principality · Germany and Central Europe

Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

1576 CE – 1850 CE · capital Sigmaringen

The Catholic Swabian branch of the Hohenzollerns, ruling from Sigmaringen castle on the Danube, which later gave Romania its kings.

Origins

When Count Charles I of the County of Hohenzollern died in 1576, his lands were divided among his sons. Charles II received Sigmaringen and Veringen on the upper Danube, founding the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen line, and the counts were raised to princes in 1623.

Rule and society

The princes ruled a small Catholic territory from Sigmaringen's castle on a rock above the Danube, under strong Habsburg influence since parts of their lands were Austrian fiefs. Thanks partly to Princess Amalie Zephyrine, a friend of Joséphine de Beauharnais, the principality survived the mediatisation of 1806, joined the Confederation of the Rhine and even gained territory.

Decline and legacy

After the revolution of 1848, Prince Charles Anthony ceded his sovereignty to his Prussian cousins in 1849, and in 1850 the principality became part of Prussia. His son Carol became prince and later king of Romania, and another son's candidacy for the Spanish throne helped trigger the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

Lineage

County of Hohenzollern 1204 CE – 1576 CEPrincipality of Hohenzollern-SigmaringenKingdom of Prussia 1701 CE – 1918 CE

Connections (3)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-hohenzollern-sigmaringen
MLA
“Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-hohenzollern-sigmaringen. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-hohenzollern-sigmaringen.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-hohenzollern-sigmaringen (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