[November 15] Frederick William II, king of Prussia

Surnamed: "The Fat Bastard" (Der dicke Lüderjahn)
Local Name: Friedfrich Wilhelm
Parents: Augustus William, heir of Prussia, and Luise of Brunswick-Wilfenbüttel
Born: 25 September 1744
House: Hohenzollern
Spouse(s): (1) Elisabeth Christina, daughter of Charles I, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Philippine Charlotte of Prussia, then (2) Frederika Louisa, daughter of Ludwig IX, landgrave of Hesse-Darmstaft, and Caroline of Zweibrücken, alongside (3) Julie and (4) Sophie, daughters of Friedrich Christian von Voss and Amalia Ottilia av Vieregg
Predecessor: Frederick II

Reign: 1786 – 1797
Brief: The reign of Frederick William II was perilous from the start. The king was flirtatious and cared little for the role he played in government. He was artistically-inclined and favored music over warfare, things that sent shivers down the spine of Frederick the Great, his predecessor. As soon as Frederick William took the throne, he lightened the burdens of the Prussian people, encouraging trade at reduced costs and educating more people. The king was also a Rosicrucian and employed many of them in his government. He neglected the army, leaving it under the control of foreign warlords. His foreign policy was a joke, giving concessions to anyone would deigned to invade Brandenburg-Prussia. And when the French Revolution broke out, he delayed, focused more on the wealth that could come out of Poland than the threat in the west. He eventually removed himself from the French-Revolutionary wars in 1795, betraying the other European powers and isolating Prussia. When Frederick William II finally died in 1797, the economy of Prussia was in shambles, the army confused, and the kingship in doubt. 

Date of Death: 16 November 1797
Successor: Frederick William III

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Anastasius II, pope of Rome (498)
• Henry III, king of England (1272)
• Hisaaki, shogun of Japan (1328)
• Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden (1632)
• Robert I, duke of Parma (1907)

[July 15] Ulrich von Jungingen, grand master of the Teutonic Knights

Date of Birth: 1360

Royal House: Jungingen

Predecessor: Konrad von Jungingen
Reign: 1407 — 1410
Summary: Born to a Swabian noble house, Ulrich and his brother, Konrad, joined the Teutonic Knights and moved to Prussia in the 1480s. Konrad was elected Grand Master in 1393 and Ulrich benefited greatly from that promotion. In 1396, he became the komtur (commander) of Balga where he remained for eight years. Ulrich was instrumental in the treaty to obtain Gotland Island from Denmark in 1398. He also was a diplomat for the Order assigned to the Polish-Lithuanian Treaty of Salynas which brought the Duchy of Samogitia to the Order. Konrad made his brother the military leader of the Teutonic Knights in 1404 and assigned him a larger komtur at Königsberg. During his three years there, he suppressed multiple uprisings by the native Samogitian people and he retained his control via bribes to local officials and direct violent oppression. When Konrad died suddenly in 1407, Ulrich was nominated as his successor.


Despite his vast experience, Ulrich failed to resolve the Samogitia problem well. At the same time, new problems had arisen with Poland over disputed lands and the Poles were willing to attack Prussia without a moment's notice. Ulrich, knowing that a war was imminent, forged a quick alliance with Hungary, bought mercenaries from Germany, and declared war on Poland in the summer of 1409. This was the start of the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War. It began well for the Order, with Ulrich's forces laying successful sieges against Dobrzyn and Kuyavia, but Ulrich's allies were indifferent. At the Battle of Grunwald, the two armies met and stared across the battlefield. Ulrich, in an attempt to antagonize the Polish king, sent over two swords with a death threat. The Lithuanians attacked and the Poles followed behind. Ulrich, certain of his victory, led the charge of his rearguard and almost captured the Polish king. Unfortunately, his attack had left vulnerable and he did not realize that most of the Order's army had regrouped behind him. His unit was surrounded and he was killed  in action. The Polish king allowed the body of the Grand Master to be returned to the Order before laying siege to Marienburg a few days later. He was succeeded by Heinrich von Plauen, a Teutonic Knight made famous for saving Castle Marienburg.

