Hohenzollern

The House of Hohenzollern is a German noble dynasty that originated in Swabia, with its name taken from Hohenzollern Castle near Hechingen. The family first appears in the 11th century as counts of Zollern, a title associated with a fortified seat in the Swabian Alps. Over time the name was rendered Hohenzollern, and the house became one of the leading noble families in the region.

In the 16th century the Swabian line split into two principal branches, Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Both lines ruled small sovereign principalities in what is now southwestern Germany and were gradually mediatised in the early 19th century amid the reorganizations following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, after which their ruling powers were absorbed into larger states while the family retained its titles and heritage.

A separate and historically significant branch of the family established itself in Brandenburg and later Prussia. In 1415 a Hohenzollern prince became Elector of Brandenburg, founding the Prussian branch. The line grew to rule the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 and, through the unification of Germany, topped the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. This lineage produced notable rulers such as Frederick William, Frederick I, and Frederick the Great, shaping the politics and culture of early modern and modern Germany.

The Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen branch supplied the monarchs of Romania from Carol I (who became king in 1881) to Ferdinand I and Michael I, who reigned in the early to mid-20th century.

Today the family remains a prominent historical house with cultural and aristocratic significance, headquartered in Germany and continuing to be associated with Hohenzollern Castle and related estates.