duchy · Germany and Central Europe
Palatinate-Zweibrücken
Origins
In 1453 the lands of Duke Stephen of Palatinate-Simmern were divided, and his son Louis I the Black received Zweibrücken and Veldenz, founding the Palatinate-Zweibrücken line. Louis spent much of his reign in conflict with his cousins of the Electoral Palatinate.
Rule and society
The dukes ruled scattered lands in the western Palatinate and Alsace from Zweibrücken. Wolfgang introduced Lutheranism and founded the Hornbach school in 1559, while John I later adopted Calvinism. A cadet branch, Palatinate-Kleeburg, gave Sweden three kings, beginning with Charles X Gustav in 1654, and from 1681 to 1718 Zweibrücken itself was ruled by the kings of Sweden.
Decline and legacy
In 1793 French armies occupied Zweibrücken, and France annexed it in 1797. Its duke Maximilian Joseph inherited the Electorate of Bavaria in 1799 and in 1806 became the first king of the Kingdom of Bavaria, whose royal house descended from Zweibrücken.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Palatinate-Zweibrücken was part of Holy Roman Empire1453 CE – 1797 CE
- Palatinate-Veldenz split from Palatinate-Zweibrücken1543 CE
- Palatinate-Zweibrücken in personal union with Swedish Empire1654 CE – 1718 CE
- Palatinate-Zweibrücken was conquered by French First Republic1793 CE – 1797 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Palatinate-Zweibrücken. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-zweibrucken
- MLA
- “Palatinate-Zweibrücken.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-zweibrucken. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Palatinate-Zweibrücken.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-zweibrucken.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Palatinate-Zweibrücken’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/palatinate-zweibrucken (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