Friedrich XII, Count of Hohenzollern, nickname Friedrich the Oettinger (before 1401 – 1443) was a German nobleman. He was a member of the Swabian branch of the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

. His father was Friedrich XI, Count of Hohenzollern; his younger brother and rival was

Eitel Friedrich I, Count of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

Life

Friedrich was confronted with the situation that the Swabian line of the

had lost much of ints importance, because they had had to sell some of their territory, and divide the remaining territory among a growing number of ruling counts. The division of 1402 had reinforced this problem. Friedrich XI's territory had been divided between Friedrich XII and his brother Eitel Friedrich I.

Hohenzollern Castle Hohenzollern Castle (german: Burg Hohenzollern ) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the ...

, the town of

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 t ...

and the

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

were still owned jointly. The brothers constantly quarreled over their inheritance. Friedrich was in financial difficulties, and selling even more territory to the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then calle ...

would not solve his problem. The Counts of Hohenzollern wanted to remain independent from Württemberg. The imperial court in Rottweil pronounced an

imperial ban The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...

over Friedrich XII in 1418, and he had to flee. The conflict with Eitel Friedrich I over Hohenzollern Castle escalated when in 1422 Friedrich XII began a feud against the

free imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

of Rottweil. The Swabian League of Cities allied with Eitel Friedrich I and the Counts of Württemberg against Friedrich XII. After they had besieged Hohenzollern castle for ten months, Friedrich XII had to surrender in 1423. Emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

ordered the castle to be destroyed as a punishment, and forbade Friedrich to build it up again. In 1426, Friedrich XII and Eitel Friedrich I reconciled their differences. However, in 1428 or 1429,

Henriette, Countess of Montbéliard Henriette (1387 – 14 February 1444) was Sovereign Countess of Montbéliard from 1397 until 1444. She was the daughter of Henry of Orbe (died 1396), and the heiress of her grandfather, Stephen, Count of Montbéliard. Her great-grandfather was H ...

took Friedrich XII prisoner. He remained in her custody until 1440. When Eitel Friedrich I died in 1439, Friedrich XII claimed his inheritance, as did his nephew Jobst Nikolaus I, who was Eitel Friedrich's eldest son. Friedrich XII died in childless in 1443 while on a journey to the Holy Land. His widow, Anna of Sulz, had to turn to the Counts of Württemberg for financial support, as they held most of the former Hohenzollern possessions, and the family was in serious financial difficulties.

References

* E. G. Johler: ''Geschichte, Land- und Ortskunde der souverainen teutschen Fürstenthümer Hohenzollern Hechingen und Sigmaringen'', Stettin'sche Buchhandlung, Ulm, 1824
Online
* Wolfgang Neugebauer: ''Die Hohenzollern. Anfänge, Landesstaat und monarchische Autokratie bis 1740'', vol. 1, Stuttgart, Berlin and Cologne, 1996 * 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
Online

External links

Genealogical datebase — Geneall.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 12, Count of Hohenzollern Counts of Hohenzollern 14th-century births Year of birth unknown 1443 deaths People from Hechingen 14th-century German nobility