The Hohenzollern dynasty is the German home of the former princes, electors, kings and emperors of the Principality of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire and Romania. The family originated in the vicinity of the city of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century and took its name from the castle of Hohenzollern. The first ancestors of the Hohenzollerns were mentioned in 1061.
Various branches
The Hohenzollern dynasty split into two branches: the Catholic Swabian and the Protestant Franconian, which later became Brandenburg-Prussian. The Swabian "branch" of the dynasty ruled the principalities of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 1849, and also ruled Romania from 1866 to 1947.
German unification
The Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia were in a union after 1618, and in fact were a single state called Brandenburg-Prussia. The Kingdom of Prussia was created in 1701, which eventuallyled to the unification of Germany and the creation of the German Empire in 1871, with the Hohenzollerns as hereditary German emperors and Prussian kings. They also owned the castle of the same name, which is now very popular with tourists and became the main setting in the movie "The Cure for He alth".
Post World War I
In 1918, the history of the Hohenzollern dynasty as a ruling family ended. Germany's defeat in World War I led to revolution. The Hohenzollern dynasty was overthrown, after which the Weimar Republic was created, which put an end to the German monarchy. Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia is the current head of the royal Prussian line and Karl Friedrich is the head of the princely Swabian line.
The Hohenzollern dynasty: historical facts
Zollern, from 1218 Hohenzollerns, was a district of the Holy Roman Empire. Later, Hechingen was its capital.
The Hohenzollerns named their estates after the aforementioned castle in the Swabian Alps. This castle is located on the 855-meter Hohenzollern mountain. He belongs to this family today.
The dynasty was first mentioned in 1061. According to the medieval chronicler Berthold Reichenau, Burkhard I, Count of Zollern (de Zolorin) was born before 1025 and died in 1061.
In 1095, Count Adalbert of Zollern founded the Benedictine monastery of Alpirsbach, located in the Black Forest.
Zollerns received the title of princes from Emperor Henry V in 1111.
Faithfulvassals
Being loyal vassals of the Swabian Hohenstaufen dynasty, they were able to significantly expand their territory. Count Frederick III (c. 1139 - c. 1200) accompanied Emperor Frederick Barbarossa on a campaign against Henry the Lion in 1180, and through his marriage was awarded by Emperor Henry VI of Nuremberg in 1192. In about 1185 he married Sophia of Raab, daughter of Conrad II, Burgrave of Nuremberg. After the death of Conrad II, who left no male heirs, Frederick III was granted Nuremberg as Burgraf Friedrich I.
In 1218 the title of burgrave passed to the eldest son of Frederick Conrad I, he became the progenitor of the Franconian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty, which acquired the electorate of Brandenburg in 1415.
The older Franconian offshoot of the dynasty was founded by Conrad I, Burgrave of Nuremberg (1186–1261).
The family supported the rulers of the Hohenstaufen and Habsburg dynasties, the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire during the 12th-15th centuries, in return being awarded a number of territorial allotments. Beginning in the 16th century, this branch of the family became Protestant and decided to further expand through dynastic marriages and the purchase of surrounding lands.
Further history
After the death of John III on June 11, 1420, the margraviates of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach were briefly reunited under Frederick VI. He ruled over the united Margraviate of Brandenburg-Ansbach after 1398. From 1420 he became Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. From 1411, Frederick VI became the governor of Brandenburg, and thenelector and margrave of this state, as Frederick I.
In 1411, Frederick VI, Count of Nuremberg, was appointed governor of Brandenburg to restore order and stability. At the Council of Constance in 1415, King Sigismund raised Frederick to the rank of Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg. Thus began the strengthening of the Hohenzollern dynasty in Germany.
Dynasty of Prussian kings
In 1701, the title of king in Prussia was granted to members of this family, and the Duchy of Prussia was not elevated to a kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire. From 1701 the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were permanently attached to the title of King of Prussia. The Duke of Prussia assumed the title of king, receiving the status of a monarch whose royal territory lies outside the Holy Roman Empire, with the consent of Emperor Leopold I.