Date of Death: 15 July 1410
Successor: Heinrich von Plauen

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Rudolph I, king of the Romans (1291)
• Wilhelm, duke of Austria (1406)
• René, prince of Orange (1544)
• Shimazu Takahisa, daimyo in Japan (1571)
• George IV, king of the United Kingdom & Ireland (1830)

[March 20] Hermann von Salza, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights

Date of Birth: circa 1165

Predecessor: Heinrich von Tunna

Reign: 1210 – 1239

Summary: Hermann was probably one of the initial founding members of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, a chivalric order formed to serve against the Muslims in the Crusades. He probably first saw action at the Siege of Acre during his late teens. During the Crusade of 1197, Hermann was a witness to the coronation of Amalric II, king of Jerusalem. The Order was re-established in late 1197 under Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim with the mission to secure Latin properties in the Holy Land. Hermann's role in these early years of the order are unknown, but he became Grand Master at the latest in 1210 when he served in the coronation of John of Brienne as king of Jerusalem.

Hermann was a long-time friend of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and served as Frederick's mediator in  the Papal curia from 1222 until his death. Conveniently, Hermann was also respected by Pope Honorius III who granted the Teutonic Knights equal status with the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar. Hermann was a fighter of a grand master and led the Knights on a crusade in Transylvania to defend the native Hungarians and Romanians from the Cumans. But the Hungarian nobility were displeased with the Knights and the Order left in 1225. During this time, Hermann himself went with Frederick II on the Fifth Crusade and encouraged the undertaking of the Sixth Crusade a few years later. It was partially with Hermann's encouragement that Frederick married Yolanda of Brienne so that the emperor could later claim the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Upon his return, Konrad I, king of Masovia, requested the help of the Teutonic Knights to subdue the Old Prussians from Estonia. The Order agreed and moved north and began their campaign from 1230 onwards. In 1237, the Order expanded to include the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The Knights grew tired of their oft-absentee Grand Master and recalled him in 1238, forcing him to retire. He died in 1239 at his estate at Salerno, Italy. Frederick II and the pope had a falling out within days.

Date of Death: 20 March 1239

Successor: Conrad of Thuringia

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Alexios III, emperor of Trebizond (1390)
• Henry IV, king of England (1413)
• Albert, duke of Prussia (1568)
• Mathias, Holy Roman Emperor (1619)
• Juliana, queen of the Netherlands (2004)

[January 2] Frederick William IV, king of Prussia

Parents: Frederick William III, king of Prussia, and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Date of Birth: 15 October 1795

Royal House: Hohenzollern

Spouse: Elisabeth Ludovika, daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, king of Bavaria, and Caroline of Baden

Reign: 1840 – 1861
Predecessor: Frederick William III

Summary: Frederick William IV was an interesting monarch. He did little to advance Prussia's power in Germany while he did much to maintain the conservatism of the other royal houses within his country. He agreed to grant a constitution over Prussia but would not allow for a popular assembly. He achieved fame during the Revolutions of 1848, when he decided against the techniques of his other European colleagues and joined in the revolt.

In 1848, Frederick William IV called the first popular assembly in Prussia's history. He proclaimed his support for a unified German state, formed a liberal (modern) government, and ordered the writing of a national Prussian constitution. When the movement ended late that year, Frederick William renounced some of his proclamations. He presided over the Frankfurt Parliament on unification the following April, but refused the German crown when it was offered to him stating that he would not accept "a crown from the gutter." He did follow through with his promise of a constitution and assembly but denied the public universal suffrage preferring instead to only allow taxpayers to elect officials. The king also retained many rights to himself, thereby minimizing the authority of the assembly. A stroke in 1857 left Frederick William's brother in charge of the state as regent until the king died in 1861, at which point William became king.

