Prince of Bismarck () is a title of the

German nobility The German nobility () and Royal family, royalty were status groups of the Estates of the realm, medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain Privilege (law), privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the Ger ...

. The German word ''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

'' historically denotes a

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

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, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style (manner of address), style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Until 1918, it was also associated with the p ...

. The title was created in 1871 for the statesman

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...

(1815–1898), who received several noble titles during the course of his career. Born into a noble ''

Junker Junker (, , , , , , ka, იუნკერი, ) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German , meaning 'young nobleman'Duden; Meaning of Junker, in German/ref> or otherwise 'young lord' (derivation of and ). The term is traditionally ...

'' family (the

House of Bismarck The House of Bismarck is a German nobility, 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 Graf, comital title in 1865, the heredit ...

), he began life as simply "Mister ( German: ''Herr'') Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck". In 1865, he was made ''

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

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

Second War of Schleswig The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...

Schönhausen Schönhausen (Low German, Low Saxon: ''Schöönhusen'') is a municipality in the district of Stendal (district), Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Elbe-Havel-Land. Geograp ...

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 The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870, and following the establishment of a new

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

which followed in 1871, Bismarck was made ''

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 Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

in 1890, Bismarck was made ''

Herzog (; feminine ; masculine plural ; feminine plural ) 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 ...

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'' (equivalent to "Serene Highness"), held by the incumbent Prince. The Duchy of Lauenburg 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. The current prince is the great-great-grandson of Otto von Bismarck.

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-Eduard Otto Wolfgang Jayme Anders, Prince of Bismarck (born 1961) The

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the title is the current prince's son, Count Alexei von Bismarck (born 2006).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bismarck, Princes Of 1871 establishments in Germany Noble titles created in 1871 Bismarck family Otto von Bismarck