principality · Germany and Central Europe
Principality of Reuss-Schleiz
Origins
Reuss-Schleiz was created in the 1647 division of the Younger Line of the House of Reuss, centred on the town of Schleiz. The counts, descended from the medieval Vögte of Weida, Gera and Plauen, held small territories in eastern Thuringia.
Rule and society
The territory was small and agrarian, with textile crafts, and its counts, all named Heinrich, ruled through a Lutheran church and a small court at Schleiz. The Schleiz line was raised to princely rank in 1806, joined the Confederation of the Rhine and then the German Confederation, and shared the inheritance of Reuss-Gera when that line died out in 1802.
Decline and legacy
In 1848, after the abdication of the Prince of Reuss-Lobenstein-Ebersdorf, the Schleiz line united all lands of the Younger Line as the Principality of Reuss Younger Line, with Gera as capital. That state survived until 1918 and became part of the People's State of Reuss.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Reuss-Schleiz. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-reuss-schleiz
- MLA
- “Principality of Reuss-Schleiz.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-reuss-schleiz. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Reuss-Schleiz.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-reuss-schleiz.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Reuss-Schleiz’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-reuss-schleiz (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