Southern Germany Jurisdiction The head of the Swabian branch of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen ruled over the following territories: •
County of Hohenzollern (1061) •
Burgraviate of Nuremberg (1192) • County of
Veringen (1535) • Lordship of
Haigerloch (1634) • Lordship of Wehrstein (1634) •
County of Bergh (1781) From 1061 until 1806 five of these fiefs (not including Nuremberg) constituted an
immediate territory of the
Holy Roman Empire under the counts of Zollern,
vassals of the
Holy Roman Emperor. From 1806 until 1813 the Hohenzollern lands were a
realm of the
Confederation of the Rhine, a short-lived state set up by
Napoleon I Bonaparte. From 1815 until 1849 the principality was a
sovereign country and a member of the
German Confederation. In 1849 it lost its independence, and was incorporated into the
Kingdom of Prussia as the
Province of Hohenzollern. , head of the Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern The German Confederation was succeeded in 1866 by the
North German Confederation, which itself was succeeded by the
German Empire in 1871. In 1918, the Kingdom of Prussia became the
Free State of Prussia, and the German Empire was replaced by the
Weimar Republic. In 1933 the republic was replaced by the
Third Reich. After the defeat of the Nazis the province of Hohenzollern was merged with other territories into the state of
Württemberg-Hohenzollern. This state was part of the
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany until 1952. In that year, the state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern was merged into
Baden-Württemberg, a state of the
Federal Republic of Germany.
Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern, is the head of the princely Swabian line.
Titles The
head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen is the historical heir to the titles of: •
Prince (
Fürst) of Hohenzollern •
Burgrave (
Burggraf) of Nuremberg •
Imperial Count (
Reichsgraf) of Hohenzollern • Count (
Graf) of Sigmaringen • Count (
Graf) of Veringen • Count (
Graf) of
Bergh •
Lord (
Herr) of Haigerloch • Lord (
Herr) of Wehrstein
Styles The historical titulature of rulers of the House of Hohenzollern was, in the German original: . The English translation is:
His Serene Highness (HSH) [name]
by the Grace of God, Prince of Hohenzollern, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Count of Sigmaringen, Veringen and Berg, Lord of Haigerloch and Wehrstein.
Romanian branch The modern state of
Romania was formed by union of the principalities of
Moldavia and
Wallachia in 1859, under the
prince domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza. He was replaced by Karl Eitel of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1866, who ascended the throne as
Carol I, Prince of Romania. During the
Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), Romania, which was a functionally independent vassal of the
Ottoman Empire, proclaimed its full independence. After the commander of the Russian armies had requested Romania's help, Carol accepted to enter the war with the condition of being appointed as commander of the armies that were
besieging Plevna. After the end of the
Romanian War of Independence in the 1878, at the
Treaty of Berlin, Romania was subsequently recognized as an independent state by the
Great Powers. In return for reverting to the
Russian Empire three southern
Bessarabian districts that had been regained by Moldavia after the
Crimean War in 1852,
Dobruja was acquired. In 1881, the
principality was raised to a
kingdom and Prince Carol became King
Carol I. He reigned until his death in 1914, and was succeeded by his nephew,
Ferdinand. Shortly after taking the throne, Ferdinand, a Roman Catholic like his predecessor, agreed to have his children reared in the
Romanian Orthodox Church. In 1918
Transylvania and
Bessarabia were incorporated. In 1918–19, confirmed by the
Treaty of Versailles of 1919 and the
Treaty of Trianon of 1920, most of the
Banat became part of Romania. Also,
Bukovina was incorporated in 1918. Ferdinand died in 1927. His eldest son, Crown Prince Carol, having renounced his rights, Carol's only son
Michael ascended the throne. In 1930, however, Carol reclaimed the throne and was crowned
Carol II. Carol was forced to abdicate in 1940, and Michael re-mounted the throne. His reign, and that of the dynasty, ended when he was forced to abdicate by a communist regime in 1947. On 10 May 2011, following lawsuits brought in Germany against his family by his German relatives regarding attribution of the title
Prince of Hohenzollern-Veringen to his son-in-law,
Radu Duda, Michael severed dynastic ties with the princely house of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, changed the name of his family to "of Romania", and ceased the use of all princely titles borne by him and his family that derived from the German Hohenzollerns.
Titles The
head of the Romanian branch continued, since
abolition of the monarchy, to use the hereditary title he bore while reigning: • Michael I,
King of Romania During the reign of
Carol II of Romania his son,
Michael, was styled or, in English translation, "His Highness The Grand
Voivode of Alba Julia".
Styles The Romanian original is: (or ; both forms are accepted by the
Romanian Academy) The English translation is:
His Majesty (H.M.) N.N., King of Romania ==Coats of arms==