European Heraldry

Counts Palatine of the Rhine

Electors Palatine, 1356–1777
Electors of Bavaria, 1777-1803

• Rudolf I, ( 1294– 1317),Duke of Bavaria, Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1294. Ancestor of the senior Palatinate Wittlesbachs.

First Electorate, 1356– 1648

Senior Line 1356-1559

• Rupert I,( 1356– 1390), Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1353 and Elector Palatine from 1356. In the Golden Bull of 1356, the Palatinate was recognized as one of the secular electorates, and given the hereditary offices of archsteward of the Empire and of Franconia, Swabia, the Rhine, and southern Germany. From that time forth, the Count Palatine of the Rhine was usually known as the Elector Palatine.

• Rupert (III) of Germany, ( 1352 – 1410), Elector Palatine from 1398 and German King from 1400.

Younger sons of Rupert III:

• John, (1383–1443), Count Palatine of Neumarkt from 1410. His son was:
• Christopher of Bavaria (Christopher III) ( 1416- 1448), King of Denmark from 1440, Sweden from1441 and Norway from1442. Line extinct.

• Stefan, ( 1385–1459), Count Palatine of Simmern and Zweibrücken from 1410, and Count Palatine of Veldenz and Sponheim from 1444. Ancestor of all the modern Wittlesbachs.

• Otto I, ( 1390–1461), Count Palatine of Mosbach. Line extinct 1509.

• Frederick I, (1425-1476), Count Palatine of the Rhine and Elector Palatine from 1451. Ancestor of the morganatic Wittlesbachs, Counts and Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim.
• Rupprecht of the Palatinate, (d. 1480), Prince-Archbishop of Cologne from 1463.
• George of the Palatinate (1486-1529), Bishop of Speyer from 1513.

Simmern Line 1559-1648.

• Frederick III,( 1515– 1576), Count Palatine of Simmern from 1557 and Elector Palatine from 1559.

• Frederick V, ( 1596– 1623), and Elector Palatine from 1610-1623 and King of Bohemia from 1619–1620 as Frederick I often known as the Winter King.

Second Electorate, 1648– 1777

Restored Simmern Line 1648-1685

• Charles I Louis,(1617– 1680), Elector Palatine from 1648. Restored as a new electorate.

Neuburg Line 1685-1742

• Philip William, ( 1615 – 1690), Count Palatine of Neuburg from 1653 , and Berg from 1653 to 1679 and Elector of the Palatinate from 1685.

Sulzbach Line 1742– 1777

• Karl Theodor, (1724 – 1799), Prince-Elector and Count Palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777.

Cadet Branches


Palatinate-Simmern 1444-1559

• Frederick I, (1417 - 1480), Count Palatine of Simmern from 1444.

Line became Elector Palatine 1559.

• Johann of Palatine-Simmern, (1429-1475), Archbishop of Magdeburg and Regent from 1464 and Bishop of Munster
• Johann III of Palatine-Simmern, (d.1538), Prince-Bishop of Regensburg from 1507.

Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim
1559-1598

• George, (1518-1569), Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim from 1559. Line extinct 1598.

Palatinate-Simmern-Kaiserslautern
1610 - 1674

• Louis Philip, (1602 - 1655), Count Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern from 1610. Line extinct 1674.

Palatinate-Zweibrücken
1444 - 1661

• Louis I the Black, (1424 - 1489), Count Palatine of Zweibrücken from 1444.

Main line extinct 1661
Ancestor of the Counts of Palatinate-Neuburg, Palatinate-Zweibrücken, , Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Vohenstrauss-Parkstein and Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld.

Palatinate-Landsberg- 1681

• Frederick Casimir, (1585 - 1645) was the Count Palatine of Landsberg from 1604.

Line inherited Palatinate- Zweibrücken in 1661. Line extinct 1681.

Palatinate-Kleeburg1604 - 1731

• John Casimir, (1589 - 1652), Count Palatine of Kleeburg from 1604.
• Charles X Gustavus (1622 - 1660), King of Sweden from 1654 and the Duke of Kleeburg from 1652 until 1654. Line extinct 1720.

Junior line extinct 1731 and inherited by Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld.

Palatinate-Neuburg
1569 - 1685

• Philip Louis (1547 - 1614), Count Palatine of Neuburg from 1569. Philip Louis received the Duchies of Jülich and Berg in 1614.

Line became Electors Palatine from 1685.

• Ludwig Anton of Palatinate–Neuburg, (1660-1694), Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and Bishop of Worms from 1685.
• Franz Ludwig of Palatinate–Neuburg, ( 1664-), Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and Bishop of Worms from 1694, Prince- Archbishop of Trier from1716 to 1729 and Prince- Archbishop of Mainz from1729

Palatinate-Sulzbach
1614 - 1742

• Augustus, (1582 - 1632), Count Palatine of Sulzbach from 1614.

Line became Electors Palatine from 1742.

• Francesca Christineof Sulzbach (1696 - 1776), Prince-Abbess of Essen from 1726

Palatinate-Sulzbach-Hilpoltstein
1614 - 1644

• John Frederick, (1587 - 1644), Count Palatine of Sulzbach-Hilpoltstein from 1614.

Reverted to Palatinate-Sulzbach in 1644.

Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld
1569 - 1731

• Charles I, (1560 - 1600),Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1569.

Ancestor of the Kings of Bavaria. Elder line extinct in 1671.
Anne Sophie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, (1619 - 1680), Prince-Abbess of Quedlinburg from 1645.

Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken
1731 - 1797

• Christian III (7 November 1674 - 3 February 1735) was the Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1717 until 1731, the Duke of Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken from 1731 , and the Count of Rappoltstein from 1699.
• Maximilian I Joseph, (1756 - 1825), Duke of Bavaria from 1799 until 1806, the King of Bavaria from 1806 , the Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken from 1795 until 1797 and the Count of Rappoltstein from 1776 until 1793.

Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Vohenstrauss-Parkstein
1569 - 1597

• Frederick, (1557 - 1597), Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Vohenstrauss-Parkstein from 1569.

Inherited by Count Palatine of Neuburg.

Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler
1600 - 1671

• Christian I, (1598 - 1654), Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler.
• Christian II (1637 - 1717) Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler from 1654 until 1717, the Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld from 1671 until 1717, and the Count of Rappoltstein from 1673.

Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen1654 - 1799

• John Charles, ( 1654 - 1704), Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen from 1654.

In 1799 the Counts Palatine were granted the title " Duke in Bavaria" by their distant relations, the Dukes of Bavaria. Line extinct 1973.

Palatinate-Veldenz
1543 - 1694

• Rupert, (1506 - 1544), Count Palatine of Veldenz from 1543.

Went through various partitions itself until extinction.
Line extinct 1694. Inherited by the Kings of Sweden.

Prince of Bretzenheim

• Karl-August,(1769-1823),Count of Heydeck and Prince of Bretzenheim, illegitimate son of Karl Theodor, (1724 – 1799), Prince-Elector and Count Palatine, Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria. Line extinct.

Counts of Lowenstein ( 1494– 1571)

• Louis I, Count of Löwenstein 1494–1524.

Ancestor of all the Lowenstein branches.

Counts of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck (1571–1633)

• Wolfgang II, Count of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck 1571–1596 line extinct 1633

Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1571–1636)

• Louis III, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1571–1611

Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg (1611–1812)

• Christopher Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1611–1618. Eldest son of Louis III

Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1812–Present)

• John Karl Louis, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1812–1816. The last Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg following a change of title.

Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1611–1712)

• John Dietrich, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1611–1644. Fourth son of Louis III

Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1712–1803)

• Maximilian Karl Albert, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1712–1718. The last Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort following a change of title.

Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (1803–Present)

• Dominick Constantine, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1803–1814. The last Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort following a change of title.