Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn was a county of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, comprising the lands of the region of

Sayn Sayn was a small German county of the Holy Roman Empire which, during the Middle Ages, existed within what is today Rheinland-Pfalz. There have been two Counties of Sayn. The first emerged in 1139 and became closely associated with the County ...

. It was created as a partition of Sayn-Wittgenstein in 1607, although it was not until the next year that it obtained fully the Countship of Sayn. The succession was never clear, leading to the annexation of the county in 1623 by the Archbishop of Cologne. It was not until a treaty in 1648 (at the end of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

) that it was decided the county would pass to the sisters Ernestine and Johanette of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, under the regency of their mother Countess Louise Juliane von

Erbach Erbach may refer to: Places *Erbach im Odenwald, a town in Hesse, Germany *Erbach an der Donau, a town on the Danube River in Baden-Württemberg, Germany *Erbach, Rheingau, a district of Eltville, Hesse, Germany *Erbach, Rhineland-Palatinate, a mun ...

(1603–1670). They partitioned the county into

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn-Altenkirchen Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn-Altenkirchen (sometimes called Sayn-Altenkirchen) was a German county located in what is now Rhineland-Palatinate, near the river Sieg. When Count William III of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn died in 1623 without clear heirs, t ...

and

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hachenburg Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hachenburg (sometimes called Sayn-Hachenburg) was a German County located in Rhineland-Palatinate, near the river Sieg. When Count William III of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn died in 1623 without clear heirs, the Archbishop of Col ...

soon after.

Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, First Creation

* William III (ruled from 1607–1623), third son of Count Ludwig von Sayn-Wittgenstein; married Anna Elisabeth von Sayn, the niece and heiress of Henry IV, Count of Sayn-Sayn.

Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, Second Creation

Count William III's sons from his second marriage with Anna Ottilie of Nassau-Weilburg became Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. The branch became extinct in 1846 with the death of Count Gustaf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.

Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn

Count Ludwig Franz II of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (1694–1750) founded a branch which in 1834 became Prussian princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg and in 1861 princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. The present head of this branch is Alexander, Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1943), the 7th prince.

Line of succession

* ''Ludwig Franz II, 1st Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (1694–1750)'' ** '' Christian Ludwig Casimir, 2nd Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (1725–1797)'' *** '' Ludwig Adolf Peter, 1st Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (Prussia) 1834 (1769–1843)'' **** Ludwig Adolf Friedrich, ''succeeded to Prussian titles 1843'', 1st Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn 1861–1866 (1799–1866) ***** ''Peter, succeeded to Prussian titles 1866 (1831–1887)'' ***** Friedrich, ''succeeded younger brother Ludwig as'' 3rd Prince 1876–1879, resigned in favor of younger brother Alexander, ''succeeded older brother in Prussian titles 1887'' (1836–1909) ****** ''his descendants hold various Prussian and Russian titles'' ***** Ludwig, 2nd Prince 1866–1876 (1843–1876) ***** Alexander, 4th Prince 1879–1883, resigned in favor of his son (1847–1940) ****** Stanislaus, 5th Prince 1883–1958 (1872–1958) ****** ''Prince Gustav Alexander of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (1880–1953) ******* Ludwig Stanislaus, 6th Prince 1953–1962 (1915–1962) ******** Alexander, 7th Prince 1962–present (born 1943) ********* Heinrich, Hereditary Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1971) ********** Prince Ludovico of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 2006) ********* Prince Casimir of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1976) ********** Prince Alexander of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 2002) ********** Prince Johann of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 2020) ********* Prince Ludwig of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1982) ********* Prince Peter of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1992) ******** Prince Peter of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1954) ********* Prince Constantin of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1994)

References

External links

{{Commons category, House of Sayn-Wittgenstein
Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn family website

Portrait of Leonilla, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
from the Getty Collection *