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Principality of Reuss-Gera

Principality of Reuss-Gera
Fürstentum Reuß-Gera  (German)
1806–1918
Flag Coat of arms
Motto
Ich bau auf Gott
"I build on God"
Anthem
Heil unserm Fürsten, Heil!
"Hail to our Prince, Hail!"
Reuss Junior Line within the German Empire
Reuss Junior Line within Thuringia
Capital Gera
Government Principality
Prince
 •  1806–1818 Heinrich XLII
 •  1818–1854 Heinrich LXII
 •  1854–1867 Heinrich LXVII
 •  1867–1913 Heinrich XIV
 •  1913–1918 Heinrich XXVII
Minister of State
 •  1825–1839 Gustav von Strauch
 •  1918 Paul Ruckdeschel
History
 •  Established 9 April 1806
 •  Disestablished 11 November 1918
Area
 •  1905 827 km² (319 sq mi)
Population
 •  1905 est. 144,570 
     Density 174.8 /km²  (452.8 /sq mi)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Imperial County of Reuss
People's State of Reuss

The Principality of Reuss-Gera (German: Fürstentum Reuß-Gera), called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line (German: Fürstentum Reuß jüngerer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. The Counts Reuss of Gera, of Schleiz, of Lobenstein, of Köstritz and of Ebersdorf, each became princes in 1806, and they and their reigning successors bore the title Prince of Reuss-Gera. One may also refer to them using their branch names (for example: Prince Reuss of Köstriz).

The territories of four separate branches of the Junior Line amalgamated between 1824 and 1848.

In 1905 the Principality of Reuss Junior Line had an area of 827 km2 (319 square miles) and a population of 145,000, with Gera as its capital.

In the aftermath of World War I the territory of the Junior Line merged with that of the Elder Line in 1919 as the Republic of Reuss, which in its turn became part of the new state of Thuringia on 1 May 1920.

The House of Reuss practises an unusual system of naming and numbering the male members of the family, every one of which for centuries has borne the name "Heinrich". While most royal and noble houses give numbers only to the reigning head of the house, and that in the order of his reign, the Reuss Junior Line used a numbering sequence for all male family members which began and ended roughly as centuries began and ended. In consequence of this naming system, certain heads of the Reuss Junior Line have had the highest numbers attached to their name of any European nobility. Note also that the male children within a single nuclear family need not bear sequential numbers, as all members of the larger family use a common numbering system. For example, the sons of Prince Heinrich LXVII Reuss of Schleiz, in order of their births, used the names Heinrich V, Heinrich VIII, Heinrich XI, Heinrich XIV, and Heinrich XVI.


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