Constantine, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Encyclopedia
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Konstantin Hermann Thassilo of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (16 February 1801, Schloss Sagan, Sagan
, Silesia
, Prussia
– 3 September 1869, Schloss Polnisch Nettkow, Grünberg
, Silesia
, Prussia
) was the last Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
. Constantine was the only child of Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
and his wife, Princess Pauline of Courland, the daughter of the last Duke of Courland
, Peter von Biron
.
for his ill father, Frederick, beginning in 1834. Upon his father's death in 1838, Constantine became Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and after the death of his mother in 1845, he also inherited the Duchy of Sagan
. Following the Revolutions of 1848
, Constantine and Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen both agreed to cede their principalities to the Kingdom of Prussia
and renounced their rights as sovereign princes and heads of government on 7 December 1849.
(1808–1847) on 22 May 1826 in Eichstätt
and after her death (September 1847), he married secondly (and morganatically) to Baroness Amalie Schenk von Geyern. Upon their marriage, Frederick William IV of Prussia
styled Amalie with the title Countess of Rothenburg.
. Because Constantine was the final male member of the Hohenzollern-Hechingen dynastic line, his title passed to the head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Charles Anthony.
Zagan
Zagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
– 3 September 1869, Schloss Polnisch Nettkow, Grünberg
Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra is a city in Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland, with 117,557 inhabitants within the city limits and 294,000 inhabitants within the metropolitan area, including three neighbouring counties ....
, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
) was the last Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Hohenzollern-Hechingen was a county and principality in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to a branch of the senior Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty.-History:...
. Constantine was the only child of Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Friedrich Hermann Otto of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Friedrich Hermann Otto of Hohenzollern-Hechingen was the penultimate Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen...
and his wife, Princess Pauline of Courland, the daughter of the last Duke of Courland
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is the name of a duchy in the Baltic region that existed from 1562 to 1569 as a vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and from 1569...
, Peter von Biron
Peter von Biron
Peter von Biron was the last Duke of Courland from 1769 to 1795.Peter was born in Jelgava as the son of Ernst Johann von Biron, future Duke of Courland, and his wife Benigna von Trotha. When 16 years old, he was forced to follow his family into the Siberian exile. In 1769, Peter was given the...
.
Regency and reign
Constantine served as regentRegent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for his ill father, Frederick, beginning in 1834. Upon his father's death in 1838, Constantine became Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and after the death of his mother in 1845, he also inherited the Duchy of Sagan
Zagan
Zagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
. Following the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, Constantine and Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen both agreed to cede their principalities to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and renounced their rights as sovereign princes and heads of government on 7 December 1849.
Marriage
Constantine married firstly to Princess Eugénie de BeauharnaisEugénie de Beauharnais
Eugénie Hortense Auguste Napoléone, known as Eugénie de Beauharnais, princess of Leuchtenberg was a Franco-German princess. She was the second daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria, and a member of the house of Beauharnais...
(1808–1847) on 22 May 1826 in Eichstätt
Eichstätt
Eichstätt is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the District of Eichstätt. It is located along the Altmühl River, at , and had a population of 13,078 in 2002. It is home to the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the lone Catholic university in Germany. The...
and after her death (September 1847), he married secondly (and morganatically) to Baroness Amalie Schenk von Geyern. Upon their marriage, Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
styled Amalie with the title Countess of Rothenburg.
Death and dynastic end
Constantine died on 3 September 1869 at his estate in SilesiaSilesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. Because Constantine was the final male member of the Hohenzollern-Hechingen dynastic line, his title passed to the head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Charles Anthony.