principality · Germany and Central Europe

Principality of Reuss-Greiz

1564 CE – 1918 CE · capital Greiz

The Elder Line of the house of Reuss, ruling from Greiz, one of the smallest states of the German Empire.

Origins

In the division of the Reuss lands in 1564, the Elder Line received Greiz and the surrounding part of the Vogtland. After a split into Upper and Lower Greiz, the branches were reunited in 1768, and in 1778 Heinrich XI was raised to prince of the empire.

Rule and society

Like their cousins, all male members were named Heinrich, but the Elder Line numbered them in a sequence that restarted at intervals. The principality was small, Lutheran and agrarian, later with textile mills in Greiz and Zeulenroda. Its upper and lower castles still dominate the town.

Decline and legacy

Reuss Elder Line sided with Austria in 1866 and was occupied by Prussia, but joined the German Empire in 1871, and Prince Heinrich XXII remained a noted opponent of Prussian policy. After the revolution of 1918 it merged with the Younger Line in 1919 into the People's State of Reuss, part of Thuringia from 1920.

Lineage

Principality of Reuss-GreizPeople's State of Reuss 1919 CE – 1920 CE

Connections (3)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