Eitel Friedrich IV, Count of Hohenzollern


Count Eitel Friedrich IV of Hohenzollern was the founder and first Count of the line Hohenzollern-Hechingen as Eitel Friedrich I.

Life

Eitel Friedrich was the eldest surviving son of Count Karl I of Hohenzollern from his marriage to Anna, daughter of the Margrave Ernst of Baden-Durlach.
After his father's death in 1576, Hohenzollern was divided. Eitel Friedrich became the founder of the Hohenzollern-Hechingen line; his brother Karl founded the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen line, and his brother Christoph founded the Hohenzollern-Haigerloch line. Hohenzollern-Hechingen included the original County of Zollern, with the town of Hechingen and monasteries at Rangendingen, St. Luzen and Stetten.
Eitel Friedrich reorganized the administration of the county, which his predecessors had neglected. He issued strict hunting and forestry regulation, which led to several uprisings.
In Hechingen, he built a Renaissance style residence, from which the New Castle later evolved. In 1585, he and his wife founded the Franciscan monastery of St. Luke in Hechingen. He initiated other construction project as well, including the St. Lucerne abbey church, the hospital and the lower tower. His residence became a center of culture and music, earning him the nickname the Magnificent.
He died in 1605 and was buried in the church of the St. Luzen monastery. In 1609 a bronze grave plate was added to his grave, covering his heart. It bears the inscription Ubi thesaurus meus, ibi cor meum, "Where my treasure lies, there lies my heart".

Marriages and issue

Eitel Friedrich married three times. He married his first wife on 22 June 1568. She was Veronica, the daughter of Count Karl I of Ortenburg. The marriage remained childless.
He married his second wife on 14 November 1574 in Meßkirch. She was Sibylle, daughter of Count Froben Christoph of Zimmern. They had the following children:
He married his third wife on 1 March 1601. She was Johanna, the daughter of Count Philip of Eberstein. this marriage also remained childless

Footnotes