The county of Löwenstein belonged to a branch of the family of the counts of Calw before 1281, when it was purchased by the German king Rudolph I of Habsburg, who presented it to his natural son Albert. In 1441 Henry, one of Albert's descendants, sold it to the Frederick I, Count Palatine of the Rhine, and later it served as a portion for Louis (d. 1524), a son of the elector by a morganatic marriage, who became a count of the Empire in 1494. The county was disbanded in 1806.

Rulers of Löwenstein

Counts of Lowenstein (1494–1571)

• Louis I, Count of Löwenstein 1494–1524.
• Louis II, Count of Löwenstein 1524–1536. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Frederick I, Count of Löwenstein 1536–1541. Younger brother of predecessor.
• Wolfgang I, Count of Löwenstein 1541–1571. Son of predecessor.

Counts of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck (1571–1633)

• Wolfgang II, Count of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck 1571–1596. Eldest son of Wolfgang I.
• George Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck 1596–1633. Eldest son of predecessor.

George Louis survived his only son. His daughter and heiress Maria Christina of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck (1625–1673) married Gabriel Oxenstierna, Count of Korsholm and Vaasa (1619–1673). The further Counts of Korsholm and Vaasa were their descendants.

Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1571–1636)

• Louis III, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1571–1611. Second surviving son of Wolfgang I. Became ruler of Wertheim am Main through marriage to its heiress.
• Louis IV, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1611–1635. Second son of predecessor, co-heir with his brothers. Succeeded by his brothers.
• Wolfgang Ernest, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim 1611–1636. Third son of predecessor, co-heir with his brothers. Succeeded by his brothers.

Louis IV had no known descendants. Wolfgang Ernest only had one daughter, Dorothea Walpurga of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1628–1634) who predeceased him. Their lines were extinct with their own deaths.

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

• Christopher Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1611–1618. Eldest son of Louis III, co-heir with his brothers. Became ruler of Virneburg through marriage with its heiress.
• Frederick Louis , Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1618–1657. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Louis Ernest, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1657–1681. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Joachim Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1681–1689. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Eucharius Kasimir, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1689–1698. Younger brother of predecessor.
• Henry Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1698–1721. Paternal first cousin of predecessor.
• John Louis Vollrath, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1721–1790. Eldest son of predecessor.
• John Karl Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1790–1812. Title changed to Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.

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

• John Dietrich, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1611–1644. Fourth son of Louis III, co-heir with his brothers.
• Ferdinand Karl, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1644–1672. Eldest surviving son of predecessor.
• Maximilian Karl Albert, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1672–1712

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.
• Dominick Marquard, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1718–1735. Eldest surviving son of predecessor.
• Karl Thomas, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1735–1789. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Dominick Constantine, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort 1789–1803. Nephew of predecessor.

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.
• Karl Thomas, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1814–1849. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Karl I, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1849–1918/1921. Grandson of predecessor. Title effectively abolished with the collapse of the German Empire. Titular use continues.
• Alois, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1921–1952. Son of predecessor, titular use only.
• Karl II, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1952–1990. Son of predecessor, titular use only.
• Alois Constantine, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg 1990– . Son of predecessor, current claimant.

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.
• George, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1816–1855. Eldest son of predecessor.
• Adolf Karl, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1855–1861. Eldest son of predecessor.
• William, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1861–1887. First cousin of predecessor.
• Ernest Alban Louis, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1887–1918/1931. Eldest son of predecessor. Title effectively abolished with the collapse of the German Empire but titular use continues.
• Hubertus, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1906–1984) not in direct line of succession
• Udo, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1931–1980. Nephew of predecessor. Titular use only.
• Alfred Ernest, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg 1980– . Eldest son of predecessor, current claimant.

References

External links

• A listing of descedants of the Löwenstein family