The House of Palatinate-Simmern () was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

- Bavarian

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

. The house was one of the collateral lineages of the Palatinate. It became the main branch in 1559. The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided into four lines after the death of Rupert III in 1410, including the line of Palatinate-Simmern with its capital in Simmern. This line became extinct in 1685 with the death of Charles II. The House of

Palatinate-Neuburg Palatinate-Neuburg () was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505 by a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km2, with a population of some 100,000. History The Du ...

line inherited the Electorate. The founder of the Simmern line,

Stephen, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken Stephen of Simmern-Zweibrücken () (23 June 1385 – 14 February 1459, Simmern) was Count Palatine of Simmern and Zweibrücken from 1410 until his death in 1459.Ludwig Molitor: Vollständige Geschichte der ehemals pfalz-bayerischen Residenzstadt ...

is also the founder of the cadet branch

House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken The House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of Sweden from 1654 to 1720. By this point it had splintered into several different houses. The Royal House of Sweden was represented by the bran ...

and its cadet branches. The rights over the

County of Veldenz The County Palatine of Veldenz was a principality in the contemporary States of Germany, Land Rhineland-Palatinate with full voting rights to the Reichstag. The county was located partially between Kaiserslautern, Sponheim and Zweibrücken, part ...

and a share of the

County of Sponheim The County of Sponheim (, former spelling: Spanheim, Spanheym) was an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire that lasted from the 11th century until the early 19th century. The name comes from the municipality of Sponheim, where the cou ...

, transmitted by Stephen's wife Anna of Veldenz, were held by these lineages. The house of Palatine-Simmern, in the person of the 1st elector, Frederick III, were staunch

Calvinists Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

. Frederick III was a devout convert to Calvinism, and made the Reformed confession the official religion of his domain by overseeing the composition and promulgation of the

Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), one of the Three Forms of Unity, is a Reformed catechism taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine. It was published in 1563 in Heidelberg, Germany. Its ...

. His support of Calvinism gave the German Reformed movement a foothold and base within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. It was also part of the appeal of

Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: *Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) * Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble * Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick II ...

to the

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

in electing him King. , those in the line of succession to the

British throne The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British cons ...

are Protestant descendants of Sophia, who was born into the house (daughter of

and Elizabeth Stuart) as Princess palatine of the Rhine, later becoming Electress consort of Hanover. The Jacobite pretenders since 3 February 1919 have been members of the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (they have been the Heads of the House of Wittelsbach since 1921 as well) which is another Palatinan branch of the House of Wittelsbach and its current only surviving non-morganatic branch.

Rulers of Simmern

Counts Palatine of Simmern

* Stefan 1410–1444 *

Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I ...

1444–1480 *

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

1480–1509 *

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–114 ...

1509–1557 * following Frederick, as II 1557–became Elector

Electors of the Palatinate

* Frederick III 1559–1576 * Louis VI 1576–1583 * Frederick IV 1583–1610 *

1610–1623 * Charles I Louis 1649–1680 * Charles II 1680–1685

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Succession To The British Throne Monarchy of the United Kingdom Succession to the British crown German noble families

Palatinate-Simmern The House of Palatinate-Simmern () was a German- Bavarian cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. The house was one of the collateral lineages of the Palatinate. It became the main branch in 1559. The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbac ...

History of the Palatinate (region) Former states and territories of Rhineland-Palatinate

Rulers of Simmern

Counts Palatine of Simmern

Electors of the Palatinate

See also

References