Fürstenberg was a county (), and later a principality (''

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 ...

entum''), of 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 ...

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

, which was located in present-day southern

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Its ruling family was the

House of Fürstenberg A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

History

The county emerged when Egino IV, Count of Urach by marriage, inherited large parts of the Duchy of Zähringen upon the death of Duke Berthold V in 1218, and it was originally called the county of

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

. Egino's grandson, Count Henry, started naming himself after his residence at Fürstenberg Castle around 1250. The county was partitioned in 1284 between itself and the lower county of

Villingen Villingen-Schwenningen (; Low Alemannic: ''Villinge-Schwenninge'') is a city in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in southern Baden-Württemberg, in south-western Germany. It had 89,743 inhabitants as of September 2024. History In the Middle Ages, ...

, and then again in 1408 between Fürstenberg-Fürstenberg and Fürstenberg-Wolfach. Over the centuries, the various rulers expanded their territories to include the

Landgraviate Landgrave (, , , ; , ', ', ', ', ') was a rank of nobility used in the Holy Roman Empire, and its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), and ' ("count palatine") are of roughly equal rank, subordinate to ' ("duke"), and su ...

of Baar, the County of

Heiligenberg Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the Bodensee (district), Bodensee district in Baden-Württemberg, about seven kilometres north of Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Salem, in Germany. Location and climate Heiligenberg (literally: the H ...

, the Lordships of

Gundelfingen Gundelfingen im Breisgau (Low Alemannic: ''Gundelfinge im Brisgau'') is a municipality directly north of the city Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Gundelfingen is one of the larger municipalities in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzw ...

, Hausen, Höwen, and

Meßkirch Meßkirch (; Swabian: ''Mässkirch'') is a town in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The town was the residence of the counts of Zimmern, widely known through Count Froben Christoph's '' Zimmern Chronicle'' (1559� ...

, and the Landgraviate of

Stühlingen Stühlingen (; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Stüelinge'') is a town in the Waldshut (district), Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the border with Switzerland, with a border crossing to the village of Ob ...

in Germany, as well as domains around

Křivoklát Castle Křivoklát Castle () is a castle in Křivoklát in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is protected as a national cultural monument. History Křivoklát was founded in the 12th century, belonging to the kings of Bohemia. Dur ...

(),

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, Tavíkovice (German: ''Taikowitz'') in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

and

Weitra Weitra (; ) is a small town in the district of Gmünd in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Geography The municipality is situated amidst the extended forests of the rural Waldviertel region, close to the border with the Czech Republic. It is ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. In 1664,

Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg was a county and later a principality in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located in the historical territory of Heiligenberg. It was created as a partition of Fürstenberg-Baar in 1559, and it suffered one partition ...

was raised to a principality and received a vote at the Reichstag. In 1744, various Fürstenberg territories were reunified to the Principality of Fürstenberg-Fürstenberg, as all lines except one had become extinct. The Rheinbundakte of 1806 dissolved the state of Fürstenberg. Most of its territory was given to

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

, and smaller parts were given to

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen () was a principality in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to the junior House of Hohenzollern#Swabian branch, Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. The Swabian Hohenzollerns were elevated to princes in 162 ...

, and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Geography

As of 1789, the territory consisted of five larger, isolated parts as well as several smaller

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

s. The five larger parts were: * The

of Baar and the

Lordship of Höwen A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...

. Towns include

Donaueschingen Donaueschingen (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Eschinge'') is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the States of Germany, federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar ''Districts of Germany, Kreis''. It ...

Hüfingen Hüfingen ( Low Alemannic: ''Hifinge'') is a town in the district of Schwarzwald-Baar, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Breg, 4 km south of the source of the Danube. History Hüfingen has the historical distin ...

Engen Engen (延元) was a Japanese era of the Southern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after Kenmu and before Kōkoku, lasting from February 1336 to April 1340.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Engen''" i ''Japan encyclop ...

, and Neustadt. Also includes Fürstenberg Castle. Bordered by

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (; , formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, includin ...

