl, Prince Biron von Courland (1907–1982), without issue ***** '' Prince Wilhelm Karl of Prussia (1922–2007)'' ****** Princess Donata of Prussia (born 1952) ****** (10) Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia (born 1955) ****** (11) Prince Oscar of Prussia (born 1959) ******* (12) Prince Oskar of Prussia (born 1993) ******* Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (born 1995) ******* (13) Prince Albert of Prussia (born 1998) **** ''

Prince Joachim of Prussia Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia (17 December 1890 – 18 July 1920) was the youngest son and sixth child of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He committed suicide at age 29. Prince Joa ...

(1890–1920)'' ***** ''

Prince Karl Franz of Prussia Prince Karl Franz Josef Wilhelm Friedrich Eduard Paul of Prussia (15 December 1916 – 23 January 1975) was the only child of Prince Joachim of Prussia and Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt. He was also a grandson of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. ...

(1916–1975)'' ******

Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia Franz Wilhelm Victor Christoph Stephan Prinz von PreussenIn 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany; thereafter hereditary titles were to be legally borne only as part of the surname, according tArticle 109of t ...

(born 1944), married

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (; born 23 December 1953) has been a claimant to the headship of the House of Romanov, the Imperial Family of Russia (who reigned as Emperors and Autocrats of all the Russias from 1613 to 1917) since ...

(born 1953) and had issue and Nadia Nour El Etreby (born 1949) without issue ****** ''Prince Friedrich Christian of Prussia (1943)'' ****** (14) Prince Franz-Friedrich of Prussia (born 1944), married Gudrun Winkler (born 1949) without issue and Susann Genske (born 1964) without issue ****** Princess Alexandra Maria of Prussia (born 1960), married Alberto Reboa and has issue ****** Princess Désirée Anastasia of Prussia (born 1961), married Juan Carlos Gamarra y Skeels (born 1954) and has issue **** ''

Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia (; 13 September 1892 – 11 December 1980) was the only daughter and youngest child of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. Through her father, Victoria Louise was a great-g ...

(1892–1980)'', married

Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick Ernest Augustus (Ernest Augustus Christian George; ; 17 November 1887 – 30 January 1953) was Duke of Brunswick from 2 November 1913 to 8 November 1918. He was a grandson of George V of Hanover, thus a Prince of Hanover and a Prince of the Unit ...

(1887–1953), and had issue *** ''

Princess Charlotte of Prussia Princess Charlotte of Prussia (; 24 July 1860 – 1 October 1919) was List of Saxon consorts#Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen from 1914 to 1918 as the wife of Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Bernhard III, the duchy's ...

(1860–1919)'', married

Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Bernhard III (; 1 April 1851 – 16 January 1928), was the last reigning duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Biography Bernhard was born on 1 April 1851 at Meiningen in what was then the German Confederation, as the eldest son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Me ...

(1860–1919), and had issue *** '' Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929) **** '' Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1889–1945)'', married Princess Calixta of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1895–1982) without issue **** '' Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1896–1978)'' ***** ''Princess Barbara of Prussia (1920–1994)'', married Duke Christian Louis of Mecklenburg (1912–1996) and had issue ***** ''Prince Alfred of Prussia (1924–2013)'', married Maritza Farkas (1929–1996) without issue **** '' Prince Henry of Prussia (1900–1904)'' *** '' Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864–1866)'' *** ''

Princess Viktoria of Prussia Princess Viktoria of Prussia (Friederike Amalia Wilhelmine Viktoria; 12 April 1866 – 13 November 1929) was the second daughter of Frederick III, German Emperor and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Born a me ...

(1866–1929)'', married

Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe (; 20 July 1859 – 9 July 1916) was a German prince of the House of Schaumburg-Lippe and a Prussian General of the Cavalry. He was regent of the Principality of Lippe from 1895 to 1897 due to the incapacit ...

(1859–1916) without issue and Alexander Zoubkoff without issue *** '' Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868–1879)'' *** '' Princess Sophia of Prussia (1870–1932)'', married

Constantine I of Greece Constantine I (, Romanization, romanized: ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and again from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army dur ...

(1868–1923) and had issue *** ''

Princess Margaret of Prussia Margaret of Prussia (; 22 April 1872 – 22 January 1954) was the youngest child of Frederick III, German Emperor, and Victoria, Princess Royal. She was also the younger sister of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Emperor Wilhelm II and the granddaught ...

