principality · Germany and Central Europe
Principality of Fürstenberg
Origins
When the Zähringen line died out in 1218, the counts of Urach inherited part of their lands in the Baar and the Black Forest. Count Henry took the name Fürstenberg, after a castle near Donaueschingen, around 1250, founding a comital house that ruled the upper Danube and Kinzig valleys.
Rule and society
The family split into several lines, and its counts served the Habsburgs as officers and diplomats. Branches were raised to princely rank in 1664 and 1716, and in 1744 the lands were reunited under Joseph Wilhelm Ernst, with Donaueschingen as residence. The territory produced timber, iron and beer, and the court library acquired manuscript C of the Nibelungenlied. It stayed Catholic.
Decline and legacy
In 1806 Fürstenberg was mediatised and divided mainly between Baden, Württemberg and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The princely family kept its estates, brewery and palace at Donaueschingen, where the park spring is still presented as the source of the Danube.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Principality of Fürstenberg was part of Holy Roman Empire1250 CE – 1806 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Fürstenberg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-furstenberg
- MLA
- “Principality of Fürstenberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-furstenberg. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Fürstenberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-furstenberg.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Fürstenberg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-furstenberg (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