, the Abbacy of St. Blaise, and others. Given to Baden. * The Lordship of Hausen. Towns:

Hausach Hausach (; ) is a city in the Ortenaukreis, in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Hausach was founded in the 13th century, below Husen Castle. In the 14th century, it became a possession of the County of Fürstenberg, who gave the t ...

Wolfach Wolfach () is a town in the Black Forest and part of the Ortenaukreis in Baden-Württemberg (Germany) and borders the Freudenstadt and Rottweil districts. History Wolfach was first mentioned in 1084 as ''Wolphaha'' and was given a wide var ...

, Haslach. Bordered by:

Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg The Prince-Bishopric of Strasburg (; ) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the 13th century until 1803. During the late 17th century, most of its territory was annexed by France; this consisted of the areas on the ...

Hohengeroldseck Hohengeroldseck was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was founded by the House of Geroldseck, a German noble family which arrived in the Ortenau region of Swabia reputedly in 948, though the first mention of the family is documented in the 1080 ...

, Imperial City of

Zell Zell may refer to: Places Austria * Zell am See, in Salzburg state * Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol * Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia * in Upper Austria: ** Bad Zell ** Zell am Moos ** Zell an der Pram ** Zell am Pettenfirst Germany * Zell im Fich ...

, Imperial Valley of

Harmersbach Harmersbach (; below its confluence with the ''Nordrach'': ''Erlenbach'') is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It passes through Zell am Harmersbach, and flows into the Kinzig in Biberach. Until 1806, the Harmersbach valley held the uniqu ...

. Given to Baden. * The

Landgraviate of Stühlingen Landgrave (, , , ; , ', ', ', ', ') was a rank of nobility used in the Holy Roman Empire, and its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), and ' ("count palatine") are of roughly equal rank, subordinate to ' ("duke"), and su ...

. Towns:

. Bordered by: Abbacy of St. Blaise,

Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

, Landgraviate of

Klettgau Klettgau (High Alemannic: ''Chleggau'') is a municipality in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the center of the ''Klettgau'' historical region stretching across the Swiss border into the cantons of Aargau, Schaffhaus ...

. Given to Baden. * The Lordship of Meßkirch. Towns:

. Bordered by:

, Abbacy of Zwiefalten,

, Abbacy of Buchau, and others. Given to Baden and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. * The County of

. Towns: Heiligenberg. Bordered by:

Königsegg Königsegg was a state in the southeastern part of what is now Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It emerged in 1192 as a lordship and was raised to a barony in 1470. It was partitioned in 1622 between itself, Königsegg-Aulendorf and Königsegg-Rothen ...

, Abbacy of Weingarten,

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

Prince-Bishopric of Constance The Prince-Bishopric of Constance () was a small ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dual capacity as prince and as bishop, the prince-bishop also admini ...

, Abbacy of Salmannsweiler, Imperial City of

Überlingen Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the German-Swiss border, border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseek ...

, Imperial City of

Pfullendorf Pfullendorf is a small town of about 13,000 inhabitants located north of Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire for nearly 600 years. The town is in the district of Sigmaringen south o ...

, and others. Given to Baden. The smaller exclaves included the towns of Ennabeuren, Salmendingen,

Neufra Neufra is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Geography and location The municipality of Neufra is located in the Fehla River Valley, a tributary of the Lauchert River, which rises in the Swabian Alp ...

Trochtelfingen Trochtelfingen () is a town in the district of Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 20 km south of Reutlingen Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (d ...

Hayingen Hayingen (; ) is a town in the district of Reutlingen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 32 km southeast of Reutlingen. North of Münzdorf are the remains of the hilltop castle Burgweiler. History The first settlement in the ...

, and others. As of 1806, Fürstenberg had an area of 2,000 km² and a population of 100,000. Its capital was

Rulers of Fürstenberg

(Note: The analysis given here will go further back to the origins of the Counts of Urach/Freiburg, from which the Fürstenbergs descended in direct line, and with which shared the coats of arms and still exchanged property in the 13th century. After the fall of the main Freiburg line in 1458, the Fürstenberg branch (separated in 1236) emerged as the main line of the dynasty.)

