Herman Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (5 November 1627 – 22 September 1674 in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

) was Hofmeister, Chamberlain, Privy Councillor and

Hofmarschall The ''Hofmarschall'' (plural: Hofmarschälle) was the administrative official in charge of a princely German court, supervising all its economic affairs. Historically, every civil service was regarded as court service (e.g. the Russian nobility i ...

to Elector Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria. With his brothers Francis Egon and Wilhelm Egon, he played an important role in the imperial election of 1658 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. In 1664, Herman Egon and his brothers were elevated to

Imperial Prince 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 ...

Life and career

Herman Egon was the fourth son of

Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (Ernst Egon; 21 March 1588 in Speyer – 24 August 1635 in Constance) was Imperial Count of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (1618–1635) and Bavarian Field-marshal, and an important military leader in the Thirty ...

and Countess Anna Maria 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- ...

(1603–1652). He studied in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

from 1639 to 1643, then spent two years at the University of Leuven. In 1651, he became a secret councillor at the court of Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria. In 1655, his brothers Francis Egon and Wilhelm Egon, who were both bishops, left

Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg was a county and later a principality in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the historical territory of Heiligenberg. It was created as a partition of Fürstenberg-Baar in 1559, and it suffered one partition ...

to him, in exchange for monetary compensation. In 1657, he made a similar arrangement with his older brother, Ferdinand Frederick Egon. The members of the Fürstenberg family were

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

s. In 1664, Emperor

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raised Herman Egon and his brothers Franz Egon and Wilhelm Egon to the rank of

.C.B.A. Fickler: ''Kurze Geschichte der Häuser Fürstenberg, Geroldseck und von der Leyen'', Karlsruhe, 1844, p. 17-18 In 1672, he advised the Elector of Bavaria against entering the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

. This made him fall from grace with Emperor Leopold I. He died on 22 September 1674 in Munich and was buried in the chapel of the family castle in

Heiligenberg Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the Bodensee (district), Bodensee district in Baden-Württemberg, about seven kilometres north of Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Salem, in Germany. Location and climate Heiligenberg (literally: the H ...

Marriage and issue

In 1655, Herman Egon was married in

Stühlingen Stühlingen (; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Stüelinge'') is a town in the Waldshut (district), Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the border with Switzerland, with a border crossing to the village of Ob ...

with Maria Franziska (d. 24 August 1680 in Weitra), daughter of Frederick Rudolf of Fürstenberg. With her, he had eight children: * Anton Egon (23 April 1656 - 10 October 1716), succeeded his father as ruler of

* Felix Egon (25 November 1657 - 5 March 1686 in Cologne), High Provost of the Electorate of Cologne * Anna Adelaide (16 January 1659 - 13 November 1701 in Brussels), married Eugen Alexander Franz, 1st Prince of Thurn and Taxis * Maria Franziska (17 September 1660 - 8 June 1691), married William Hyacinth, Prince of Nassau-Siegen * Max Egon Ferdinand (24 October 1661 - 6 May 1696 in Paris), French general * Emanuel Franz Egon (7 March 1663 - 6 September 1688 outside

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

), Imperial colonel; married Katharine Charlotte von Wallenrodt (mistress of his uncle Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg) in 1685 * A daughter (b. and d. 5 June 1665) * John Egon (25 April 1667 - bef. 1670)

References

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Footnotes

External links

Portrait of Herman Egon in the portrait collection of the Austrian National Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herman Egon, Prince Of Furstenberg 1627 births 1674 deaths 17th-century German nobility Herman Egon Princes of the Holy Roman Empire Old University of Leuven alumni