principality · Germany and Central Europe

Principality of Schwarzenberg

1670 CE – 1806 CE (approx.) · capital Scheinfeld

Franconian territory of the Schwarzenberg family, whose princes became some of the greatest landowners and statesmen of the Habsburg monarchy.

Origins

The lords of Seinsheim took the name Schwarzenberg from a castle near Scheinfeld in Franconia in the 15th century. In 1599 the family was raised to the rank of imperial counts, and in 1670 Johann Adolf von Schwarzenberg, a senior adviser of Emperor Leopold I, was made a prince of the Empire, with the lands around Scheinfeld forming the core of the family's immediate territory.

Rule and society

The Franconian lands were small, but the family's real weight lay in service to the Habsburgs and in vast estates acquired in Bohemia, including Frauenberg (Hluboká), bought in 1661, and Krumau (Český Krumlov), inherited from the Eggenberg family in 1719. The territory was Catholic and administered by officials while the princes lived at court in Vienna or on their Bohemian estates.

Decline and legacy

In 1806 the Franconian lands were mediatised and placed under the Kingdom of Bavaria. The family remained prominent: Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg commanded the allied armies at Leipzig in 1813, and Felix zu Schwarzenberg led the Austrian Empire's government after the 1848 revolution.

Lineage

Principality of SchwarzenbergKingdom of Bavaria 1806 CE – 1918 CE

Connections (2)

Principality of Schwarzenberg was part of Holy Roman Empire1599 CE – 1806 CE
Landgraviate of Klettgau in personal union with Principality of Schwarzenberg1687 CE – 1806 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Schwarzenberg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-schwarzenberg
MLA: “Principality of Schwarzenberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-schwarzenberg. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Schwarzenberg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-schwarzenberg.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Schwarzenberg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-schwarzenberg (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