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The Holy Roman Empire Constitution

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Last updated: Mar 6, 2015



Leiningen


The House of Leiningen descended from the ancient Counts of Saargau [10: Neue Folge; Band XVIII (1998); t.147] [9: 1941: p.240].

Sigebert II and Friedrich I, sons of Count Sigebert I of Saargau, founded two branches of the family. The branch of Sigebert II ruled in Alsace, Werd, Erstein, Rixingen, and Forbach, and became extinct in the male line with the death of Landgrave Ulrich of Alsace in 1344 [10: Neue Folge; Band XVIII (1998); t.147].

Simon II, and Heinrich II, sons of Count Simon I of Saarbrücken and grandsons of Count Friedrich I of Saargau (see above), founded two other branches of the family. The branch of Heinrich II ruled in Zweibrücken, Bitsch, Lichtenberg, and Ochsenstein, and became extinct in the male line with the death of Count Jakob in 1570 [10: Neue Folge; Band XVIII (1998); t.147-149].

Count Simon II of Saarbrücken (see above) married Liutgarde / Lukardis, daughter of Count Emich III of Leiningen [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.23].
Simon III, Simon II's eldest son, who succeeded in Saarbrücken, left no son, and the County of Saarbrücken passed to the Lord of Commercy who married Mathilde, Simon III's daughter [10: Neue Folge; Band XVIII (1998); t.147].

Friedrich (+1237), another son of Count Simon II of Saarbrücken and Liutgarde of Leiningen, succeeded in the County of Leiningen [10: Neue Folge; Band XVIII (1998); t.147] [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.24] [4: tome III; p.364].

Friedrich (+1287), son of Count Friedrich of Leiningen (+1237), acquired the County of Dagsburg / Dabo [22: Band 1; p.53] [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.24] [21: Band 1; p.6-7].

Friedrich V (+1327) and Joffrid / Godfried (+1344), sons of Count Friedrich IV (+1316) and grandsons of Count Friedrich of Leiningen (+1287), founded two branches of the House of Leiningen [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.24]. The branch of Friedrich V became extinct in the male line in 1467 with the death of Landgrave Hesso of Leiningen who received the Princely rank in 1444 [22: Band 1; p.144] [9: 1941: p.240]. Margareta (+1470), Hesso's sister, married the Lord of Westerburg from the House of Runkel [4: tome III; p.364]. Reinhard I of Westerburg (+1522), Margareta's grandson, inherited some possessions of the House of Leiningen, and founded the House of Leiningen-Westerburg [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.30-31] [9: 1941: p.240].

The possessions of Joffrid / Godfried (+1344), son of Count Friedrich IV of Leiningen, included Hardenburg, Heidesheim, Guntersblum, etc. Fritzmann and Emich (+1381), Count Joffrid's sons, founded two sub-branches of the House of Leiningen. The sub-branch of Fritzmann ruled in Réchicourt-le-Château / Rixingen and became extinct in the male line with the death of Count Hannemann in 1506/07 [22: Band 1; p.161] [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.24] [21: Band 1; p.7].

Count Emich of Leiningen (+1381), son of Joffrid / Godfried (+1344), possessed 2/3 Dagsburg, Hardenburg, Guttenburg, Falkenburg / Fauquemont, etc. Count Emich of Leiningen-Hardenburg (+1495), grandson of Emich (+1381), married Anna of Elter, the heiress to the Lordship of Apremont / Aspremont [9: 1941: p.240] [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.25].

Emich (+1535) and Hesso (+1530), sons of Count Emich (+1495) and Anna of Elter, divided the family's possessions; Emich continued the Leiningen-Hardenburg branch, and Hesso inherited Aspremont. Hesso's sub-branch became extinct in the male line with the death of his son, Philip [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.25].

In 1560, Johann-Philipp (+1562) and Emich (+1593), sons of Count Emich of Leiningen-Hardenburg (+1541), divided the family's possessions and founded, respectively, the branches of Hardenburg and Falkenburg of the House of Leiningen [9: 1941: p.240-241] [10: Neue Folge; Band IV (1981); t.25].




1. Hardenburg

Johann-Philipp (+1562), son of Count Emich of Leiningen in Hardenburg (+1541), continued the branch of Hardenburg / Hartenburg of the House of Leiningen.

In July 1779, the Roman Emperors granted the title of Prince to Count Karl-Friedrich-Wilhelm of Leiningen-Hardenburg (+1807) [22: Band 1; p.303] [8: Band 3; p.124] [9: 1941: p.241].

In 1794, the French army occupied all Imperial immediate territories of the Prince of Leiningen [22: Band 1; p.307] (Note 1).

In 1803, the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation gave the Prince of Leiningen new Imperial immediate possessions (in this way he was restored as Imperial immediate ruler) [2: p.85], and an individual voice in the Council of Princes of the Imperial Assembly / Diet [5: tome I; p.323-324].

In July 1806, the Prince of Leiningen lost the status of Imperial immediate ruler when his Imperial immediate possessions were mediatized by the Act of the Confederation of the Rhine [22: Band 1; p.309] [2: p.154] [3: Abtheilung II; Band II; p.185-186].

