House of Lippe

House of Lippe
Country	Principality of Lippe, Schaumburg-Lippe
Founded	1123
Founder	Bernhard I
Current head	Stephan, Prince of Lippe
Final ruler	Leopold IV
Titles	Lord, Count, Prince
Deposition	1918
Cadet branches	Lippe-Biesterfeld Lippe-Weissenfeld Schaumburg-Lippe

The princely castle at Detmold

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld in 1942

The House of Lippe (German: Haus Lippe) is the former reigning house of a number of small German states, two of which existed until the German Revolution of 1918–19, the Principality of Lippe and the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe.

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, former Queen of the Netherlands (1980–2013), is an agnatic member of this house.

History

The House of Lippe descends from Jodocus Herman, Lord of Lippe (died c. 1096), whose descendant Bernhard I was the founder of the state of Lippe in 1123. Born ca 1090. The family has produced several of the longest-reigning monarchs in Europe, including the longest reigning (for 82 years), Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe (d. 1511). In 1528, Simon V was elevated to the rank of ruling Count of the Holy Roman Empire and Edler Herr zur Lippe (noble Lord of Lippe).

In 1613, the House's territory was split into the counties of Lippe-Detmold, Lippe-Brake and Lippe-Alverdissen. In 1643, Count Philipp of Lippe-Alverdissen inherited half of the neighboring County of Schaumburg and founded the Schaumburg-Lippe line of the House of Lippe. The Brake branch extinguished in 1709, disputedly inherited by the main, Lippe-Detmold line. Alverdissen was bought back from Schaumburg-Lippe by Lippe-Detmold in 1812. In the 18th century, the cadet line of Lippe-Biesterfeld split from the Detmold branch, and shortly thereafter Lippe-Weissenfeld split from Lippe-Biesterfeld as a further cadet branch. Both, Biesterfeld and Weissenfeld were so-called paragiums (non-sovereign estates of a cadet-branch) within the County of Lippe. Both branches, owning only modest manor houses in the county, acquired other (non-sovereign) property by marriage and moved out of the county in the late 18th century, the Biesterfeld branch to the Rhineland, and the Weissenfeld branch to Saxony, where their inherited estates were mostly located.

The counts of Lippe-Detmold were granted the title of Imperial prince in 1789, while the counts of Schaumburg-Lippe became in fact princes by entering the Confederation of the Rhine in 1807 and legally by becoming a member state of the German Confederation in 1815.

The Principality of Lippe existed until the end of the German monarchies in 1918. In 1905, with the death of Alexander, Prince of Lippe, the senior Lippe-Detmold branch of the family became extinct and Count Leopold of Lippe-Biesterfeld (head of the non-ruling junior branch line Lippe-Biesterfeld) succeeded him as Prince, after an Imperial court ruling, in fact against the wishes of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, who would have preferred his brother-in-law Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe to succeed. Leopold IV continued to rule until the German Revolution of 1918. During the revolution, the ruling Princes of Lippe and Schaumburg-Lippe were forced to abdicate, ending the family's 795-year rule. In 1928, Prince Leopold's three sons by his first wife signed up to the Nazi Party. The eldest, Prince Ernst, was reputedly the first German prince to do so.

In 1937, Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld married Princess Juliana of the Netherlands. On the accession of their daughter Beatrix in 1980, the Netherlands Royal House officially remained known as the House of Orange-Nassau, although Beatrix and her sisters are agnatically members of the House of Lippe.

Stephan, Prince of Lippe (b. 1959) is the present senior of the House of Lippe. He still owns the estate and castle at Detmold, the former main residence of the principality. Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, head of the younger formerly sovereign branch, still resides at Bückeburg Palace, Lower Saxony, located on the border with North Rhine Westphalia.

States ruled by the House of Lippe

• Lippe (1123–1918), known as Lippe-Detmold from 1621
• Lippe-Brake (1621–1709)
• Schaumburg-Lippe (1643–1918)

Non-ruling cadet branches

• Lippe-Alverdissen (1613–1640 and 1681–1777)
• Lippe-Biesterfeld
• Lippe-Weissenfeld

Rulers of Lippe

Partitions of Lippe under Lippe rule

County of Sternberg pledged by Holstein (1400)
Lordship of Lippe (1123-1528) Raised to: County of Lippe (1528-1613)
County of Sternberg (1559-1583)
County of Schauenburg (1613-1787) Lippe-Alverdissen line from 1777		County of Detmold (1613-1782)			County of Brake (1613-1709)
		County of Biesterfeld (1627-1905)
		County of Weissenfeld (1762-1916) Raised to: Principality of Weissenfeld (1916-1918)
	County of Alverdissen (1681-1777)
County promoted to Principality of Schaumburg (1787-1918)				Raised to: Principality of Lippe (1782-1918) Lippe-Biesterfeld line from 1905

