principality · Germany and Central Europe
Principality of Oettingen-Wallerstein
Origins
The 1522 division of the house of Oettingen gave the Wallerstein line lands in the southern Ries, with castles at Wallerstein and Harburg. While the Oettingen-Oettingen line became Lutheran, Wallerstein remained Catholic and supported the Counter-Reformation.
Rule and society
The counts, raised to princes in 1774, ruled a farming territory in the Swabian Circle from Wallerstein and Harburg castle. Prince Kraft Ernst maintained one of the finest court orchestras in Germany, employing the composer Antonio Rosetti, and the family built up a famous library rich in medieval manuscripts.
Decline and legacy
Mediatised in 1806, Oettingen-Wallerstein came under the Kingdom of Bavaria. Prince Ludwig of Oettingen-Wallerstein served as a Bavarian minister in the 1830s and 1840s, and the family still owns Harburg castle.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Principality of Oettingen-Wallerstein was part of Holy Roman Empire1522 CE – 1806 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Oettingen-Wallerstein. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-wallerstein
- MLA
- “Principality of Oettingen-Wallerstein.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-wallerstein. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Oettingen-Wallerstein.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-wallerstein.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Oettingen-Wallerstein’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-oettingen-wallerstein (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