Notes.
1. In 1756, Christiane-Wilhelmine-Louise of Solms-Rödelheim-and-Assenheim (1736-Jan 1803), wife of Prince Karl-Wilhelm-Friedrich of Leiningen (+1807), inherited a portion the Imperial immediate County of Limpurg-Gaildorf from her mother, Maria-Anna-Magdalena of Wurmbrand-Stuppach (+1756). Since 1803, Karoline-Sophie of Leiningen (1757-1832), Christiane-Wilhelmine-Louise's daughter, and wife of Count Friedrich-Magnus of Solms-Wildenfels (+1801), shared her Limpurg-Gaildorf inheritance with children of her late sisters [4: tome III; chapitre VIII; t.94] [2: p.54]. They also shared the corresponding portion of the curial voice of the Counts of Franconia in the Imperial Assembly.




List of the Rulers

Karl-Friedrich-Wilhelm (1724-1807) [1756-1794; 1803-1806] [22: Band 1; p.302, 317]




Titles

1779-1803

Prince of Leiningen;
Count of Dagsburg;
Lord of Aspremont;

1803-180..

Prince of Leiningen;
Count Palatine of Mosbach;
Lord of Miltenberg, Amorbach, Düren, Bischofsheim, Hardheim, Lauda;

180..-1806

Prince of Leiningen;
Count Palatine of Mosbach;
Count of Düren;
Lord of Miltenberg, Amorbach, Bischofsheim, Hardheim, Lauda;




Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in 1789 [22: Band 1; p.367] [15: p.608] [1: Theil III; p.1385] [2: p.13]

The Upper Rhine:
= The Bench of Counts & Lords:
- % Leiningen-Hardenburg;




Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1789 [16: p.816] [15: p.608]

Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Wetterau =
- % Leiningen-Hardenburg;




Territorial Possessions in 1789 [3: Abtheilung I; Band I; p.348] [1: Theil III; p.1385-1386]

The Imperial Circle of the Upper Rhine:
- Hardenburg / Hartenburg;
- Dürkheim;




Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1803 [5: tome I; p.323-324]
(Changes by the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation)

Individual voices in the Council of Princes:
- Leiningen;




Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since 1789

- In 1794, the French army occupied all Imperial immediate territories of the Prince of Leiningen.

- In 1803, the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation gave the Prince of Leiningen Mosbach, Miltenberg, Amorbach, Düren, Bischofsheim, Hardheim, and Lauda [2: p.85] [3: Abtheilung II; Band I; p.193] [22: Band 1; p.308-309].

- In 1804, the Prince of Leiningen exchanged lands with the Prince of Salm-Reifferscheid-Krautheim [3: Abtheilung II; Band II; p.75].









2. Falkenburg

Emich (+1593), son of Count Emich of Leiningen in Hardenburg (+1541), founded the branch of Falkenburg of the House of Leiningen.

In 1657, Georg-Wilhelm (+1672), Emich-Christian (+1702), and Johann-Ludwig (+1687), great-grandsons of Emich (+1593) and sons of Emich (+1658), divided the family's possessions and founded respectively, the sub-branches of Heidesheim, Dagsburg and Guntersblum of the Falkenburg branch [22: Band 1; p.359].
In 1709, the sub-branch of Dagsburg became extinct in the male line with the death of Karl-Friedrich, and its possessions passed to the sub-branches of Heidesheim and Guntersblum [22: Band 1; p.357-358].
In 1766, the sub-branch of Heidesheim became extinct in the male line with the death of Christian-Karl-Reinhard, and its possession passed to the sub-branch of Guntersblum [22: Band 1; p.355] (Note 1).

In 1664, Count Johann-Ludwig (+1687), who founded the sub-branch of Guntersblum, became engaged and indeed lived without the Church's blessing, but due to a formal written statement of a conscience marriage (Gewissens-Ehe) with Amalie-Sybille of Falkenstein [22: Band 1; p.359]. Their son, Johann-Ludwig (+after 1699), was excluded from the succession in Leiningen-Guntersblum that passed to Emich-Leopold (+1719), son of Johann-Ludwig (+1687) and his wife, Sophie-Sybille of Leiningen-Westerburg [22: Band 1; p.360-361].

In 1774, Count Friedrich-Theodor-Ludwig, son of Emich-Leopold (+1719), who possessed all lands of the Falkenburg branch, died leaving no children. He was the last descendant of Count Johann-Ludwig of Leiningen-Guntersblum (+1687) and Sophie-Sybille of Leiningen-Westerburg. As the descendants of Johann-Ludwig (+1687) and Amalie-Sybille of Falkenstein were excluded from the succession, the possessions of the Falkenburg branch passed to the Hardenburg branch. Wilhelm-Karl (+1809) and Wenzel-Joseph (+1825), sons of Johann-Franz (+1745), grandsons of Johann-Ludwig (+after 1699), and great-grandsons of Count Johann-Ludwig (+1687) and Amalie-Sybille of Falkenstein, complained about their rights to succession. The Imperial Aulic Council (Reichshofrat) recognized that their claims were justified, and, in 1787, the Prince of Leiningen-Hardenburg gave the lands of the Falkenstein branch to Wilhelm-Karl and Wenzel-Joseph with the Status of Imperial Circle Estate of the Upper Rhine and the Status of the Imperial Estate (with the sits in the Wetterau College of Imperial Counts of the Imperial Assembly) [22: Band 1; p.363-364, 367]. Wilhelm-Karl (+1809) and Wenzel-Joseph (+1825), founded respectively, the sub-branches of Guntersblum and Heidesheim of the Falkenburg branch.


