Prince of Bismarck (german: Fürst von Bismarck) is a title of the

German nobility The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the b ...

. The German word '' Fürst'' historically denotes a sovereign ruler, and is a higher title than ''Prinz''; however both titles are conventionally rendered as ''Prince'' in English. The Prince of Bismarck holds the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

. The title was created in 1871 for the statesman Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898), who received several noble titles during the course of his career. Born into a noble ''

Junker Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...

'' family (the

House of Bismarck The House of Bismarck is a German noble family that rose to prominence in the 19th century, largely through the achievements of the statesman Otto von Bismarck. He was granted a hereditary comital title in 1865, the hereditary title of Prince o ...

), he began life as simply "Mister (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Herr'') Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck". In 1865, he was made ''

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

von Bismarck-Schönhausen'' (Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen) following the Prussian victory over Denmark in the Second War of Schleswig.

Schönhausen Schönhausen ( Low Saxon: ''Schöönhusen'') is a municipality in the district of Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Elbe-Havel-Land. Geography The village is situated on a ...

was the Bismarck family's estate, in the Prussian province of Saxony. This hereditary comital title is borne by all of Otto von Bismarck's descendants in the male line. After Prussia and its allies had defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and following the establishment of a new German Empire which followed in 1871, Bismarck was made '' Fürst von Bismarck'' (Prince of Bismarck). This hereditary princely title descends in the male line, but it is only held by the eldest son of the family. Finally, as a consolation for his dismissal by Emperor

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

in 1890, Bismarck was made ''

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

von Lauenburg'' (

Duke of Lauenburg The title of Duke of Lauenburg derives from the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, which, since its foundation in 1269, was ruled in succession by 29 dukes from six dynastic houses and lines, and by an additional four dukes from a temporary dynastic branch ...

) for his own lifetime only, and he was accorded the hereditary style of ''

Durchlaucht His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

'' (equivalent to "Serene Highness"), held by the incumbent Prince. The

Duchy of Lauenburg The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a ''reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme sou ...

was one of the territories which Prussia (and Austria) seized from Denmark in 1864, and the choice of this title was therefore a nod to Bismarck's career. Upon Bismarck's death in 1898, his dukedom became extinct and his princely title passed to his eldest son,

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

. The current prince is the Iron Chancellor's great-great-grandson.

Princes of Bismarck

# Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck (1815–1898) # Nikolaus Heinrich Ferdinand Herbert, Prince of Bismarck (1849–1904) # Otto Christian Archibald, Prince of Bismarck (1897–1975) # Ferdinand Herbord Ivar, Prince of Bismarck (1930–2019) # Carl, Prince of Bismarck (born 1961) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the title is the current prince's son, Count Alexei von Bismarck (born 2006). {{DEFAULTSORT:Bismarck, Princes Of 1871 establishments in Germany Noble titles created in 1871 Bismarck family Otto von Bismarck