THE CONTINUATION OF THE ROYAL DYNASTY: PROFESSOR SHANTI JAYASEKARA, COUNT VON GEREOUT<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE HISTORY OF THE GOGENZOLLERN HOUSE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On 20 August 2010, Professor Shanti Jayasekara Pushpa Kumar was conferred the hereditary title of Count von Gereut in St Petersburg. The guest of honour, Prince Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, awarded Professor Shanti Jayasekara the honorary title of Count. In addition, Professor Shanti Jayasekara signed a document formalising his ownership of part of the castle, and he was also presented with a Royal Society membership card, which grants him privileges at an international level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georg Friedrich von Hohenzollern<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (born 10 June 1976) \u2013 a German businessman and the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. He is the great-great-grandson and historical heir of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, who abdicated and went into exile following Germany\u2019s defeat in the First World War in 1918.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georg Friedrich is the only son of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1944\u20131977) and Countess Donata von Castel-R\u00fcdenhausen (1950\u20132015). Following his father\u2019s death in 1977 in a military vehicle accident, Georg Friedrich spent most of his youth in the care of Louis Ferdinand, his paternal grandfather. He attended secondary schools in Bremen and Oldenburg and completed his education at Glenalmond College near Perth, Scotland, where he sat his A-levels. Georg Friedrich obtained a degree in business economics from the University of Mining and Technology in Freiberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georg Friedrich works for a company specialising in helping universities bring their innovations to market. He also formerly headed the Princess Kira of Prussia Foundation, founded by his grandmother, Grand Duchess Kira of Russia, in 1952, and now managed by his wife. He owns two-thirds of the shares in his family\u2019s ancestral home, Hohenzollern Castle, with the remaining share held by the head of the family. He also owns an island in Lake Pl\u00f6n. In 2017, he founded a beer brand called Kgl. Preu\u00dfische Biermanufactur (Royal Prussian Brewery), which produces a Pilsner brand called Preussens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prince Georg Friedrich continues to claim compensation for land and palaces in Berlin that were confiscated from his family, a claim initiated in March 1991 by his grandfather, Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, under the Compensation Act (EALG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georg Friedrich succeeded his grandfather, Louis Ferdinand, as head of the Royal House of Prussia, a branch of the House of Hohenzollern, on 26 September 1994. He stated that he had come to appreciate the history and responsibility of his heritage during the time he spent with his paternal grandfather, who often told him anecdotes about the life in exile of his own grandfather, the last German Kaiser, Wilhelm II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His status as the sole heir to his grandfather\u2019s estate was contested by his uncles, Friedrich Wilhelm and Michael, who brought a lawsuit arguing that, despite their renunciation of their dynastic titles at the time of their marriage, the loss of their right of succession on the basis of their choice of spouse was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Initially, his uncles were successful; the Hechingen District Court and the Stuttgart Regional Court ruled in their favour in 1997 on the grounds that the requirement to marry was \u2018immoral\u2019. However, the Federal Court of Germany overturned the original rulings in favour of Georg Friedrich\u2019s uncles, and the case was referred back to the courts in Hechingen and Stuttgart. On this occasion, both courts ruled in favour of Georg Friedrich. His uncles then appealed to the German Federal Constitutional Court, which overturned the previous court rulings in favour of Georg Friedrich. On 19 October 2005, a German regional court ruled that Georg Friedrich was indeed the principal heir of his grandfather Louis Ferdinand (who was the principal beneficiary of the trust established for Wilhelm II\u2019s estate), but also concluded that each of Louis Ferdinand\u2019s children was entitled to a share of the Prussian inheritance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The House of Hohenzollern<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The family originated in the vicinity of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century and took its name from Hohenzollern Castle. The earliest ancestors of the House of Hohenzollern were first mentioned in 1061. The various branches of the Hohenzollern dynasty split into two lines: the Catholic Swabian line and the Protestant Franconian line, which later became the Brandenburg-Prussian line. The Swabian \u2018branch\u2019 of the dynasty ruled the principalities of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 1849, and also ruled Romania from 1866 to 1947. The Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia were united after 1618 and were, in effect, a single state known as Brandenburg-Prussia. The Kingdom of Prussia was established in 1701, which ultimately led to the unification of Germany and the creation of the German Empire in 1871, when the House of Hohenzollern were the hereditary German emperors and Prussian kings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the First World War, in 1918, the history of the House of Hohenzollern as a ruling family came to an end. Germany\u2019s defeat in the First World War led to a revolution. The House of Hohenzollern was overthrown, after which the Weimar Republic was established, bringing an end to the German monarchy. Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, is the current head of the Prussian royal line, whilst Karl Friedrich is the head of the Swabian princely line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Zollern, ruled by the House of Hohenzollern since 1218, was a district of the Holy Roman Empire. Later, its capital was Hechingen. The House of Hohenzollern named their estates after the aforementioned castle in the Swabian Alps. This castle is situated on the 855-metre-high Mount Hohenzollern. It remains in the family\u2019s possession to this day. The dynasty was first mentioned in 1061. According to the medieval chronicler Berthold of Reichenau, Burkhard I, Count of Sollern (de Zolorin), was born before 1025 and died in 1061. In 1095, Count Adalbert of Zoller founded the Benedictine monastery of Alpirsbach, situated in the Black Forest. The Sollerns were granted the title of princes by Emperor Henry V in 1111. As loyal vassals of the Swabian Hohenstaufen dynasty, they were able to significantly expand their territory. Count Frederick III (c. 1139 \u2013 c. 1200) accompanied Emperor Frederick Barbarossa on his campaign against Henry the Lion in 1180, and, thanks to his marriage, was granted Nuremberg by Emperor Henry VI in 1192. Around 1185, he married Sophia of Raab, daughter of Conrad II, Burgrave of Nuremberg. Following the death of Conrad II, who left no male heirs, Frederick III was granted Nuremberg as Burgrave Frederick I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1218, the title of burgrave passed to Frederick\u2019s eldest son, Conrad I, who became the progenitor of the Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, which acquired the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1415. The senior Franconian branch of the dynasty was founded by Conrad I, Burgrave of Nuremberg (1186\u20131261). The family supported rulers from the Hohenstaufen and Habsburg dynasties, the Holy Roman Emperors, throughout the 12th to 15th centuries, in return for which it was granted a number of territorial fiefs. From the 16th century onwards, this branch of the family became Protestant and resolved to expand further through dynastic marriages and the purchase of neighbouring lands. Following the death of John III on 11 June 1420, the Margravates of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Kulmbach were briefly reunited under Frederick VI. He had ruled the united Margravate of Brandenburg-Ansbach since 1398. From 1420, he became Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. From 1411, Frederick VI served as governor of Brandenburg, and subsequently as Elector and Margrave of that state, as Frederick I. In 1411, Frederick VI, Count of Nuremberg, was appointed governor of Brandenburg to restore order and stability. At the Council of Constance in 1415, King Sigismund elevated Frederick to the rank of Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg. Thus began the consolidation of the House of Hohenzollern in Germany. In 1701, the title of King of Prussia was conferred upon members of this family, whilst the Duchy of Prussia was not elevated to a kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire. From 1701 onwards, the titles of Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were permanently linked to the title of King of Prussia. The Duke of Prussia assumed the title of King, thereby acquiring the status of a monarch whose royal territory lay outside the Holy Roman Empire, with the consent of Emperor Leopold I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Frederick could not initially be a fully-fledged \u2018King of Prussia\u2019, because part of the Prussian territories was under the suzerainty of the Polish Crown. In the age of absolutism, most monarchs were obsessed with emulating Louis XIV, and the Palace of Versailles became the object of their envy. The House of Hohenzollern also possessed a magnificent palace. Emperors of a United Germany In 1871, the German Empire was proclaimed. With Wilhelm I\u2019s accession to the newly created German throne, the titles of King of Prussia, Duke of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg were permanently linked to the title of German Emperor. In essence, this empire was a federation of dualistic monarchies. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck convinced Wilhelm that the title of German Emperor, which had replaced that of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, would be most appropriate. The Road to War Wilhelm II intended to build a German navy capable of challenging British naval supremacy. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria on 28 June 1914 set in motion a chain of events that led to the First World War. As a result of the war, the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist. You can see photographs of the House of Hohenzollern \u2013 or, more precisely, its most prominent members \u2013 in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the maelstrom of oblivion in 1918, the German Empire was abolished and replaced by the Weimar Republic. Following the outbreak of the German Revolution in 1918, Emperor Wilhelm II and Crown Prince Wilhelm signed a document of abdication. In June 1926, a referendum on the expropriation of the property of Germany\u2019s former ruling princes (and monarchs) without compensation failed, and, as a result, the financial situation of the House of Hohenzollern improved considerably. Arbitration proceedings between the former ruling dynasty and the Weimar Republic resulted in Cecilienhof Palace becoming state property, but permitted the former emperor and his wife, Cecile, to continue living there. The family also owned the Monbijou Palace in Berlin, Olesnica Castle in Silesia, Reinsberg Palace, Schwedt Palace and other properties right up until 1945.