Notes.
1. Marie-Louise-Albertine (1729-1818), daughter of Count Christian-Karl-Reinhard of Leiningen-Heidesheim, and wife of Landgrave Georg-Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt (+1782), inherited the Lordship of Broich / Bruch [22: Band 1; p.349-350]. The Imperial immediacy of the Lordship of Broich / Bruch was limited ("die Herrschaft Bruch oder Broich unter der Oberherrlichkeit des Herzogs von Berg" [3: Abtheilung I; Band I; p.348]). In 1806, Broich / Bruch was mediatized by the Act of the Confederation of the Rhine [3: Abtheilung II; Band II; p.187].








2.1. Guntersblum (Billigheim)

Count Wilhelm-Karl (+1809) founded the sub-branch of Guntersblum (since 1803 Billigheim) of the Falkenburg branch.

In 1794, the French army occupied all Imperial immediate territories of the Count of Leiningen-Guntersblum [22: Band 1; p.367].

In 1803, the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation gave the Count of Leiningen-Guntersblum new Imperial immediate possessions (Billigheim) and in this way restored him as Imperial immediate ruler [22: Band 1; p.367] [2: p.85].

In July 1806, the Count of Leiningen-Billigheim (Guntersblum) lost his status of Imperial immediate ruler when his possessions were mediatized by the Act of the Confederation of the Rhine [22: Band 1; p.367-368] [2: p.154].




List of the Rulers

Wilhelm-Karl (1737-1809) [1787-1794; 1803-1806] [22: Band 1; p.366-368]




Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in 1789 [22: Band 1; p.367] [6: p.698] [1: Theil III; p.1385] [2: p.13]

The Upper Rhine:
= The Bench of Counts & Lords:
- % Leiningen-Hardenburg;




Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1789 [16: p.816] [15: p.608] [22: Band 1; p.367]

Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Wetterau =
- % Leiningen-Falkenburg (Leiningen-Guntersblum & Leiningen-Heidesheim);




Territorial Possessions in 1789 [3: Abtheilung I; Band I; p.348] [1: Theil III; p.1385-1386]

The Imperial Circle of the Upper Rhine:
- Guntersblum;


Non-sovereign outside the Empire:
= under the French Suzerainty =
- Dagsburg / Dachsburg / Dabo;




Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since 1789

- In 1794, the French army occupied all Imperial immediate territories of the Count of Leiningen-Guntersblum [22: Band 1; p.367].

- In 1803, the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation gave the Count of Leiningen-Guntersblum Billigheim [2: p.85] [3: Abtheilung II; Band I; p.193].








2.2. Heidesheim (Neudenau)

Count Wenzel-Joseph (+1825) founded the sub-branch of Heidesheim (since 1803 Neudenau) of the Falkenburg branch [22: Band 1; p.372].

In 1794, the French army occupied all Imperial immediate territories of the Count of Leiningen-Heidesheim [22: Band 1; p.372].

In 1803, the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation gave the Count of Leiningen-Heidesheim new Imperial immediate possessions (Neudenau) and in this way restored him as Imperial immediate ruler

In July 1806, the Count of Leiningen-Neudenau (Heidesheim) lost his status of Imperial immediate ruler when his possessions were mediatized by the Act of the Confederation of the Rhine [22: Band 1; p.372] [2: p.155] [3: Abtheilung II; Band II; p.185-186].




List of the Rulers

Wenzel-Joseph (1738-1825) [1787-1794; 1803-1806] [22: Band 1; p.372]




Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in 1789 [22: Band 1; p.373] [6: p.698] [1: Theil III; p.1385] [2: p.13]

The Upper Rhine:
= The Bench of Counts & Lords:
- % Leiningen-Hardenburg;




Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1789 [16: p.816] [15: p.608] [22: Band 1; p.373]

Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Wetterau =
- % Leiningen-Falkenburg (Leiningen-Guntersblum & Leiningen-Heidesheim);




Territorial Possessions in 1789 [3: Abtheilung I; Band I; p.348] [1: Theil III; p.1385-1386]

The Imperial Circle of the Upper Rhine:
- Heidesheim;




Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since 1789

- In 1794, the French army occupied all Imperial immediate territories of the Count of Leiningen-Heidesheim [22: Band 1; p.372].

- In 1803, the Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation gave the Count of Leiningen-Heidesheim new Imperial immediate possessions (Neudenau) and in this way restored him as Imperial immediate ruler [2: p.85] [3: Abtheilung II; Band I; p.193].




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