, title = , image = William, Prince of Hohenzollern.jpg , caption = , succession =

Prince 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 ...

, reign=8 June 1905 – 22 October 1927, reign-type=Tenure, predecessor = Leopold , successor = Frederick , spouse =
, issue = Augusta Victoria, Queen of Portugal

Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern , succession = Prince of Hohenzollern , image = FriedrichHohenzollern1.jpg , caption = , reign=22 October 1927 – 6 February 1965, reign-type=Tenure, predecessor = William , successor = Frederick William , spouse ...

Francis Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden , royal house =

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, Brandenb ...

, father =

Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern , title = , image = LeopoldHS.jpg , image_size = 180px , caption = , succession = Prince of Hohenzollern , reign-type = Tenure , reign = 2 June 1885 – 8 June 1905 , predecessor = Karl Anton , successor ...

, mother = Infanta Antónia of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Schloss Benrath, near

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...

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 ...

, death_date = , death_place =

Sigmaringen Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle, Schloss Sigmaring ...

Province of Hohenzollern A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

William, Prince of Hohenzollern (german: Wilhelm August Karl Joseph Peter Ferdinand Benedikt Fürst von Hohenzollern) (7 March 1864 in Schloss Benrath, near

– 22 October 1927 in

) was the eldest son of

and Infanta Antónia of Portugal. William was an older brother of Ferdinand of Romania. His first cousins included (among others)

Carlos I of Portugal ''Dom'' Carlos I (; English: King Charles of Portugal; 28 September 1863 – 1 February 1908), known as the Diplomat ( pt, o Diplomata), the Martyr ( pt, o Martirizado), and the Oceanographer ( pt, o Oceanógrafo), among many other names, was ...

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern ...

, Frederick Augustus III of Saxony, and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony. Between 1880 and 1886, William was

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the

Romanian throne The King of Romania (Romanian: ''Regele României'') or King of the Romanians (Romanian: ''Regele Românilor''), was the title of the monarch of the Kingdom of Romania from 1881 until 1947, when the Romanian Workers' Party proclaimed the Romanian ...

. On 20 December 1886, he renounced his rights to the throne in favor of his brother Ferdinand.Renunciation letter of Guillaume de Hohenzollern, in French, dated on 20 December 1886Gheorghe Bengescu (1907)- Bibliographie franco-roumaine depuis le commencement du XIXe siècle jusqu'à nos jours.
/ref>

Family

On 27 June 1889, William married

Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a s ...

. Her parents were

Prince Louis, Count of Trani , title =Count of Trani , image = Prince Louis of the Two Sicilies, Count of Trani circa 1870 (anonymous photographer).jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = , spouse = Duchess Mathilde Ludovika in Bavaria , issue ...

and

Mathilde Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria Mathilde Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria (30 September 1843 – 18 June 1925) was the fourth daughter of Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Her mother was the youngest daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria by h ...

. Louis was the eldest son of

Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand II ( it, Ferdinando Carlo; scn, Ferdinannu Carlu; nap, Ferdinando Carlo; 12 January 1810 – 22 May 1859) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death in 1859. Family Ferdinand was born in Palermo to King Francis I of the T ...

and his second wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. Mathilde was the fourth daughter of

Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria (4 December 1808 – 15 November 1888), known informally as Max in Bayern, was a member of a junior branch of the royal House of Wittelsbach who were Kings of Bavaria, and a promoter of Bavarian folk-music. He is ...

and

Princess Ludovika of Bavaria Princess Ludovika of Bavaria (Marie Ludovika Wilhelmine; ''Mary Louise Wilhelmina''; 30 August 1808 – 25 January 1892) was the sixth child of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Karoline of Baden, and the mother of Empress ...

. William and Maria Teresa had three children: *

Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern , image = Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern.jpg , caption = Photograph, , spouse = , house =Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen , father = William, Prince of Hohenzollern , mother = Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbo ...

(19 August 1890 – 29 August 1966). Married first

Manuel II of Portugal '' Dom'' Manuel II (15 November 1889 – 2 July 1932), "the Patriot" ( pt, "o Patriota") or "the Unfortunate" (), was the last King of Portugal, ascending the throne after the assassination of his father, King Carlos I, and his elder brother, ...

and secondly Robert, Count Douglas. * Prince Frederick Victor of Hohenzollern (30 August 1891 – 6 February 1965). Married

Princess Margarete Karola of Saxony , succession = Prince of Hohenzollern , image = FriedrichHohenzollern1.jpg , caption = , reign=22 October 1927 – 6 February 1965, reign-type=Tenure, predecessor = William , successor = Frederick William , spouse ...

. She was a daughter of Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and

Archduchess Luise, Princess of Tuscany Archduchess Louise of Austria (2 September 1870, in Salzburg – 23 March 1947, in Brussels) was by marriage Crown Princess of Saxony as the wife of the future King Frederick Augustus III. Life Crown Princess of Saxony Louise was born on 2 Sept ...

. * Prince Francis Joseph of Hohenzollern, adopted the title ''Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden'' (30 August 1891 – 3 April 1964). He married

Princess Maria Alix of Saxony Franz Joseph Maria Ludwig Anton Thassilo Prinz von Hohenzollern-Emden (English: ''Prince Francis Joseph of Hohenzollern-Emden''; 30 August 1891 – 3 April 1964) was a member of the Roman Catholic branch of the House of Hohenzollern. He was born a ...

, also a daughter of Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and

. William succeeded his father as

on 8 June 1905. Maria Teresa died on 1 May 1909. On 20 January 1915, Wilhelm married secondly

Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria (german: Adelgunde Auguste Charlotte Caroline Elisabeth Amalie Marie Sophie Luise von Bayern; 19 March 1823 – 28 October 1914) was a daughter of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. She was D ...

. She was a daughter of

Ludwig III of Bavaria Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfried; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially he served in the Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold the rank of Oberl ...

and Maria Theresia of Austria-Este. There were no children from this marriage. William's title was effectively abolished with the collapse of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. He continued to use his princely surname, which was permitted by the constitution.

Romanian succession

On 22 November 1880, William's father, Prince Leopold, renounced his rights to the succession of the

principality of Romania The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia ( ro, Principatele Unite ale Moldovei și Țării Românești), commonly called United Principalities, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia, ...

Renunciation letter of Leopold de Hohenzollern, in French, dated on 22 November 1880" in favour of his sons. Having become familiar with the situation there, the 22-year-old William renounced all rights to the succession of the kingdom (since 1881) of

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

by a letter in French dated on 20 December 1886. In 1914, upon the death of king

Carol I of Romania Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

, William's next brother

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

became king.

Honours and awards

;German orders and decorations
Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat
' (1918), Genealogy p.6 ;Foreign orders and decorations
Handbuch über den Königlich Preussischen Hof und Staat
', 1908, p. 5

Ancestry

References

*"The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy" by C. Arnold McNaughton. {{DEFAULTSORT:William, Prince of Hohenzollern Princes of Hohenzollern Members of the Prussian House of Lords Nobility from Düsseldorf People from the Rhine Province Generals of Infantry (Prussia) German landowners 1864 births 1927 deaths Recipients of the Iron Cross, 1st class Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Knights of the Holy Sepulchre 2 2 Grand Crosses of Military Merit