Eitel Frederick II of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (

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 ...

, 1601 - Issenheim, 11 July 1661) was the second Prince 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 an imperial general in the Thirty Years' War.

Biography

Eitel Friedrich was the eldest son of Prince Johann Georg, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1577–1623) and Countess Franziska von Salm-Neufville (d. 1619). His father placed particular emphasis on a good education and the prince was sent to the universities of Vienna and Ingolstadt for this purpose. Educational trips to Italy and France also followed. Eitel Friedrich succeeded his father as Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen in 1623. He also commanded an infantry regiment in the service of

Emperor Ferdinand II Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II, Archduke of Austr ...

. Eitel Friedrich was loyal to the Catholic Church and therefore supported the Habsburg during the Thirty Years' War.
His power base, the

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 ...

, was strategically highly significant. The principality was surrounded by Protestant neighbors. In the war, the fortress developed into a focal point and was besieged and devastated by the Swedes and Württembergers in 1634. The castle was recaptured by Imperial troops the next year, and remained under Habsburg control until 1798 against a payment of 5,000 guilders annually.
The Thirty Years' War had impoverished the people in Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Eitel Friedrich was also faced with serious financial problems, forcing him to sell several attractive fiefs. In 1653, Eitel Friedrich became a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

and was admitted to the Imperial Diet in

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

.
In 1661, Eitel Friedrich was wounded in

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

and died shortly after. He left no male heirs and was succeeded as a Prince by his brother

Philipp Philipp is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: "Philipp" has also been a shortened version of Philippson, a German surname especially prevalent amongst German Jews and Dutch Jews. Surname * Adolf Philipp (18 ...

Marriage and children

On 19 March 1630, he married in

Boutersem Boutersem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality now comprises the towns of Boutersem proper, Kerkom, Neervelp, Roosbeek, Vertrijk and Willebringen. On January 1, 2006, Boutersem had a total ...

Maria Elisabeth II van den Bergh (1613–1671), daughter of Hendrik van den Bergh and Margravine of Bergen Op Zoom. With her he had the following children: * Stillborn son (1632) *

Franziska Franziska may refer to: People * Franziska (given name) * Patrick Franziska (born 1992), German table tennis player Characters * Franziska von Karma, character in the ''Ace Attorney'' series Other uses * Franziska (play), ''Franziska'' (p ...

(1642–1698), Margravine of Bergen Op Zoom, married Frédéric Maurice, son of

Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duc de Bouillon Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to: In artistry: * Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator * Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor * Frédéric Bazille, Impre ...

Sources

* Gustav Schilling: ''Geschichte des Hauses Hohenzollern'', F. Fleischer, 1843, Page 228. * Heinrich August Pierer: ''Pierer's Universal-Lexikon der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart: oder, Neuestes encyclopädisches Wörterbuch der Wissenschaften, Künste und Gewerbe'', Band 8, 1859, S. 465
Google Books
* Johann Samuel Ersch: ''Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste'', J. f. Gleditsch, 1832, S. 418
Google Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philipp Hohenzollern Hechingen Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen House of Hohenzollern 1601 births 1661 deaths 17th-century German people People from Hechingen