duchy · Germany and Central Europe

Palatinate-Sulzbach

1656 CE – 1742 CE · capital Sulzbach

Small Wittelsbach duchy in the Upper Palatinate, a centre of religious tolerance and Hebrew printing whose line inherited the Palatinate and Bavaria.

Origins

Sulzbach was split from Palatinate-Neuburg in 1614 as an appanage for Augustus, and in 1656 his son Christian August gained full sovereignty over it as a duchy. Christian August converted to Catholicism in 1655 but kept his Protestant subjects' rights.

Rule and society

Christian August introduced the simultaneum, letting Catholics and Lutherans share churches, and allowed Jews to settle. Sulzbach became a centre of learning: the Christian Kabbalist Christian Knorr von Rosenroth served at court, and Hebrew printing presses flourished from 1669. The duchy's economy relied on iron ore and smelting in the Upper Palatinate.

Decline and legacy

Charles Theodore of Sulzbach inherited the Electoral Palatinate in 1742, merging Sulzbach into it. In 1777 he also inherited the Electorate of Bavaria, and the Sulzbach line thus united the Wittelsbach lands.

Lineage

Palatinate-Neuburg 1505 CE – 1742 CEPalatinate-SulzbachElectoral Palatinate 1085 CE – 1803 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Palatinate-Sulzbach. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-sulzbach
MLA
“Palatinate-Sulzbach.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-sulzbach. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Palatinate-Sulzbach.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-sulzbach.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Palatinate-Sulzbach’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-sulzbach (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