Löwenstein-Wertheim was a county of the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

, part of the Franconian Circle

Franconian Circle

The Franconian Circle was an Imperial Circle established in 1500 in the centre of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the eastern part of the former Franconian stem duchy — roughly corresponding with the present-day Bavarian Regierungsbezirke of Upper, Middle and Lower Franconia — while western...

. It was formed from the counties of Löwenstein (based in the town Löwenstein

Löwenstein

Löwenstein is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was first mentioned in 1123. The castle of Löwenstein served as a residence for the counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim. In 1634 the castle was destroyed by the imperial forces....

) and Wertheim (based in the town Wertheim am Main

Wertheim am Main

Wertheim is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of 24,202. It is located on the confluence of the rivers Tauber and Main.It is known for its wine, castle and medieval town centre.-Geography:...

).

The county of Löwenstein belonged to a branch of the family of the counts of Calw

Calw

Calw is a municipality in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital of the district Calw. It is located in the northern Black Forest.-History:...

 before 1281, when it was purchased by the German king Rudolph I

Rudolph I of Germany

Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...

 of Habsburg

Habsburg

The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

, who presented it to his natural son Albert. In 1441 Henry, one of Albert's descendants, sold it to the Frederick I, Count Palatine of the Rhine, and later it served as a portion for Louis (d. 1524), a son of the elector by a morganatic marriage, who became a count of the Empire in 1494. The county was disbanded in 1806. The Löwenstein-Wertheim family is a morganatic branch of the House of Wittelsbach. The current monarchs of Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

, and Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...

, as well as the pretenders to the thrones of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 (Naples branch), Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, and Austria–Hungary are descended (not in the male line) from the Rosenberg branch. Rupert zu Löwenstein, a financier to the Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

, is a member of the Freudenberg branch.

Counts of Löwenstein (1494–1571)

• Louis I, Count of Löwenstein 1494–1524.
• Louis II, Count of Löwenstein 1524–1536. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Frederick I, Count of Löwenstein 1536–1541. Younger brother of predecessor.
• Wolfgang I, Count of Löwenstein 1541–1571. Son of predecessor.

Counts of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck (1571–1633)

• Wolfgang II, Count of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck 1571–1596. Eldest son of Wolfgang I.
• George Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck 1596–1633. Eldest son of predecessor.

George Louis survived his only son. His daughter and heiress Maria Christina of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck (1625–1673) married Gabriel Oxenstierna

Oxenstierna

Oxenstierna, an ancient Swedish noble family, the origin of which can be traced up to the middle of the 14th century, which had vast estates in Södermanland and Uppland, and began to adopt its armorial designation of Oxenstierna as a personal name towards the end of the 16th century...

, Count of Korsholm

Korsholm

Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...

 and Vaasa

Vaasa

Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...

 (1619–1673). The further Counts of Korsholm

Korsholm

Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...

 and Vaasa

Vaasa

Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...

 were their descendants.

Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1571–1636)

• Louis III, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1571–1611. Second surviving son of Wolfgang I. Became ruler of Wertheim am Main
  Wertheim am Main
  Wertheim is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of 24,202. It is located on the confluence of the rivers Tauber and Main.It is known for its wine, castle and medieval town centre.-Geography:...
  
   through marriage to its heiress.

• Louis IV, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1611–1635. Second son of predecessor, co-heir with his brothers. Succeeded by his brothers.
• Wolfgang Ernest, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1611–1636. Third son of predecessor, co-heir with his brothers. Succeeded by his brothers.

Louis IV had no known descendants. Wolfgang Ernest only had one daughter, Dorothea Walpurga of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1628–1634) who predeceased him. Their lines were extinct with their own deaths.

Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg (1611–1812)

• Christopher Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1611–1618. Eldest son of Louis III, co-heir with his brothers. Became ruler of Virneburg through marriage with its heiress.

• Frederick Louis , Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1618–1657. Eldest son of predecessor.

• Louis Ernest, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1657–1681. Eldest son of predecessor.

• Joachim Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1681–1689. Eldest son of predecessor.

• Eucharius Kasimir, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1689–1698. Younger brother of predecessor.

• Henry Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1698–1721. Paternal first cousin of predecessor.

• John Louis Vollrath, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1721–1790. Eldest son of predecessor.

• John Karl Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1790–1812. Title changed to Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.

Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1611–1712)

• John Dietrich, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1611–1644. Fourth son of Louis III, co-heir with his brothers.

• Ferdinand Karl, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1644–1672. Eldest surviving son of predecessor.

• Maximilian Karl Albert, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1672–1712

Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1712–1803)

• Maximilian Karl Albert, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1712–1718. The last Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort following a change of title.

• Dominic Marquard, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1718–1735. Eldest surviving son of predecessor.

• Karl Thomas, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1735–1789. Eldest son of predecessor.

• Dominic Constantine, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1789–1803. Nephew of predecessor.

Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (1803–present)

• Dominick Constantine, 4th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1803–1814. The last Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort following a change of title.

• Charles Thomas, 5th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1814–1849. Eldest son of predecessor.

• Charles, 6th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1849–1918/1921. Grandson of predecessor. Title effectively abolished with the collapse of the German Empire
  German Empire
  The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
  
  . Titular use continues.

• Aloys, 7th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
  Aloys, 7th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
  Aloys Joseph Kamill Leopold Michael Anton Maria, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, full German name: Aloys Joseph Kamill Leopold Michael Anton Maria, Fürst zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg was a German politician and...
  
   1921–1952. Son of predecessor, titular use only.

• Karl, 8th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1952–1990. Son of predecessor, titular use only.

• Alois-Konstantin, 9th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
  Alois-Konstantin, 9th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
  Alois-Konstantin, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, full German name: Alois Konstantin Karl Eduard Joseph Johann Konrad Antonius Gerhard Georg Benediktus Pius Eusebius Maria, Fürst zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg is a German businessman and since 1990 the head of the high-noble House of...
  
   1990– . Son of predecessor, current claimant.

Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1812–present)

• John Karl Louis, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1812–1816. The last Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg following a change of title.

• George, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1816–1855. Eldest son of predecessor.

• Adolf Karl, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1855–1861. Eldest son of predecessor.

• William, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1861–1887. First cousin of predecessor.

• Ernest Alban Louis, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1887–1918/1931. Eldest son of predecessor. Title effectively abolished with the collapse of the German Empire
  German Empire
  The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
  
   but titular use continues.

• Udo, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1931–1980. Nephew of predecessor. Titular use only.

• Alfred Ernest, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1980–2010. Eldest son of predecessor.

• Louis Udo Hans Peter Alfred, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 2010–. Eldest son of predecessor, current claimant.

External links

• A listing of descedants of the Löwenstein family