Partitions of Urach, Freiburg and Fürstenberg under Urach/Fürstenberg rule

Table of rulers

(Note: The numbering for this family is somehow hard to ascertain. The numbering here follows two sequences: the sequence of the County of Fürstenberg, and the sequence of the County of Freiburg post-1237. Despite there is a established numbering for the counts Henry of Fürstenberg (which excludes count Henry of Trimberg), the counts named Conrad and John aren't usually numbered in sources, and the numbering for counts named Egon and Frederick is also not simple to follow. Therefore, the numbering here for both numberings is sequential, to avoid holes and other confusions. Any other explanation regarding this matter is given in footnote.)

Post-1806 lines of succession

Mediatized line of Weitra

*Joachim Egon (Ruling until 1806; non-ruling 1806–1828) *Frederick Egon (1828–1856) *John Nepomuk Joachim Egon (1856–1879) *Eduard Egon (1879–1932) Weitra line extinct, possessions fell back to Prince Maximilian Egon II as head of the House of Fürstenberg.

Mediatized line of Taikowitz

* Friedrich Joseph Maximilian Augustus (1759-1814; Ruling until 1806, non-ruling 1806-1814) ** Joseph Friedrich Franz de Paula Vincenz (1777-1840; 1814-1840) ** Friedrich Michael Johann Joseph (1793-1866; 1840-1866), the last landgrave of this line and official guardian of

Bertha von Suttner Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicitas von Suttner (; ; 9 June 184321 June 1914) was an Bohemian nobility, Austro-Bohemian noblewoman, Pacifism, pacifist and novelist. In 1905, she became the second female Nobel laureate (after Marie Curie in 1903), th ...

Mediatized line of Pürglitz

* Karl Egon II, 5th Prince 1806-1854 (1796-1854) ** Karl Egon III, 6th Prince 1854-1892 (1820-1892) *** Karl Egon IV, 7th Prince 1892-1896 (1852-1896) ** ''Prince Maximilian Egon I of Furstenberg-Pürglitz (1822-1873)'' *** Maximilian Egon II, 8th Prince 1896-1941 (1863-1941) **** Karl Egon V, 9th Prince 1941-1973 (1891-1973), also Landgrave of

Fürstenberg-Weitra Fürstenberg-Weitra was a cadet branch of the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, princely House of Fürstenberg (Swabia), House of Fürstenberg, originally from Donaueschingen in Duchy of Swabia, Swabia, in present-day southwestern Baden-Württemb ...

**** ''Prince Maximilian Egon of Fürstenberg (1896-1959)'' ***** Joachim Egon, 10th Prince 1973-2002 (1923-2002) ****** Heinrich, 11th Prince 2002-2024 (1950-2024) ******* Christian, Prince of Fürstenberg 12th Prince 2024–present (born 1977) ******* Prince Antonius of Fürstenberg (born 1985) ****** Prince Karl Egon of Fürstenberg (born 1953) ****** Prince Johannes of Fürstenberg-Weitra (born 1958), adopted by Karl Egon V and inherited the Landgraviate of

in 1973 ******* Prince Vincenz of Fürstenberg-Weitra (born 1985) ******* Prince Ludwig of Fürstenberg-Weitra (born 1997) ******* Prince Johann Christian of Fürstenberg-Weitra (born 1999) ***** Prince Friedrich Maximilian of Fürstenberg (1926-1969) ****** Prince Maximilian of Fürstenberg (born 1962) ******* Prince Friedrich Götz of Fürstenberg (born 1995)

References

External links

Where were the Fürstenberg territories? Map of the German Southwest in 1789
* ''Fürstenberg'' article. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Furstenberg (State) States and territories disestablished in 1806 Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire Swabian Circle States and territories established in 1218 Former states and territories of Baden-Württemberg