Philipp Christoph Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (24 June 1616 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 ...

– 24 January 1671 in Hechingen) was a German nobleman. He was the third 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- ...

Life

Philipp was the youngest son of Prince Johann Georg (1577–1623) from his marriage with Franziska (d. 1619), a daughter of Duke Friedrich I of Salm, Wild- and

Rhinegrave (; 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 ...

in Neufville. As a younger son, Philipp was destinined for the church. He was a canon in Cologne and Strasbourg. He was considered a learned jurist and was the head of an imperial diplomatic mission to Spain. When his eldest brother Eitel Friedrich V died in 1661, Philipp inherited the principality.

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, and he held various d ...

allowed him to revert to the lay state, in exchange for a payment of

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula from 1551 until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from t ...

. Strictly speaking, when the Counts of Hohenzollern-Hechingen were raised to Princes, only the firstborn sons had been given the right to inherit the princely title. However, because of everything the rulers of Hohenzollern-Hechingen had done while they were in the imperial service, Emperor Leopold I, extended the right to this title to Philipp. The Pope also gave the 50-year-old Philipp the dispensation he needed to marry in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

on 12 November 1662 to Princess Marie Sidonie (1635–1686), a daughter of Margrave Herman Fortunatus of Baden-Rodemachern. During his reign, Philipp suffered from a frail health, and in his later years, he was completely paralyzed. The principality had been financially and economically ruined by the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

and was slowly recovering, due in part to Philipp's modest court and the dowry his wife brought in. During his reign, industry, agriculture, trade, churches and schools began to blossom again.

Issue

Philipp and Marie Sidonie had the following children: * Friedrich Wilhelm (1663–1735), his heir, married: *# in 1687 to Countess Maria Leopoldine of Sinzendorf (1666–1709) *# in 1710 to Baroness Maximiliane Magdalene of Lützau (1690–1755) * Herman Friedrich (1665–1733), Imperial Field Marshal, married: *# in 1704 to Princess Eleonore Magdalene of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1673–1711), daughter of Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth *# in 1714 to Countess Josepha of Oettingen-Spielberg (1694–1738) * Karl Leopold (1666–1684), fell in the First Battle of Buda * Philipp Friedrich (1667–1667) * Maria Margaret (1668–1668) * Sidonia (1670–1687)

References

* 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'', F. Fleischer, 1843, p. 233 ff. * Eduard Vehse: ''Geschichte der deutschen Höfe seit der Reformation'', vols. 39-40, Hoffmann & Campe, 1856, p. 66 {{DEFAULTSORT:Philipp Hohenzollern Hechingen Princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen House of Hohenzollern 1616 births 1671 deaths 17th-century German people