Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; old ...

Archbishopric of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' ( IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Veldenz, and a castle,

Schloss Veldenz Schloss Veldenz in the Hunsrück upland, on a steep vale draining into the Mosel is a castle ruin about southeast of the village of Veldenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Location The site is in the district of Bernkastel ...

, are located in the district of

Bernkastel-Wittlich Bernkastel-Wittlich ( German: ''Landkreis Bernkastel-Wittlich'') is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarbu ...

.

History

The Counts of Veldenz separated from the

Wildgraves The noble family of the Waldgraves or Wildgraves (Latin: ''comites silvestres'') descended of a division of the House of the Counts of Nahegau in the year 1113. When the (a countship named after the river Nahe) split into two parts in 1113 ...

of Kyrburg and Schmidburg family in 1112. The direct male line of the first comital house ceased in 1260 with the death of

Gerlach V of Veldenz Gerlach is a male forename of Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this case, those ...

and his daughter

Agnes of Veldenz Agnes or Agness may refer to: People *Agnes (name), the given name, and a list of people named Agnes or Agness * Wilfrid Marcel Agnès (1920–2008), Canadian diplomat Places * Agnes, Georgia, United States, a ghost town * Agnes, Missouri, Unite ...

inherited the county in 1260. Her husband

Heinrich of Geroldseck Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

became the founder of the second line of Counts of Veldenz or the House of Veldenz-Geroldseck ( Hohengeroldseck). In 1444 the county came under the rule of Stephen, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken by his marriage to

Anna of Veldenz Countess Palatine Anna of Veldenz (12 November 1540 – 30 March 1586) was Margravine of Baden-Durlach by marriage to Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and co-regent of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach during the minority of her son Ernest ...

, the only heiress of Count Frederick III of Veldenz. As of 1532, the entire County Palantine of Zweibrücken passed to the child Wolfgang. In 1543, when Wolfgang reached majority and took on the responsibilities of office, he enacted the Marburg Contract, giving his uncle

Rupert Rupert may refer to: People * Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert" Places Canada * Rupert, Quebec, a village *Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay *Rupert River, Quebec *Rupert ...

, who had served as his

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

and guardian for 11 years, the County of Veldenz. When Rupert died in 1544, son George John succeeded him as Count Palatine of Veldenz. George married

Anna Maria of Sweden Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

, a daughter of

Gustav I of Sweden Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

, in 1563. This was the joining of the House of Wittelsbach with the Swedish Vasa royal family which was strengthened by a further marriage when Johann Casimir of Pfalz-Zweibrücken married Catharina of Sweden, a sister of Gustavus Adolphus in the 17th century. Wolfgang had in 1553 with the Heidelberg Succession agreement regulated the mutual inheritance of all Wittelsbach lines reaching from Veldenz-Palatinate to the county Lützelstein in Alsace. The grandson of Georg Hans, Leopold Ludwig von Lützelstein, died in 1694 without legitimate offspring and the county-Palatinate of Veldenz reverted to the Zweibrücken line, specifically King of Sweden

Charles XI Charles XI or Carl ( sv, Karl XI; ) was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein- ...

, who ruled in personal union with the duchy of Palatine Zweibrücken. In 1801 it was incorporated into the Saardepartement of the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

. The

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

, 1815, gave the smaller part of the county lying on the Mosel to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

and the remainder to

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

.

Counts of Veldenz

First Veldenz Line

* Emicho, Count of Kyrburg and Schmidburg (1086–1113) * Gerlach I, Count of Veldenz (1113–1146) * Gerlach II, Count of Veldenz (1146–1186) * Gerlach III, Count of Veldenz (1186–1214) * Gerlach IV, Count of Veldenz (1214–1254) * Gerlach V, Count of Veldenz (1254–1260) * Agnes, Countess of Veldenz (1260–1277)

Veldenz-Geroldseck Line

* Henry, Count of Geroldseck (1277–1298) ∞ Agnes of Veldenz (1258–?) * Walter, Count of Veldenz (1298–1327) * George I, Count of Veldenz (1327–1347) * Henry II, Count of Veldenz (1347–1378) * Frederick II, Count of Veldenz (1378–1396) * Henry III, Count of Veldenz (1378–1389) * Henry IV, Count of Veldenz (1389–1393) *

Frederick III, Count of Veldenz Frederick III, Count of Veldenz (died 1444) was the last from the Hohengeroldseck family to rule the county - that male line died out with him, and the county passed to his son-in-law Stephen, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken, widower of Fre ...

(1393–1444)

Palatine Zweibrücken Line

* Stephen (briefly in 1444), widower of

Anna of Veldenz Countess Palatine Anna of Veldenz (12 November 1540 – 30 March 1586) was Margravine of Baden-Durlach by marriage to Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and co-regent of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach during the minority of her son Ernest ...

(died 1439, daughter of Frederick III), separated Veldenz from his other holdings and gave it to his younger son * Louis (1444–1489) * Alexander (1489–1514) * Louis II (1514–1532) * Wolfgang (1532–1543). Wolfgang rewarded his uncle and

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

,

Rupert Rupert may refer to: People * Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert" Places Canada * Rupert, Quebec, a village *Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay *Rupert River, Quebec *Rupert ...

, with Veldenz. Wolfgang's other counties and duchies were split amongst his own sons upon his death in 1569.

Palatine Veldenz Line

*

Rupert, Count Palatine of Veldenz Rupert (German: Ruprecht) (1506 – 28 July 1544) was the Count of Veldenz from 1543 until 1544. Life Rupert was born in Zweibrücken in 1506 as the youngest son of Alexander, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. As a younger son, Rupert was designat ...

(1543–1544) * George John I, Count Palatine of Veldenz (1544–1592) *

George Gustavus, Count Palatine of Veldenz George Gustavus (German: Georg Gustav) (6 February 1564 – 3 June 1634) was the Count of Veldenz from 1592 until 1634. Biography George Gustavus was born in 1564 as the eldest son of George John I, Count Palatine of Lützelstein. His father die ...

(1592–1634) * Leopold Louis, Count Palatine of Veldenz (1634–1694), died without heir, Veldenz reabsorbed by the Palatine Zweibrücken line (King of Sweden

Charles XI Charles XI or Carl ( sv, Karl XI; ) was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein- ...

)

Literature

* Crollius, Georg Christian
Vorlesung: Von dem ersten geschlecht der alten graven von Veldenz und dessen gemeinschaftlichen abstammung mit den ältern Wildgraven von den graven im Nohgau.
Historia et Commentationes. Academiae Electoralis Scientiarvm et Elegantiorvm Litterarvm Theodoro-Palatinae. Mannhemii Typis Academicis 1770 (complete at Google Books) * Crollius, Georg Christian
Vorlesung: von dem zweiten geschlechte der grafen von Veldenz, aus dem hause der herren von Geroldseck in der Ortenau.
Historia et Commentationes. Academiae Electoralis Scientiarvm et Elegantiorvm Litterarvm Theodoro-Palatinae. Mannhemii Typis Academicis 1778 (complete at Google Books) * Gerbert, Martin
Pragmatische Geschichte des Hauses Geroldsek, wie auch derer Reichsherrschaften Hohengeroldsek, Lahr und Mahlberg in Schwaben.
Frankfurt und Leipzig 1766 (complete at Google Books)

External links

www.schlossveldenz.com
*

Historical mapVeldenzer Aufgebot 1462
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veldenz 1801 disestablishments States and territories established in 1112 Counts of Veldenz Lists of monarchs Lists of counts Former states and territories of Rhineland-Palatinate Counties of the Holy Roman Empire