However, Frederick at first could not be a full-fledged "king of Prussia", because part of the Prussian lands was under the suzerainty of the crown of the Polish kingdom. In the era of absolutism, most monarchs were obsessed with the desire to imitate Louis XIV, the palace at Versailles became the envy. The Hohenzollern dynasty also had a luxurious palace.
Emperors of a united Germany
In 1871, the German Empire was proclaimed. With the accession of Wilhelm I to the newly created German throne, the titles of King of Prussia, Duke of Prussia, and Elector of Brandenburg were permanently tied to the title of German Emperor. In fact, this empire wasfederation of dualistic monarchies.
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck convinced Wilhelm that the title of German Emperor, replacing Holy Roman Emperor, would be highly appropriate.
Road to War
Wilhelm II intended to create a German navy capable of challenging British naval rule. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria on June 28, 1914 began the chain of events that led to the First World War. As a result of the war, the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist. Photos of the Hohenzollern dynasty, or rather its most prominent representatives, you can see in this article.
In the abyss of oblivion
In 1918, the German Empire was abolished and replaced by the Weimar Republic. After the outbreak of the German Revolution in 1918, Emperor Wilhelm II and Crown Prince Wilhelm signed an abdication document.
In June 1926, a referendum to expropriate the property of the former ruling princes (and monarchs) of Germany without compensation failed, and as a result, the financial situation of the Hohenzollern dynasty improved significantly. Arbitration between the former ruling dynasty and the Weimar Republic made the Cecilienhof Castle the property of the state, but allowed the former emperor and his wife Cecile to live in it. The family also owned Monbijou Palace in Berlin, Olesnica Castle in Silesia, Rheinsberg Palace, Schwedt Palace and other properties until 1945year.
Post World War II
Since the abolition of the German monarchy, no Hohenzollern claims to imperial or royal prerogatives have been recognized by the Basic Law of Germany on the Federal Republic of 1949, which guarantees the preservation of the republican form of government.
The communist government of the Soviet occupation zone dispossessed all landowners and industrialists. The house to which this article is devoted has lost almost all of its fortune, retaining several shares of various companies and the already mentioned Hohenzollern Castle in West Germany. The Polish government appropriated the Hohenzollern property in Silesia, and the Dutch government seized Uis Doorn, the residence of the emperor in exile.
Our days
Today the Hohenzollern dynasty still exists, but only a shadow remains of its former greatness. However, after German reunification, it was able to legally reclaim all of its seized property, namely art collections and palaces. Negotiations for a refund or compensation for expropriation are pending.
The Old Imperial Palace in Berlin is being rebuilt and is due to open in 2019. The Berlin Palace and the Humboldt Forum are located in the center of Berlin.
Titles and possessions
The head of the house is the title king of Prussia and the German emperor. He also holds the historical right to the title of Prince of Orange.
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, current headRoyal Prussian House of Hohenzollern, was married to Princess Sophie of Isenburg. On January 20, 2013, she gave birth to twins, Carl Friedrich Franz Alexander and Louis Ferdinand Christian Albrecht, in Bremen. Karl Friedrich, the eldest of them, is the heir apparent.
The cadet Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern was founded by Frederick IV, Count of Zollern. The family managed three estates in Hechingen, Sigmaringen and Haigerloch. The earls were elevated to princes in 1623. The Swabian branch of the Hohenzollerns is Catholic.
Failures, losses and falls
Huffed by economic problems and internal strife, the counts of Hohenzollern, starting from the 14th century, found themselves under pressure from their neighbors, the counts of Württemberg and the cities of the Swabian League, whose troops besieged and finally destroyed the family castle of the dynasty in 1423. However, the Hohenzollerns retained their estates with the support of their cousins from Brandenburg and the Imperial House of Habsburg. In 1535, Count Charles I of the House of Hohenzollern (1512–1576) received the counties of Sigmaringen and Wöhringen as imperial fiefs.
When Charles I, Count of Hohenzollern died in 1576, his ancestral land was divided among three Swabian branches.
