Charles II, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

Charles II of Hohenzollern -Sigmaringen (* January 22, 1547 in Sigmaringen, † April 8, 1606 ibid ) was from 1576 to 1606 first Count of Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen.

Life

Charles II was the second surviving son of Count Charles I of Hohenzollern (1516-1576) from his marriage to Anna (1512-1579), daughter of Margrave Ernst of Baden-Durlach. He was first educated in Vienna and later in Freiburg and studied together with his older brother Eitel Friedrich law. He then worked at Reichshofrat in Vienna, where his father served as president. Here he gained the trust and friendship of the Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria, son of Emperor Ferdinand I. He went into the service of the Archduke, which led him from Vienna to Tyrol. Karl was able to establish good relations with the Austrian imperial family. For this reason, he became in 1570 the Supreme Captain and Governor of Alsace. Two years later, Karl took over the guardianship of the Count Jakob von Geroldseck.

Under the father Charles I the possessions of the county Zollern in the narrow sense and Sigmaringen, Böhringen, Haigerloch and Wehrstein were still united. The three sons were entitled to inherit, so there are certain a contract of inheritance, economically equivalent parts. 1576 came the division of the parent company in the Hohenzollern Hechingen, Haigerlocher and Sigmaringer line. Charles II was the progenitor of the Sigmaringer - line and received the county of Sigmaringen with the monasteries Hedingen and Inzigkofen and the county Veringen. Hohenzollern -Sigmaringen had to pay Lehnslasten of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, on the other hand had high Zollern- Hechingen not to carry such loads. This was taken into account in the division of an estate. A judgment of the Imperial Supreme Court from 1588 noted the county Sigmaringen was an imperial fief. However, this assessment was not until 1806 called into question.

Karl chose Sigmaringen as a residence and had the castle of Sigmaringen rebuild. Between 1576 and 1606 he had the vaulting of the castle entrance building and ordered the building of the church next to the castle to. In 1589 he acquired the Schlossle Ratzenhofen in Sigmaringen village. In 1595 he bought the town Krauchenwies, which has since remained closely connected with the county Sigmaringen and only by the assignment of the Principality of Hohenzollern -Sigmaringen to Prussia in 1850 became Prussian.

Marriages and descendants

Charles was married twice and had a total of 25 children.

His first wife was Euphrosyne (1552-1590), daughter of Count Friedrich V. von Oettingen -Wallerstein, with whom he had the following children:

• Ferdinand (* / † 1571)
• Anna Marie (1573-1598)

• Marie Magdalene (1574-1582)
• Barbara Marie (1575-1577)
• Marie Jakobi (1577-1650)

• Johann (1578-1638), Prince of Hohenzollern -Sigmaringen

• Karl (1579-1585)
• Euphrosyne (1580-1582)
• Eitel Friedrich (1582-1625), Bishop of Osnabrück, Cardinal
• Maria Maximiliane (1583-1649)

• Ernst Georg (1585-1625)

• Marie Eleonore (1586-1668)

• Marie Sabine (1587-1590)
• Jakob Friedrich (* / † 1589 )
• Marie ( * / † 1590)

He completed his second marriage on October 13, 1591 Elisabeth ( 1567-1620 ), daughter and heiress of Floris I. van Pallant, Count of Culemborg, and widow of the Margrave James III. of Baden, with whom he had the following children:

• Elisabeth (1592-1659)

• Georg Friedrich ( * / † 1593)
• Marie Salome (* / † 1595 )
• Juliane Marie (1596-1669)
• Eusebius Philip (1597-1601)
• Christian ( * / † 1598 )
• Marie Cleopha (1599-1685)

• Maria Christiane (1600-1634)
• Katharine Marie (1601-1602)
• Marie Amalie ( * / † 1603)