principality · Germany and Central Europe
Principality of Oettingen-Spielberg
Origins
The counts of Oettingen ruled the Ries crater basin from the 12th century. In 1522 the house split into the Oettingen-Oettingen line, which became Lutheran, and the Catholic Oettingen-Wallerstein line. A Catholic branch formed at Spielberg in the 17th century inherited much of the Oettingen-Oettingen lands in 1731 and received princely rank in 1734.
Rule and society
The princes ruled from Oettingen, a town long divided along its main street between Catholic and Lutheran halves, a legacy of the dynasty's split. The territory lived from farming in the fertile Ries and belonged to the Swabian Circle.
Decline and legacy
In 1806 the principality was mediatised and placed under the Kingdom of Bavaria. The princely family of Oettingen-Spielberg still owns the residence palace at Oettingen in Bayern.
Lineage
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- Principality of Oettingen-Spielberg was part of Holy Roman Empire1522 CE – 1806 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Oettingen-Spielberg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-spielberg
- MLA
- “Principality of Oettingen-Spielberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-spielberg. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Oettingen-Spielberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-spielberg.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Oettingen-Spielberg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-spielberg (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