House of Palatinate-Simmern
| House of Palatinate-Simmern | |
|---|---|
 Arms of Palatinate-Simmern | |
| Parent house | House of Wittelsbach |
| Country | Germany |
| Founded | 1410 |
| Final head | Charles II |
| Connected families | |
| Dissolution | 1685 |
TheHouse of Palatinate-Simmern(German:Pfalz-Simmern) was aGerman-Bavariancadet branchof theHouse of Wittelsbach.The house was one of the collateral lineages of thePalatinate.It became the main branch in 1559.
The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided into four lines after the death ofRupert IIIin 1410, including the line of Palatinate-Simmern with its capital inSimmern.This line became extinct in 1685 with the death ofCharles II.The House ofPalatinate-Neuburgline inherited the Electorate.
The founder of the Simmern line,Stephen, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrückenis also the founder of the cadet branchHouse of Palatinate-Zweibrückenand its cadet branches. The rights over theCounty of Veldenzand a share of theCounty of Sponheim,transmitted by Stephen's wifeAnna of Veldenz,were held by these lineages.
The house of Palatine-Simmern, in the person of the 1st elector,Frederick III,were staunchCalvinists.Frederick III was a devout convert to Calvinism, and made the Reformed confession the official religion of his domain by overseeing the composition and promulgation of theHeidelberg Catechism.His support of Calvinism gave the German Reformed movement a foothold and base within theHoly Roman Empire.It was also part of the appeal ofFrederick Vto theBohemiansin electing him King.
As of 2022[update],those in the line of succession to theBritish throneare Protestant descendants ofSophia,who was born into the house (daughter ofFrederick VandElizabeth Stuart) as Princess palatine of the Rhine, later becomingElectress consort of Hanover[1][2]
Counts Palatine of Simmern
[edit]
- Stefan1410–1444
- Frederick I1444–1480
- John I1480–1509
- John II1509–1557
- following Frederick, as II 1557–became Elector
Electors of the Palatinate
[edit]- Frederick III1559–1576
- Louis VI1576–1583
- Frederick IV1583–1610
- Frederick V1610–1623
- Charles I Louis1649–1680
- Charles II1680–1685
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"The Act of Settlement".The Royal Family.23 March 2016.
- ^Rodrigues, Ana Maria S. A.; Silva, Manuela Santos; Spangler, Jonathan W. (19 August 2019).Dynastic Change: Legitimacy and Gender in Medieval and Early Modern Monarchy.ISBN9781351035125.
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