(1872–1954)'', married

Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse Frederick Charles Louis Constantine, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse (; ; 1 May 1868 – 28 May 1940), was the brother-in-law of the German Emperor, Wilhelm II. He was elected King of Finland on 9 October 1918, but renounced the throne on 1 ...

(1868–1940) and had issue ** ''

Princess Louise of Prussia Louise of Prussia (Luise Marie Elisabeth; 3 December 1838 – 23 April 1923) was Grand Duchess of Baden from 1856 to 1907 as the wife of Grand Duke Frederick I. Princess Louise was the second child and only daughter of Wilhelm I, German E ...

(1838–1923)'', married

Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden Frederick I (; 9 September 1826 – 28 September 1907) was the Grand Duke of Baden from 1858 to 1907. Life Frederick was born in Karlsruhe, Baden, on 9 September 1826. He was the third son of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden and Princess ...

(1851–1928), and had issue

Swabian branch

The cadet Swabian''Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe'', Jiří Louda & Michael Maclagan, 1981, pp. 178–179. branch of the House of Hohenzollern was founded by

Frederick IV, Count of Zollern Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

. The family ruled three territories with seats at, respectively,

Sigmaringen Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle, Schloss Sigmaringen, ...

and

Haigerloch Haigerloch () is a town in the north-western part of the Swabian Alb in Germany. Geography Geographical location Haigerloch lies at between 430 and 550 metres elevation in the valley of the Eyach (Neckar), Eyach river, which forms two loops in a ...

. The counts were elevated to princes in 1623. The Swabian branch of the Hohenzollerns is

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. Affected by economic problems and internal feuds, the Hohenzollern counts from the 14th century onwards came under pressure by their neighbors, the Counts of

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

and the cities of the

Swabian League The Swabian League () was a military alliance of Imperial State, imperial estates – Free imperial city, imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early Middle Ages, medieval stem duchy of S ...

, whose troops besieged and finally destroyed Hohenzollern Castle in 1423. Nevertheless, the Hohenzollerns retained their estates, backed by their Brandenburg cousins and the Imperial

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

. In 1535, Count Charles I of Hohenzollern (1512–1576) received the counties of

and Veringen as Imperial fiefs. In 1576, when Charles I, Count of Hohenzollern died, his county was divided to form the three Swabian branches. Eitel Frederick IV took

with the title of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, Karl II took Sigmaringen and Veringen, and

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

got Haigerloch. Christopher's family died out in 1634. * Eitel Frederick IV of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1545–1605) * Charles II of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1547–1606) * Christopher of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch (1552–1592) In 1695, the remaining two Swabian branches entered into an agreement with the Margrave of Brandenburg, which provided that if both branches became extinct, the principalities should fall to Brandenburg. Because of 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 Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...

, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and

Karl Anton Karl Anton or Karel Anton (25 October 1898 12 April 1979) was a Bohemian-born German film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Biography He was born in Prague on 25 October 1898. His father, Wilhelm Anton (1861–1918) was a physician. ...

, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen abdicated their thrones in December 1849. The principalities were ruled by the Kings of Prussia from December 1849 onwards, with the Hechingen and Sigmaringen branches obtaining official treatment as cadets of the Prussian royal family. The Hohenzollern-Hechingen branch became extinct in 1869. A descendant of this branch was Countess Sophie Chotek, morganatic wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Lotharingen. File:Sigmaringen Schloss 2015-04-29 15-52-34.jpg,

Sigmaringen Castle Sigmaringen Castle () was the princely castle and seat of government for the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Situated in the Swabian ''Alb'' region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, this castle dominates the skyline of the town of Sigmar ...

File:Neues Schloss (Hechingen).JPG, The New Castle, Hechingen File:Schlosskirche Haigerloch 2010.JPG,

Castle

Counts of Hohenzollern (1204–1575)

In 1204, the County of Hohenzollern was established out of the fusion of the County of Zollern and the

. The Swabian branch inherited the county of Zollern and, being descended from Frederick I of Nuremberg, were all named "Friedrich" down through the 11th generation. Each one's numeral is counted from the first Friedrich to rule his branch's

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

. The most senior of these in the 14th century, Count Frederick VIII (d. 1333), had two sons, the elder of whom became Frederick IX (d. 1379), first Count of Hohenzollern, and fathered Friedrich X who left no sons when he died in 1412. But the younger son of Friedrich VIII, called ''Friedrich of Strassburg'', uniquely, took no numeral of his own, retaining the old title "Count of Zollern" and pre-deceased his brother in 1364/65. Prince Wilhelm Karl zu Isenburg's 1957 genealogical series, ''

Europäische Stammtafeln ''Europäische Stammtafeln'' - German for ''European Family Trees'' - is a series of twenty-nine books which contain sets of genealogical tables of the most influential families of Medieval European history. It is a standard reference work for t ...

'', says Friedrich of Strassburg shared, rather, in the rule of Zollern with his elder brother until his premature death. It appears, but is not stated, that Strassburg's son became the recognized co-ruler of his cousin Friedrich X (as compensation for having received no appanage and/or because of incapacity on the part of Friedrich X) and, as such, assumed (or is, historically, attributed) the designation Frederick XI although he actually pre-deceased Friedrich X, dying in 1401. Friedrich XI, however, left two sons who jointly succeeded their cousin-once-removed, being Count Frederick XII (d. childless 1443) and Count Eitel Friedrich I (d. 1439), the latter becoming the ancestor of all subsequent branches of the Princes of Hohenzollern. * 1204–1251/1255: Frederick IV, also Burgrave of Nuremberg as Frederick II until 1218 * 1251/1255–1289:

* 1289–1298: Frederick VI (d. 1298), son of * 1298–1309: Frederick VII (d. after 1309), son of * 1309–1333: Frederick VIII (d. 1333), brother of * 1333–1377: Frederick IX * 1377–1401: Frederick XI * 1401–1426: Frederick XII * 1426–1439: Eitel Frederick I, brother of * 1433–1488: Jobst Nicholas I (1433–1488), son of * 1488–1512: Eitel Frederick II (c. 1452–1512), son of * 1512–1525: Eitel Frederick III (1494–1525), son of * 1525–1575:

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

(1516–1576), son of In the 12th century, a son of

secured the county of Hohenberg. The county remained in the possession of the family until 1486. The influence of the Swabian line was weakened by several partitions of its lands. In the 16th century, the situation changed completely when Eitel Frederick II, a friend and adviser of the emperor Maximilian I, received the district of

. His grandson

was granted the counties of Sigmaringen and Vehringen by

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

Counts, later Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1576–1849)

The County of Hohenzollern-Hechingen was established in 1576 with

allodial Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property (land, buildings, and fixtures) that is independent of any superior landlord. Allodial title is related to the concept of land held "in allodium", or land ownership by occupancy and defense ...

rights. It included the original County of Zollern, with the

and the monastery at Stetten. In December 1849, the ruling princes of both Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen abdicated their thrones, and their principalities were incorporated as the Prussian

province of Hohenzollern The Province of Hohenzollern (, ''Hohenzollern Lands'') was a district of Prussia from 1850 to 1946. It was located in Swabia, the region of southern Germany that was the ancestral home of the House of Hohenzollern, to which the kings of Prussia ...

. The Hechingen branch became extinct in dynastic line with Konstantin's death in 1869.

Counts of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch (1576–1634 and 1681–1767)

The County of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch was established in 1576 without allodial rights. * 1576–1601 :

(1552–1592), son of Charles I of Hohenzollern * 1601–1623 :

John Christopher Sam Youd (16 April 1922 – 3 February 2012) was a British writer best known for science fiction written under the name of John Christopher, including the novels '' The Death of Grass'', ''The Possessors'', and the young-adult novel series ...

(1586–1620), son of * 1601–1634 :

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

(1588–1634) Between 1634 and 1681, the county was temporarily integrated into the principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. * 1681–1702: Francis Anthony, Count of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch * 1702–1750:

Ferdinand Leopold, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Anton Ferdinand Leopold, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (also known as ''Count of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch''; 4 December 1692 – 23 July 1750) was a German nobleman. He was a various times canon of different cathedral chapters and first m ...

* 1750–1767: Francis Christopher Anton, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Upon the death of Francis Christopher Anton in 1767, the Haigerloch territory was incorporated into the principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.

Counts, later Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1576–1849)

Sigmaringen Schloss BW 2015-04-28 17-37-14

The County of

was established in 1576 with allodial rights and a seat at

In December 1849, sovereignty over the principality was yielded to the Franconian branch of the family and incorporated into the

, which accorded status as cadets of the Prussian Royal Family to the Swabian Hohenzollerns. The last ruling Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen,

, would later serve as

Minister President of Prussia The Minister-President (), or Prime Minister, of Prussia was the head of government of the Prussian state. The office existed from 1848, when it was formed by Frederick William IV of Prussia, King Frederick William IV during the German revolutio ...

between 1858 and 1862.

House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen after 1849

The family continued to use the title of Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. After the Hechingen branch became extinct in 1869, the Sigmaringen branch adopted title of ''Prince of Hohenzollern''. * 1849–1885:

I (1811–1885) * 1885–1905: Leopold I (1835–1905), son of * 1905–1927:

(1864–1927), son of * 1927–1965:

(1891–1965), son of * 1965–2010: Friedrich Wilhelm I (1924–2010), son of * 2010–present: Karl Friedrich I (1952–), son of *

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

: Alexander In 1866,

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was chosen prince of Romania, becoming

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Carol I of Romania in 1881. Charles's elder brother,

Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern (; 22 September 1835 – 8 June 1905) was the head of the Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, and played a fleeting role in European power politics in connection with the Franco-Prussian War. He was born ...

, was offered the

Spanish throne The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish monarchy is constitu ...

in 1870 after a revolt exiled

Isabella II Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

in 1868. Although encouraged by Bismarck to accept, Leopold declined in the face of French opposition. Nonetheless, Bismarck altered and then published the Ems telegram to create a ''

casus belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one bou ...

'': France declared war, but Bismarck's Germany won the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

. The head of the Sigmaringen branch (the only extant line of the Swabian branch of the dynasty) is Karl Friedrich, styled ''His Highness'' The Prince of Hohenzollern. His official seat is

Kings of the Romanians

Reigning (1866–1947)

The

Principality of Romania The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (), commonly called United Principalities or Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Moldavia, Principality of Moldavia and the Wallachia, Principality of Wallachia. The union was ...

was established in 1862, after the Ottoman vassal states of

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

and

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

had been united in 1859 under

Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also Anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (prince) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as List of monarchs of Moldavia ...

as Prince of Romania in a

. He was deposed in 1866 by the Romanian parliament. Prince Charles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was invited to become reigning Prince of Romania in 1866. In 1881 he became Carol I,

King of Romania The King of Romania () or King of the Romanians () was the title of the monarch of the Kingdom of Romania from 1881 until 1947, when the Romanian Workers' Party proclaimed the Romanian People's Republic following Michael I's forced abdication. ...

. Carol I had an only daughter who died young, so the younger son of his brother Leopold, Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, would succeed his uncle as King of Romania in 1914, and his descendants, having converted to the

Orthodox Church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church, the second-largest Christian church in the world * Oriental Orthodox Churches, a branch of Eastern Christianity * Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a confessional Presbyterian denomination loc ...

, continued to reign there until the end of the monarchy in 1947.

Succession since 1947

In 1947, the King Michael I abdicated and the country was proclaimed a People's Republic. Michael did not press his claim to the defunct Romanian throne, but he was welcomed back to the country after half a century in exile as a private citizen, with substantial former royal properties being placed at his disposal. However, his dynastic claim was not recognized by post-Communist Romanians. On 10 May 2011, King Michael I severed the dynastic ties between the Romanian Royal Family and the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. After that the branch of the Hohenzollerns was dynastically represented only by the last king Michael, and his daughters. Having no sons, he declared that his dynastic heir, instead of being a male member of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen princely family to which he formerly belonged

patrilineally Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

and in accordance with the last Romanian monarchical constitution, should be his eldest daughter

Margareta Margareta is a female given name mainly used by Germans, Austrians, Romanians, Swedes, and others. It derives from Latin, where it came from the Greek word ''margaritari'' (μαργαριτάρι), meaning pearl, which was borrowed from the Persian ...

. The royal house remains popular in Romania and in 2014 Prime Minister

Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian politician and jurist who served as Prime Minister of Romania from 2012 to 2015. He was president of the Social Democratic Party (Romania), Social Democratic Party (PSD) from 2010 to ...

promised a referendum on whether or not to reinstate the monarchy if he were re-elected.

Residences

Palaces of the Prussian Hohenzollerns

File:BurgHohenzollernInnenhof02.jpg,

File:Berlin Stadtschloss 1920er.jpg,

File:Charlottenburg Hohenzollern 2.jpg,

Charlottenburg Palace Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Palace) is a Baroque palace in Berlin, located in Charlottenburg, a district of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough, and is among the largest palaces in the world. The palace was built at the end of th ...

, Berlin File:Königsberg Castle courtyard.jpg,

Königsberg Castle Königsberg Castle (, ) was the seat of the grand masters of the Teutonic Order and of the dukes and kings of Prussia in the city of Königsberg (since 1946 Kaliningrad, Russia). The original fortress on the site was built by the Teutonic Knights ...

, Prussia File:Bundesarchiv Bild 170-237, Potsdam, Stadtschloss vom Turm der Nikolaikirche.jpg,

City Palace, Potsdam The Potsdam City Palace () is a building in Potsdam, Germany, located on the Old Market Square, next to the St. Nicholas' Church (''Nikolaikirche''). It was the second official residence (the winter residence) of the margraves and electors of ...

File:Potsdam Sanssouci 07-2017 img4.jpg,

New Palace, Potsdam The New Palace () is a palace situated on the western side of the Sanssouci park in Potsdam, Germany. The building was begun in 1763, after the end of the Seven Years' War, under King ''Friedrich II'' (Frederick the Great) and was completed in 1 ...

File:Schloss Sanssouci 2014.jpg,

Sanssouci Sanssouci () is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and ...

, Potsdam File:Marmorpalais.jpg,

Marmorpalais The Marmorpalais (or Marble Palace) is a former royal residence in Potsdam, near Berlin in Germany, built on the grounds of the extensive Neuer Garten on the shores of the Heiliger See. The palace was commissioned by King Frederick William II of ...

, Potsdam File:Schloss Bellevue 2023.jpg, Bellevue Palace, Berlin File:Schloss Monbijou mit der Sophienkirche im Hintergrund (Degen).jpg,

, Berlin File:BabelsbergP1020137.jpg,

Babelsberg Palace Babelsberg Palace () lies in the eponymous park and quarter of Potsdam, the capital of the German state of Brandenburg, near Berlin. For over 50 years it was the summer residence of Prince William, later German Emperor William I and King of Pruss ...

, Potsdam File:Schloss Cecilienhof 2013.jpg,

Cecilienhof Palace Cecilienhof Palace () is a palace in Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany, built from 1914 to 1917 in the layout of an English Tudor manor house. Cecilienhof was the last palace built by the House of Hohenzollern that ruled the Kingdom of Prussia and t ...

, Potsdam File:Schloss Oranienburg - Jan 2013.jpg, Oranienburg Palace File:Rheinsberg Castle.jpg,

File:Wrocław Kazimierza Wielkiego 35 sm.jpg,

Wrocław Palace Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, Silesia File:3273viki Zamek w Oleśnicy. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg, Oels Castle, Silesia File:Schloss Stolzenfels 01 Koblenz 2015.jpg,

Stolzenfels Castle Stolzenfels Castle () is a former medieval fortress castle ("Burg") turned into a palace, near Koblenz on the left bank of the Rhine, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Stolzenfels was a ruined 13th-century castle, gifted to the Prussi ...

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

Palaces of the Franconian branches

File:Plassenburg oben.jpg,

Plassenburg Plassenburg is a castle in the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria. It is one of the most impressive castles in Germany and a symbol of the city. It was first mentioned in 1135. The Plassenberg family were Ministerialis, ministerial of the counts of And ...

Castle at

File:Neues schloß bayreuth.JPG, The New Castle at

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

File:Ansbach - 2013 Mattes (73).JPG, Residenz Ansbach File:Erlangen Schloss 006.JPG,

Erlangen Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...

Castle

Palaces of the Swabian Hohenzollerns

File:Schloss Sigmaringen 2022.jpg,

File:Aerial image of Schloss Haigerloch (view from the southwest).jpg, Haigerloch Castle,

File:Neues Schloss (Hechingen).JPG, The New Castle at

File:Muzeul National de Arta, Bucuresti.jpg,

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania {, class="wikitable" width="95%" , - bgcolor="white" !align=center, Residence !align=center, Photo !align=center, City !align=cen ...

