House of Schwarzenberg
| House of Schwarzenberg | |
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Arms of the Princes of Schwarzenberg
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| Style(s) | Serene Highness |
| Founded | 12th century |
| Founder | Erkinger of Seinsheim |
| Current head | Karel VII of Schwarzenberg |
| Ethnicity | |
| (Princely) County of Schwarzenberg | ||||||||
| (Gefürstete) Grafschaft Schwarzenberg | ||||||||
| State of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||
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| Capital | Schwarzenberg Castle, Scheinfeld; Český Krumlov (de facto since 1670s) |
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| Government | Principality | |||||||
| Historical era |
Late Middle Ages Early Modern Era |
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| • | Acquired by the lords of Seinsheim | 1405 – 1421 | ||||||
| • | Imperial immediacy | 1429 | ||||||
| • | Raised to Imperial County |
1599 | ||||||
| • | Raised to Princely County |
14 July 1670 | ||||||
| • | Raised to Princely Landgraviate |
1671 |
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| • | German Mediatisation | 1806 | ||||||
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Styles of The Prince of Schwarzenberg |
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| Reference style | His Serene Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Serene Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Coat of arms
The House of Schwarzenberg is a Czech (Bohemian) and German (Franconian) aristocratic family, and it was one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the Bohemian nobility and German nobility and achieved the rank of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The family traces its roots to the lords of Seinsheim during the Middle Ages.
The current head of the family is Karl, the 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg, a Czech politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The family owns properties and lands across Austria, Czech Republic and Germany.
The family stems from the lords of Seinsheim, who had established themselves in Franconia during the Middle Ages. A branch of the Seinsheim family (the non-Schwarzenberg portion died out in 1958) was created when Erkinger of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian territory of Schwarzenberg and the castle of Schwarzenberg in Scheinfeld during the early part of the 15th century. He was then granted the title of Freiherr (Baron) of Schwarzenberg in 1429. At that time, the family also possessed some fiefdoms in Bohemia.
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Wikipedia