Date of Death: 2 January 1861

Successor: William I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Svante, regent of Sweden (1512)

The Many Varied Dynasties of the First Two German Reichs (Germany)

There is a whole lot to cover today, so I am going to change my formatting around a little bit for this penultimate dynastology. Today I will be covering the various dynasties that ruled the Holy Roman Empire and German Empire from the rise of the Ottonians to the fall of the German Empire in 1918. I will not in any way be able to cover everything and in many places, I will be quickly summarizing. This is intentional. I want to cover the dynastic history mostly and am leaving much of the history out of this post. Hopefully it will be both enjoyable and enlightening. Now, on to the dynasties!

 _____________________________________________________________

The Holy Roman Empire at its Height, c. 970

The Ottonian Dynasty

Founder: Liudolf, Count of Saxony before 866 

Most Famous Monarch: Otto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor 962 – 973 

Ruled: Saxony, Bavaria, the Holy Roman Empire 

Claim to Fame: The Ottonians restored the Roman Empire that Charlemagne had founded 150 years earlier. The Carolingian line had died out many years prior to the reign of Henry the Fowler, the first King of Germany of the Ottonian line. Otto the Great was instrumental in the unification of the Eastern Frankish states into a single entity, which became known soon after as the Holy Roman Empire.  

Last monarch: St. Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, who died in 1024 (Henry II was also the only German Emperor to ever be canonized) 

What Happened? The dynasty simply died out because Henry II had taken a vow of chastity. The line passed to the Salian Dynasty, which were distant cousins of Henry II. 

 _____________________________________________________________

The Salian Dynasty

Henry IV, Holy Roman EmperorFounder: Conrad the Red, duke of Lorraine until 955

Most Famous Monarch: Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor 1084 – 1106

Ruled: Lorraine, Carinthia, Speyer, the Papacy, the Holy Roman Empire

Claim to Fame: The dynasty linked the Holy Roman Empire closely with the Catholic Church, which caused a lot of problems with the next dynasty. The Investiture Controversy  was a conflict between the Pope and Emperor over who had true control over appointing (investing) religious leaders in Imperial land. Oddly, the end result wasn't just the loss of control over much of Italy, but a loss of control over vassal states within the Empire itself.

Last monarch: Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor 1111 to 1125

What Happened? Henry V died in combat. He had no legitimate heirs so the line died out. His designated heir was Frederick II of Swabia, his nephew, and so the line passed to him.

_____________________________________________________________

 The House of Hohenstaufen

Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman EmperorFounder: Frederick I, duke of Swabia until 1105

Most Famous Monarch: Frederick I Barbarossa ("the Red Beard"), Holy Roman Emperor 1155 – 1190

Ruled: Swabia, Sicily, the Holy Roman Empire

Claim to Fame: Barbarossa was known as a ruthless fighter who spent his entire life in war and accomplished virtually nothing for it. He invaded Italy with a huge army only to be slowly pushed back. His traditional allies in northern Italy worked against him and, despite being crowned emperor by the pope, he never managed to assert imperial authority over the Catholic Church or the Empire itself. Barbarossa ended up dying in the Holy Land while on crusade, leaving his family squabbling over its ruins.

Last monarch: Conradin, king of Sicily until 1268 and titular Holy Roman Emperor

What happened? Conradin was executed as a traitor after being excommunicated by the pope. The Kingdom of Sicily was divided between the Angevins and Aragonese, Swabia disintegrated and was incorporated into several neighboring states, and the Holy Roman Empire fell into nineteen years of civil war. The emperor never had absolute power again.

_____________________________________________________________

The House of Este-Welf, commonly known as Guelph

Founder: Welf I, duke of Bavaria until 1101

Most Famous Monarch: Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria until 1195

Ruled: Bavaria, Saxony, Brunswick, Great Britain, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Hanover

Lands of the Guelph dynasty, c. 1165

Claim to Fame: The Welf family has many claims to fame, but I will only discuss two. The first is that of Henry the Lion. Henry tried desperately to conquer and unify Saxony and Bavaria, two of his ancestral duchies. If completed, it would have made him the most powerful monarch in Germany. Henry failed, though, by alienating pretty much everyone else in Germany. When Frederick Barbarossa came around, Henry lost everything. He was exiled to Normandy as a landless royal in 1180 but returned three years later to secure some vestige of his short-lived empire. Henry was exiled again and only returned once Barbarossa was dead. He ravaged his former lands for a few years before contenting himself with the small duchy of Brunswick, which would remain the family's core unit until 1866.

