The House of Oettingen was a high-ranking noble Franconian and Swabian family. It ruled various estates that composed the County of Oettingen between the 12th century and the beginning of the 19th century. In 1674 the house was raised to the rank of prince for the first time. Despite the annexation of their lands following the German mediatisation of 1806, the family retained their titles and still have representatives today.

Origins

The Oettingen family traces its descent back to Fridericus comes, documented in 987, and his father Sieghard V. (Sigehardus comes in pago Riezzin, 'Sieghard, Count in Riesgau') from the Sieghardinger family, documented in 1007. These are also considered to be the ancestors of the Staufers. The Oettingen family was first mentioned in 1147 with Ludovicus comes de Otingen, a relative of the Imperial House of Hohenstaufen who was granted the county surrounding the Imperial city of Nördlingen as a fief, possibly with his brother Chuno comes de Othingen. The relationship between the family and the Hohenstaufens is also proven by documents. The family built Steinsberg Castle around 1200 as vassals of the Hohenstaufen dynasty From the 12th to the 14th century the family gained the largest secular territory in East Swabia. The county of Oettingen lay around the imperial city of Nördlingen in present-day Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg. At the end of the Old Kingdom in 1806, the area covered around 850 km2 and had around 60,000 inhabitants.

Main branches

From 1410, the county started its first divisions within the family, as noted below. Following the partitions, the remaining land was called Oettingen-Oettingen and was located in modern-day eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria. This branch was Protestant, created Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1674 but became extinct in 1731, when the county was divided and inherited by Oettingen-Spielberg (Princes since 1734) that obtained the town and castle of Oettingen, and Oettingen-Wallerstein (Princes since 1774).

Wallerstein

Oettingen-Wallerstein is a noble family related to a former County in modern-day eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria, Germany. Oettingen-Wallerstein was twice created; first, as a partition of Oettingen (modern-day town of Oettingen in Bayern) in 1423 which became extinct in 1486 and was inherited by Oettingen-Oettingen, and the second time as a partition of Oettingen-Oettingen in 1557, as a Catholic branch of the family. Oettingen-Oettingen suffered one partition, between itself and Oettingen-Spielberg in 1602. It was raised to a Principality in 1774 by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1806, it was mediatised to the Kingdom of Bavaria, and divided with the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1810. At this time, the Principality had a territory of 850 km2 with 60,000 inhabitants.

Spielberg

Oettingen-Spielberg is a noble family and former principality in modern-day eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria, Germany. It was partitioned of Oettingen-Wallerstein in 1602. It was raised to a Principality in 1734 (after it inherited the town and the castle of Oettingen in 1731), mediatised to the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806, and divided with the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1810. The other still-existing branch of the Oettingen family is the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein.

Baldern

Oettingen-Baldern was a line of the Swabian-Franconian noble house of Oettingen. It was created by dividing the Oettingen-Alt-Wallerstein line in 1623. The Counts of Oettingen-Baldern died out in 1789. The possessions including Baldern Castle and Katzenstein Castle as well as the Sötern lordship went over to the Oettingen-Wallerstein line.

Rulers

House of Oettingen

Partitions of Oettingen under the Oettingen family

Table of rulers

Lines of succession (post-mediatisation)

Mediatized line of Wallerstein

Mediatised line of Spielberg

Other important members

Residences

The following castles are still owned by the Princes of Oettingen-Spielberg and Oettingen-Wallerstein: