Eitel Friedrich II, Count of Hohenzollern ( – 18 June 1512 in

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

Electorate of Trier The Electorate of Trier ( or '; ) was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the end of the 9th to the early 19th century. It was the temporal possession of the prince-archbishop of Trier (') wh ...

) was a count of

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. ...

and belonged to the Swabian line of the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

. He was the first president of the

Reichskammergericht The ; ; ) was one of the two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms. All legal proceedings in the Holy Roman Empire could be ...

. As a close friend of the Archduke and later Emperor Maximilian I, he gained great influence in the imperial politics. He managed to consolidate and expand his own territory.

Relationship with the Franconian line

Eitel Friedrich II was the son and heir of Count Jobst Nikolaus I (1433–1488). He continued his father's policy of good relationships with the Franconian line of the House of Hohenzollern, who 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 the

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 ...

. During his father's reign, he spent several years at the court of Elector Albrecht Achilles. From 1481, he served as captain of the Lordship of

Krosno Odrzańskie Krosno Odrzańskie () is a town in Lubusz Voivodeship in western Poland, on the east bank of Oder River, at the confluence with the Bóbr. With 11,319 inhabitants (2019) it is the capital of Krosno County, Lubusz Voivodeship, Krosno County. His ...

, east of the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

. In 1483, he became a Councillor in Brandenburg. Later, he served as governor of

Kottbus Cottbus () or (;) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian s ...

and Züllichau. In 1482 in Berlin, he married Magdalena, the daughter of Margrave Friedrich of the Altmark, thus creating a family relationship between the two lines of Hohenzollern. Elector Albrecht Achilles, who held some possessions in Swabia himself, protected his Swabian relatives against the powerful Counts of Württemberg, who had formed a threat to the Swabian Hohenzollerns for a long time.

Relationship with the House of Habsburg

Eitel Friedrich II was a close friend of Maximilian I and maintained excellent relations with the

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 ...

. This gained great influence on imperial politics. He provided diplomatic services for Maximilian and fought for him in the Netherlands. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Guinegate in 1479 and in 1488, he led the vanguard against rebellious citizens of Bruges, who held the newly elected Emperor captive. Eitel Friedrich had served Maximilan as judge and when the

was established in 1495, Eitel Friedrich was its first president. In 1497 or 1498, he was appointed as Councillor in Austria. In 1499, Eitel Friedrich and Dietrich Blumeneck led a small army against Switzerland and conquered Rorschach on the south bank of

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

. In 1500, he occupied the

County of Gorizia The County of Gorizia (, , , ), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of Aquileia, the Counts of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner'') ruled over several fiefs in the are ...

for Austria. In 1501, he was awarded the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

. On 12 September 1504, during the

Landshut War of Succession The War of the Succession of Landshut (''Landshuter Erbfolgekrieg'' in German) resulted from a dispute between the Duchies of Bavaria-Munich (''Bayern-München'' in German) and Bavaria-Landshut (''Bayern-Landshut''). Background George, Duk ...

, he fought at Regensburg against Bohemia and the Palatinate. He commanded the right wing of the cavalry and contributed significantly to the victory.

Legacy

In 1505 Eitel Friedrich II founded the Collegiate Church in

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 ...

, where a tombstone for him and his wife can be seen.

Issue

The following children were born from the marriage of Eitel Friedrich and Magdalena of Brandenburg: * Franz Wolfgang (1483 or 1484 – 1517), married to Margravine Rosine of Baden (5 March 1487 – 29 October 1554), daughter of

Christopher I, Margrave of Baden Christopher I of Baden (13 November 1453 – 19 April 1527) was the Margrave of Baden from 1475 to 1515. Life Christopher was the eldest son of Charles I, Margrave of Baden-Baden and Catherine of Austria, a sister of Frederick III, Holy Roman ...

and

Ottilie of Katzenelnbogen Ottilie of Katzenelnbogen (c. 1451 – 15 August 1517, Baden-Baden), was by marriage Margravine of Baden-Baden. Life She was the only child of Philipp II ''the Younger'' of Katzenelnbogen (1427 – 27 February 1453) and Ottilie of Nassau-Siege ...

. * Wandelberta ( – 1551), married in 1507 to Count Albrecht III of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim (d. 1551) * Joachim (1485 or 1486 – 1538), married in 1513 to Anastasia of Stoffeln (d. 1530) * Maria Salome (1488–1548), married in 1507 to Count Ludwig XV of Oettingen (d. 1557) * Eitel Friedrich III (1494–1525), his successor, married Johanna of Witthem (d. 1544) * Anna (1496–1530), a nun

Ancestry

References

* Martin Dressel: ''Graf Eitelfriedrich II. von Zollern (1452 - 1512)'', Gesellschaft für Reichskammergerichtsforschung, Wetzlar, 1995 * Wolfgang Neugebauer: ''Die Hohenzollern. Anfänge, Landesstaat und monarchische Autokratie bis 1740'', vol. 1, Stuttgart, Berlin and Cologne, 1996 * * Constantin von Wurzbach: ''Hohenzollern, Eitel Friedrich (IV.)'', in: ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'', vol. 9, Verlag L. C. Zamarski, Vienna, 1863, p. 217

External links

Entry at deutschemonarchie.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eitel Friedrich 02 Hohenzollern Counts of Hohenzollern House of Hohenzollern Knights of the Golden Fleece 1450s births Place of birth missing 1512 deaths Year of birth uncertain 15th-century German nobility