, Bucharest File:Palatul Guarda.jpg,

Elisabeta Palace Elisabeta Palace () is a palace on Kiseleff Road in Bucharest, Romania. Built in 1936, it is the official residence in Romania of Margareta of Romania, her husband Prince Radu, and her sister Princess Maria. The Palace was designed in 1930 ...

, Bucharest File:SavarsinPalaceBehind.jpg,

Săvârșin Castle Săvârșin Castle (, ) is a large country house situated in ''Săvârșin Park'', a private estate that was owned by King Michael I of the Romanians (1921–2017) in Săvârșin, Arad County, Romania. It is the Romanian Royal Family’s offi ...

Săvârșin Săvârșin (, ) is a commune in Arad County, Romania. Săvârșin commune lies at the foot of the Metaliferi Mountains, at its contact point with the Mureș Couloir. Its surface occupies approximately 22000 hectare The hectare (; SI symbol ...

File:Castelul Peleș - vazut din fața.jpg,

Peleș Castle Peleș Castle ( ) is a Neo-Renaissance palace in the Royal Domain of Sinaia in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914 ...

Sinaia Sinaia () is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named after ...

File:Pelisor Castle, Sinaia.jpg,

Pelișor Castle The Pelișor Castle (Romanian: ''Castelul Pelișor'', , ) is a castle in Sinaia, Romania, part of the same complex as the larger castle of Peleș. History The castle was built in 1899–1902 by order of King Carol I, as the residence for h ...

, Sinaia File:Castelul Bran2.jpg,

Bran Castle Bran Castle (; or ; ) is a castle in Bran, southwest of Brașov. The castle was built by Saxons in 1377 who were given the privilege by Louis I of Hungary. It is a national monument and landmark in Transylvania. The fortress is on the Trans ...

Bran Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the component of a Cereal, cereal grain consisting of the hard layersthe combined aleurone and Fruit anatomy#Pericarp layers, pericarpsurrounding the endosperm. Maize, Corn (maize) bran also includes the p ...

Property claims

In 2014, Prince Georg Friedrich, Head of the House of Hohenzollern filed a claim on the property of the

, the manor that Kaiser

spent his last time after being abdication, but this was rejected by Dutch Minister

Jet Bussemaker Mariëtte "Jet" Bussemaker (born 15 January 1961) is a retired Dutch politician. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), she served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science from 5 November 2012 to 26 October 2017 in the Second Rutte cabinet. ...

. In mid-2019, it was revealed that Prince Georg Friedrich had filed claims for permanent right of residency for his family in

, or one of two other Hohenzollern palaces in Potsdam, as well as return of the family library, 266 paintings, an imperial crown and sceptre, and the letters of Empress Augusta Victoria. Central to the argument was that

, which had been permanently given to the family following the fall of the Kaiser, was demolished by the East German government in 1959. Lawyers for the German state argued that the involvement of members of the family in National Socialism had voided any such rights. In June 2019, a claim made by Prince Georg Friedrich that

Rheinfels Castle Rheinfels Castle () is a castle ruin located above the left (west) bank of the Rhine in Sankt Goar, Germany. It was started in 1245 by Count Diether V of Katzenelnbogen. After expansions, it was the largest fortress in the Middle Rhein Valley b ...

be returned to the Hohenzollern family was dismissed by a court. In 1924, the ruined Castle had been given by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate to the town of St Goar, under the provision it was not sold. In 1998, the town leased the ruins to a nearby hotel. His case made the claim that this constituted a breach of the bequest.

Coats of arms

File:Wappen Hohenzollern 2.svg, Quartered coat of arms of the Hohenzollerns File:Zollern ZW.png,

Counts of Zollern 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: ...

(1340) File:Hohenzollern-herb-rodowy.jpg, Achievement of Counts of Zollern File:Nürenberg ZW.png,

Burgraves of Nuremberg The Burgraviate of Nuremberg () was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from the early 12th to the late 15th centuries. As a burgraviate, it was a county seated in the town of Nuremberg; almost two centuries passed before the burgraviate lost p ...