Last Monarch: Ernst August III, duke of Brunswick until 1918

What happened? Power shifted from Hanover to the United Kingdom in the 18th and 19th centuries, leaving Hanover poor and neglected. When attention did return to the duchy, it was too late and the German Empire took it over. Wilhelm II granted Brunswick to one last Welf in 1913, but the empire fell soon after. The dynasty still continues, but no longer rules any country.

_____________________________________________________________

The House of Luxembourg

The Seven Imperial Electors voting for Henry VII of LuxembourgFounder: Waleran I, count of Limburg from 1065 – 1082

Most Famous Monarch: Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor 1355 – 1378

Ruled: Limburg, Lorraine, Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire

Claim to Fame: It was Charles IV who promulgated the Golden Bull of 1356, setting in place the rules of the election of future emperors. He also was one of the most well-recognized emperors in Imperial history. He was elected King of the Romans twice: the first time was as an anti-emperor against Louis IV; the second was to confirm the earlier election after Louis died. He was crowned King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor. He also was crowned King of Burgundy, something that was rarely done by the 14th century.

Last Monarch: Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor 1433 – 1437

What happened? Sigismund didn't produce any sons and so all his territories passed to his daughter, Elisabeth, who married Albert von Habsburg and helped empower the Habsburgs to take control of the empire a few decades later.

_____________________________________________________________

The House of Vaudemont, commonly divided as Habsburg-Lorraine and Hesse

Charles, Emperor of Austria and King of HungaryFounder: Adalbert, duke of Upper Lorraine from 1047 – 1048

Most Famous Monarch: Francis Ferdinand, Archduke and Heir of Austria 1889 – 1914

Ruled: Metz, Lorraine, Bar, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Hesse

Claim to Fame: The fame of the House of Vaudemont is that people who DIDN'T rule are more famous than those who did. Like Marie Antoinette, the queen of Louis XVI of France who probably did not say "Let them eat cake!" when French protesters were laying siege to Versailles and who lost her head a few years later. Yeah, she's not exactly the most important historical figure but I can guarantee you most people know her more than the name of her father, Francis I of Austria. Another famous Vaudemont was Franz Ferdinand, the most common answer to "Whose assassination caused World War I?" Franz wasn't even close to being Austrian emperor yet and no one knows the name of royal heirs in history. He is only important because his death led to a massive world war. I'd like to know more about the Hessians...and not just their participation as mercenaries in the American Revolutionary War...

Last Monarch: Charles, Emperor of Austria 1916 – 1918; Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse(-Darmstadt) 1892 – 1918

What happened? The same fate that befell the German Empire befell the two distant branches of the House of Vaudemont. Ernest Louis was forced to abdicate after serving for four years in the German military. The Hesse grand duchy quickly joined the Weimar Republic. Charles likewise didn't abdicate, but he did step down from being the head of state of both Austria and Hungary, leaving the decision of his abdication to the people. After Austria & Hungary declared themselves republics two months later, Charles and his family left. Both the Hessian and Habsburg-Lorraine lines continue to provide pretenders to the thrones, the current pretender to Austria being the now-ancient Dr. Otto von Habsburg, who just turned 98 years old.

____________________________________________________________

The House of Wettin

Leopold I, King of the BelgiansFounder: Dietrich I, count in Liesgau until c. 982 

Most Famous Monarch: Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland since 1952 

Ruled: Thuringia, Saxony, Poland, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Bulgaria, Belgium 

Claim to Fame: Perhaps the most interesting thing about the House of Wettin is that it never became an imperial dynasty. Indeed, it was one of the most powerful and influential families in Germany for many centuries, yet never succeeded in obtaining the imperial throne. The family's two branches both led interesting lives—one as imperial electors right up to the end in 1806 when they declared Saxony a kingdom, and one that continued to subdivide until magically the family began ruling the United Kingdom, Portugal, Bulgaria, and Belgium...in addition to all the small territories in Germany.

