Prince Joseph Ernst Friedrich Karl Anton Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (24 May 1702 in Sigmaringen – 8 December 1769 at Haag Castle,

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 ...

) was the fifth

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 ...

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 ...

. He ruled from 1715 to 1769.

Life

Joseph was the eldest son of Prince Meinrad II of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1673–1715) from his marriage to Johanna Katharina von Montfort (1678–1759), daughter of Count Johann Anton I of Montfort-Tettnang. He was initially raised by his mother. However, due to the turmoil of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, the family moved to his father's residence in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Joseph continued to be educated in Vienna after his parents returned to Sigmaringen in 1714. After his father's death in 1715, he succeeded as Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. However, as he was still a minor, he stood under his mother's regency until 1720. Shortly before 1720, Joseph joined the Austrian army, where he held the rank of General of the Cavalry and later Fieldmarshal Lieutenant of the imperial

Swabian Circle The Circle of Swabia or Swabian Circle ( or ''Schwäbischer Kreis'') was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1500 on the territory of the former German stem-duchy of Swabia. However, it did not include the Habsburg hom ...

. Joseph managed to befriend the

Electorate of Bavaria The Electorate of Bavaria () was a quasi-independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria. The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Bavaria was the younger ...

and after the election, Emperor Charles VII appointed him as imperial

Geheimrat was the title of the highest advising officials at the imperial, royal, or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic reigns in Ge ...

. Joseph was an avid hunter and in 1727, he created the game park Josefslust in Sigmaringen. In 1736, he modernized and remodeled

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 ...

. He also embellished the local Knight's Hall and added portraits of all his ancestors. In Sigmaringen, he built the St Johann's Church, the St. Joseph Chapel, and the

Jagdschloss A ''Jagdschloss'' is a hunting lodge in German-speaking countries. It is a ''schloss'' set in a wildlife park or a hunting area (such as a forest, field or by a lake) that served primarily as accommodation for a ruler or aristocrat and his ent ...

in Josefslust Park. In

, which he preferred as a residence over Sigmaringen, he built the St Anna's Church. He was known as a patron of the arts. He commissioned works by the artist Johann Michael Feuchtmayer, Johann Georg Weckenmann and Andreas Meinrad von Ow. He supported the

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

of the local saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen. He also supported the school and church life.

Marriages and Issue

In Oettingen on 20 May 1722 Joseph married firstly with Maria Franziska Louise (21 May 1703 – 29 November 1737), daughter of Prince Franz Albrecht of Oettingen-Spielberg, who brought him a considerable fortune. They had six children: * Karl Friedrich (9 January 1724 – 20 December 1785), Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. * Maria Johanna (13 November 1726 – 9 April 1793), a nun in Buchau. * Maria Amalia Franziska (8 May 1729 – 4 March 1730). * Meinrad Ferdinand Joseph (20 October 1732 – 8 June 1733). * Maria Anna Theresia (born and died 16 August 1736). * A son (born and died 29 November 1737). On 5 July 1738 Joseph married secondly with Maria Judith Katharina Philippina (30 April 1718 – 9 May 1743), daughter of Count Franz Anton of Closen, Baron of Arnstorf. They had three children: * Karl Albrecht Joseph (24 March 1741 – 23 May 1741). * Maria Amalia Josepha (29 May 1742 – 27 August 1742). * Maria Theresia Philippina (15 April 1743 – 11 August 1743). On 22 October 1743 Joseph married thirdly with Maria Theresa (3 March 1696 – 7 May 1761), daughter of Count Franz Christoph of Waldburg at Trauchburg. They had no children.

Ancestry

References

* Günter Schmitt: ''Sigmaringen'', in: Günter Schmitt: ''Burgenführer Schwäbische Alb'', vol. 3: ''Donautal. Wandern und entdecken zwischen Sigmaringen und Tuttlingen'', Biberacher Verlagsdruckerei, Biberach, 1990, , p. 41–62 * Gustav Schilling: ''Geschichte des Hauses Hohenzollern in genealogisch fortlaufenden Biographien aller seiner Regenten von den ältesten bis auf die neuesten Zeiten, nach Urkunden und andern authentischen Quellen'', Fleischer, Leipzig 1843
p. 283 ff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph Friedrich Ernst # Hohenzollern Sigmaringen Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Counts of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch House of Hohenzollern 1702 births 1769 deaths 18th-century German people