(1340) File:COA family de Burggrafen von Nürnberg (Haus Hohenzollern).svg, Burgraves of Nuremberg File:Hohenzollern.jpg, The princely

n branch (1605) File:COA family de Markgrafen von Brandenburg (1465).svg, Margraves of Brandenburg (1465) File:POL Prusy książęce COA.svg, Arms of the Duke of Prussia File:Arms of East Prussia.svg, Arms of the King of Prussia File:Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia 1873-1918.svg, Achievement of the King of Prussia File:Wappenschild des Deutschen Kaiserreiches (1889-1918).svg, Coat of Arms of the German Emperor (1871–1918) File:Greater Coat of Arms of the German Empire.svg, The greater coat of arms as German Emperor (1871–1918) File:Kingdom of Romania - Big CoA.svg, The greater coat of arms of the King of Romania (1922–1947) For younger sons, to the extent that they did difference arms, the Hohenzollerns tended to use bordures of different colors or combinations of: Coat of Arms of the Crown Prince of German Empire.svg, Coat of Arms of the Crown Prince of German Empire, a bordure gules on the arms of the German Emperor. File:Coat of Arms of Prince Henry of Prussia (Order of the Golden Fleece).svg, Coat of Arms of Prince Henry of Prussia with the Order of the Golden Fleece.

Members of the family after abdication

Royal Brandenburg-Prussian branch

(1943–) * Prince Frederick of Prussia (1911–1966) *

(1976–) *

(1909–1950) * Princess Kira of Prussia (1943–2004) *

(1907–1994) * Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1944–1977) * Prince Michael of Prussia (1940–2014) *

(1959–) * Wilhelm, Prince of Prussia (1882–1951) *

(1906–1940) * Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia (1922–2007) * Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia (b. 1955) (2007–present)

Princely Swabian branch

* Princess Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern (1890–1966) *

Prince Ferfried of Hohenzollern Ferfried Maximilian Pius Meinrad Maria Hubert Michael Justinus Prinz von Hohenzollern (14 April 1943 – 26 September 2022) was a member of the princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and champion race car driver. He was also known as the "bl ...

(1943–2022) *

Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern () (30 August 1891 – 6 February 1965) was the eldest son of William, Prince of Hohenzollern and Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He had a twin brother, Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern- ...

(1891–1965) *

Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Joseph Maria Manuel Georg Meinrad Fidelis Benedikt Michael Hubert Fürst von Hohenzollern (3 February 1924 – 16 September 2010) was the head of the House of Hohenzollern for over 45 years. Biography Friedrich Wilhe ...

(1924–2010) *

Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (''Johann Georg Carl Leopold Eitel-Friedrich Meinrad Maria Hubertus Michael''; 31 July 1932 – 2 March 2016) was a German prince, and through his marriage to Princess Birgitta of Sweden, was brother-in-law of ...

(1932–2016) *

(1952–)

References

External links

* of the imperial house of Germany and royal house of Prussia * of the princely house of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen * of the royal house of Romania
Hohenzollern Castle

European Heraldry page

Hohenzollern heraldry page
* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Hohenzollern Monarchy in Germany

County of Zollern

Counts of Zollern (1061–1204)

Franconian branch

Burgraves of Nuremberg (1192–1427)

Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1398–1791)

Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1398–1604), later Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1604–1791)

Dukes of Jägerndorf (1523–1622)

Brandenburg-Prussian branch

Margraves of Brandenburg (1415–1619)

Margraves of Brandenburg-Küstrin (1535–1571)

Margraves of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1688–1788)

Dukes of Prussia (1525–1701)

Kings in Prussia (1701–1772)

Kings of Prussia (1772–1918)

German Emperors (1871–1918)

Prussian Hohenzollern religion and religious policy

Brandenburg-Prussian branch since 1918 abdication

Order of succession

Royal House of Hohenzollern table

Family tree of the House of Hohenzollern

Living legitimate members of the Prussian branch

Swabian branch

Counts of Hohenzollern (1204–1575)

Counts, later Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1576–1849)

Counts of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch (1576–1634 and 1681–1767)

Counts, later Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1576–1849)

House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen after 1849

Kings of the Romanians

Reigning (1866–1947)

Succession since 1947

Residences

Palaces of the Prussian Hohenzollerns

Palaces of the Franconian branches

Palaces of the Swabian Hohenzollerns

Property claims

Coats of arms

Members of the family after abdication

Royal Brandenburg-Prussian branch

Princely Swabian branch

See also

References

Further reading

External links