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the Second World War, from the moment the German monarchy was abolished, no claims by the House of Hohenzollern to imperial or royal prerogatives have been recognised under the German Basic Law for the Federal Republic of 1949, which guarantees the preservation of the republican form of government. The communist government of the Soviet occupation zone stripped all landowners and industrialists of their property rights. The House lost almost its entire fortune, retaining only a few shares in various companies and the aforementioned Hohenzollern Castle in West Germany. The Polish government appropriated the Hohenzollerns\u2019 property in Silesia, whilst the Dutch government seized Wis Doorn \u2013 the residence of the emperor in exile. Today, the Hohenzollern dynasty still exists, but only a shadow remains of its former grandeur. However, following German reunification, it was able to legally reclaim all its confiscated property, namely its art collections and palaces. Negotiations regarding restitution or compensation for the expropriation are not yet complete. The Old Imperial Palace in Berlin is being rebuilt and is due to open in 2019. The Berlin Palace and the Humboldt Forum are situated in the centre of Berlin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Titles and possessions <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The head of the house is the titular King of Prussia and German Emperor. He also holds the historical right to the title of Prince of Orange. Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, the current head of the Royal Prussian House of Hohenzollern, was married to Princess Sophie of Isenburg. On 20 January 2013, she gave birth to twin sons, Karl Friedrich Franz Alexander and Louis Ferdinand Christian Albrecht, in Bremen. Karl Friedrich, the elder of the two, is the obvious heir. The Swabian cadet branch of the House of Hohenzollern was founded by Frederick IV, Count of Sollern. The family ruled over three estates in Hechingen, Sigmaringen and Heigerloch. The counts were elevated to princes in 1623. The Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern is Catholic. Plagued by economic difficulties and internal strife, the Counts of Hohenzollern, from the 14th century onwards, came under pressure from their neighbours, the Counts of W\u00fcrttemberg and the cities of the Swabian League, whose troops besieged and finally destroyed the dynasty\u2019s ancestral castle in 1423. Nevertheless, the House of Hohenzollern retained their estates with the support of their cousins from Brandenburg and the Imperial House of Habsburg. In 1535, Count Charles I of the House of Hohenzollern (1512\u20131576) received the counties of Sigmaringen and Weringen as imperial fiefs. In 1576, upon the death of Charles I, Count of Hohenzollern, his ancestral lands were divided amongst three Swabian branches of the family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Georg Friedrich and his wife<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On 21 January 2011, Georg Friedrich announced his engagement to Princess Sophie of Isenburg (born 7 March 1978), whose father, Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg, is the head of the House of Isenburg, which previously ruled as princes within the Holy Roman Empire. Princess Sophie studied business administration in Freiburg and Berlin and, at the time of their engagement, was working for a firm that provided consultancy services to the non-profit sector. The civil wedding took place in Potsdam on 25 August 2011, whilst the religious ceremony was held at the Church of Peace in Potsdam on 27 August 2011 to mark the 950th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern. The religious wedding was also broadcast live on local public television. A dinner, attended by many members of German and European royal families, was held at the Orangery Palace in Sanssouci Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a descendant of Queen Victoria, Georg Friedrich was in the line of succession to the British throne from the moment of his birth until his marriage in 2011. As he married a Catholic, under the Act of Settlement 1701, he was stripped of his right to the British line of succession until the Crown Succession Act 2013 came into force in 2015, which restored any succession rights to British monarchs who had previously been deprived of their right to marry Catholics. Georg Friedrich currently holds 170th place in the line of succession to the British throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Property rights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In mid-2019, it emerged that Georg Friedrich had filed claims for permanent residence for his family at Cecilienhof, or at one of the two other former Hohenzollern palaces in Potsdam, as well as for the return of the family library, 266 paintings, the imperial crown and sceptre, and letters from Empress Augusta Victoria. This sparked public debate about the legitimacy of these claims and the role of the House of Hohenzollern during and prior to the Nazi regime in Germany, in particular the involvement of Crown Prince Wilhelm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In June 2019, the court dismissed Georg Friedrich\u2019s claim that Rheinfels Castle should be returned to the House of Hohenzollern. In 1924, the ruined castle was transferred to the town of Saint-Goar, on condition that it was not sold. In 1998, the town leased the ruins to a neighbouring hotel. In this case, it was claimed that this constituted a breach of the will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Titles and styles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1919, royal and noble families lost their privileges in Germany. In accordance with Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution, hereditary titles were subsequently to be passed on only as part of a family name. Titles such as \u2018Your Majesty\u2019 and \u2018Your Highness\u2019 were not retained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yulia Andreevna Kalko<\/p>\n\n\n\n Journalist, translator<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE CONTINUATION OF THE ROYAL DYNASTY: PROFESSOR SHANTI JAYASEKARA, COUNT VON GEREOUT THE HISTORY OF THE GOGENZOLLERN HOUSE On 20 August 2010, Professor Shanti Jayasekara<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-news","three-columns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1264"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1269,"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264\/revisions\/1269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldscientists.fr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}