Principality of Leyen

Principality of Leyen
Fürstentum Leyen
Client state of the French Empire Member of the Confederation of the Rhine
1806–1814
Flag Coat of arms
The Principality of Leyen, shown within the Grand Duchy of Baden
Capital		Hohengeroldseck
Government		Principality
Prince		Philip Francis
Historical era		Napoleonic Wars
•	County of Adendorf raised to principality	1806
•	Mediatised to Austria by Congress of Vienna	1814
•	Granted to Baden	1819
Preceded by Succeeded by County of Adendorf Austrian Empire

The Principality of Leyen was a Napoleonic German state which existed 1806–14 in Hohengeroldseck, in the west of modern Baden-Württemberg. The House of Leyen had acquired many districts in western Germany, and eventually these were inherited by the Leyen line of counts at Adendorf. In 1797, France defeated the Holy Roman Empire and all lands west of the Rhine were lost. Following the defeat of Austria in 1806, Count Philip Francis of Adendorf was raised to a Prince, and his lands were renamed to the 'Principality of Leyen'. The territory formed an enclave surrounded by Baden. Prince Philip Francis, like many other members of the Confederation of the Rhine became largely a French puppet, so following Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, the Congress of Vienna opted to mediatise his realm and give it to Austria. In 1819, Austria traded it to Baden.

Prince of Leyen

• Philip Francis (1806–14), previously count of Adendorf)

Heads of the House after Mediatization^[1]

• Philip Franz, 1st Prince 1806-1829 (1766-1829)
  • Erwein, 2nd Prince 1829-1879 (1798-1879)
    • Philip, 3rd Prince 1879-1882 (1819-1882)
      • Erwein, 4th Prince 1895-1938 (1863-1938)
        • Erwein, 5th Prince 1938-1970 (1894-1970)
          • Wolfram Erwein, Hereditary Prince of Leyen and zu Hohengeroldseck (1924-1945)
          • Princess Marie-Adelheid (1932-2015)
            • Philipp Erwein, 7th Prince 1971–present (b.1967)
              • Wolfram, Hereditary Prince of Leyen and zu Hohengeroldseck (b.1990)
              • Prince Georg (b.1992)
        • Ferdinand, 6th Prince 1970-1971 (1898-1971)

Map of the Grand Duchy of Baden, showing the Principality of Leyen in grey, mid-left

Client states of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815)
Sister republics	Germany Cisrhenia Mainz Greece Septinsular Ireland Connacht Italy Alba Ancona Bergamo Bologna Brescia Cisalpinia Cispadania Crema Italy Liguria Lucca Parthenopea Piedmont Rome Subalpinia Tiberinia Transpadania Netherlands Batavia Bouillon Liège Poland Danzig Switzerland Helvetia Lemania Rauracia Rhodania Swiss Confederation	Europe at the height of Napoleon's Empire
Napoleonic creations	Germany Aschaffenburg Confederation of the Rhine Baden Bavaria Berg Erfurt Frankfurt Hesse Leyen Regensburg Salm Salm-Horstmar Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck Saxony Westphalia Wetzlar Württemberg Würzburg Italy Benevento Etruria Guastalla Italy Lucca and Piombino Massa and Carrara Naples Pontecorvo Tuscany Malta Gozo Netherlands Holland Poland Warsaw Spain Spain

States of the Confederation of the Rhine (1806–13)
Rank elevated by Napoleon	Kingdoms Bavaria Saxony Württemberg Grand Duchies Baden Hesse Duchies Nassau
States created	Kingdoms Westphalia Grand Duchies Berg Frankfurt1 Würzburg Principalities Aschaffenburg2 Leyen Regensburg2
Pre-existing states	Saxon duchies Coburg-Saalfeld Gotha-Altenburg Hildburghausen Meiningen Weimar3 Eisenach3 Weimar-Eisenach4 Other duchies Anhalt (Bernburg Dessau Köthen) Arenberg Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Principalities Hohenzollern Hechingen Sigmaringen Isenburg Liechtenstein Lippe-Detmold Reuss Ebersdorf Greiz Lobenstein Schleiz Salm5 Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Waldeck
1 from 1810 2 until 1810 3 until 1809 4 from 1809 5 until 1811

References

1. ↑ Online Gotha - Leyen