Last Monarch: There isn't one! Elizabeth II still rules in the United Kingdom and Albert II still rules in Belgium. Pretenders from Saxony and Bulgaria still exist from the Wettin line as well, although the Portuguese Wettins died out not long after the last monarch was deposed.

What happened? All Wettin holdings in Germany were ended in 1918 and integrated into the Weimar Republic. Many lines survive to this day outside of Germany.

_____________________________________________________________

The House of Hohenzollern

Founder: Burkhard I, count of Zollern until 1061 

Most Famous Monarch: Frederick II the Great, King in Prussia & Elector of Brandenburg 1740 – 1786

Ruled: Nuremberg, Ansbach, Brandenburg, Prussia, Hohenzollern, Germany, Romania

The German Empire, 1871 to 1918

Claim to Fame: Like the Wettins, the Hohenzollerns never made it to the imperial throne, though they were electors from the start. But they did get quite bold. After ending the line of Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia, the Hohenzollerns incorporated the lands into their sprawling domain. The problem was Poland was right in the way between Brandenburg (in Germany) and Prussia (in northern Poland-Lithuania). So the Hohenzollerns spent the majority of their career trying to take those lands from Poland, all the while picking up pieces of everyone else's land. By the late 19th century, they just decided to take it all and declared the German Empire (Second Reich). It was short-lived but the unity stuck.

Last Monarch: Michael I, king of the Romanians 1927 – 1930, 1940 – 1947

What happened? After Germany's defeat in World War I, Germany declared the Weimar Republic and the Hohenzollerns (and all the other vassal monarchs) got the boot. The dynasty continued in Romania until 1947 when the communists overthrew the king and declared the People's Republic of Romania. Both Germany and Romania still have pretenders to the throne from the Hohenzollern line.

_____________________________________________________________

The House of Württemberg

William II, King of WürttembergFounder: Conrad I, count of Württemberg

Most Famous Monarch: Ulrich, duke of Württemberg 1498 – 1550

Ruled: Württemberg

Claim to Fame: Württemberg really has no claim to fame. It remained one of the largest of the small states in Germany and it was lucky in that it rarely divided itself, thereby avoiding spreading its resources thin. Ulrich led the march to convert the state to Protestantism after Martin Luther posted his theses in Saxony. The conversion stuck and Württemberg became the second state in Germany to become Protestant. When his line died out in the 18th century, a rival Catholic line took control, but they converted to Protestantism a few generations later. Napoleon upgraded the duchy to a kingdom in 1806 and no one told them otherwise after Napoleon fell. It became the smallest of the German kingdoms when the Hohenzollerns created the German Empire in 1871.

Last Monarch: William II, king of Württemberg 1891 – 1918

What happened? Actually, bad luck happened. Unlike William II in Germany and many of the other German monarchs, William II of Württemberg was pretty popular. The only explanation for his downfall is that the people of Württemberg were caught up in the moment with the rest of Germany and simply deposed him. He was the last of his line, but another cadet branch of the family still survives as pretenders to the Württemberg throne.

_____________________________________________________________

There are many other dynasties in German history but there is no way I can go through them all. Above are the most important; those dynasties that contributed the most to German history. Other dynasties of note are the House of Mecklenburg, the House of Zahringen, the House of Supplinburg, the House of Lippe, the House of Schwarzburg and the House of Waldeck. They all contributed to the history of Germany. Also, you cannot forget the dynasties I have already covered in great detail: Habsburg, Oldenburg, Wittelsbach, and more. They, too, are important. Each helped for the modern German state and regional identities, and each still remains suitable candidates for royal marriages. Indeed, we may well see some of these families on thrones again one day...assuming they aren't already on a throne...