Table of rulers

Ruler		Born	Reign	Death	Ruling part	Consort	Notes
Bernard I		c.1090	1123-1158	1158	Lordship of Lippe	Unknown at least one child	First recorded lord of Lippe, and possible founder of the family.
Herman I		?	1158-1167	1167	Lordship of Lippe	Unknown at least two children	Grandson of the previous lord.
Bernard II		1140	1167-1196	1224	Lordship of Lippe	Heilwig of Are-Hochstaden (1150-1196) eleven children	Brother of the previous. Also Lord of Rheda. Abdicated to become an abbot at the Latvian monastery of Daugavgrīva. Eventually he was appointed Bishop at Sēlija in 1218.
Herman II		1175	1196-1229	25 December 1229	Lordship of Lippe	Oda of Tecklenburg (1180-5 April 1221) seven children
Bernard III		1194	1229-1265	1265	Lordship of Lippe	Sophia of Cuijck-Arnsberg (1210-1245) c.1230 five children Sophie of Ravensberg-Vechta (1220-1285) 1248 four children
Bernard IV		c.1230	1265-1275	June 1275	Lordship of Lippe (at Horn)	Agnes of Clèves (1232-1 August 1285) 1260 two children	Sons of Bernard III, disputed the inheritance and briefly divided the lordship: Bernard kept Horn and the eastern part of the land; Herman received Lippstadt, Rheda and the western part.
Herman III		1233	1265-1274	3 October 1274	Lordship of Lippe (at Lippstadt)	Unmarried
Simon I		1261	1274/75-1344	3 August 1344	Lordship of Lippe	Adelaide of Waldeck 24 November 1276 eleven children	Reunited the lordship, but it would be once more divided between his children.
Simon II		c.1280/1300?	1334	1334	Lordship of Lippe	Unmarried	His situation is not very clear. Despite dying before his father, he is stated as co-ruling with his brothers below.
Bernard V		c.1290	1344-1364	1364	Lordship of Lippe (at Rheda)	Richardis of the Mark 16 October 1344 four children	Sons of Simon I, after the death of their brother Simon not long after their father, the surviving brothers briefly divided the lordship: Bernard kept Rheda and Otto received Lemgo, Rheda
Otto		1300	1344-1360	January 1360	Lordship of Lippe (at Lemgo)	Irmgard of the Mark (c.1300-1 August 1362) 4 March 1323 five children
Simon III		1340	1360/64-1410	1410	Lordship of Lippe	Irmgard of Hoya (1344-1422) 1362 ten children	Reunited the lands of Lippe once more.
Bernard VI		1363	1410-1415	19 January 1415	Lordship of Lippe	Margaret of Waldeck-Landau (1363-21 February 1395) 28 June 1393 no children Elisabeth of Mörs-Saarwerden 11 May 1403 four children
Simon IV		1404	1415-1429	11 August 1429	Lordship of Lippe	Margaret of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1411-31 October 1456) 1426 five children
Regencies of Otto of Lippe (1429-1433) and Dietrich II, Archbishop of Cologne (1433-1446)							Holds the record of the longest rule in history. Lord since he was less than one year old, he became known as having been involved in many feuds.
Bernard VII the Bellicose		4 December 1428	1429-1511	2 April 1511	Lordship of Lippe	Anna of Holstein-Pinneberg (1428-23 September 1495) 15 September 1443 seven children
Simon V		1471	1511-1536	17 September 1536	Lordship of Lippe (until 1528) County of Lippe (from 1528)	Walpurgis of Bronckhorst (d.21 December 1522) 27 March 1490 one child Magdalena of Mansfeld-Mittelort (c.1500-22 September 1540) 16 March 1524 Detmold four children	During his rule, the Lordship was elevated to a County.
Regencies of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (1536-1547), Jobst II, Count of Hoya (1536-1545) and Adolphus XIII, Count of Holstein-Pinneberg (1536-1544)							Sons of Simon V, both were minors by the time their father died. Bernard kept Lippe and Herman Simon received the feudal land of Sternberg. Herman Simon would become regent of his nephew, Simon VI.
Bernard VIII		6 December 1527	1536-1563	15 April 1563	County of Lippe	Catherine of Waldeck-Eisenberg (1524-1583) 1550 five children
Herman Simon		1532	1532-1576	4 June 1576	County of Lippe-Sternberg	Ursula of Spiegelberg-Pyrmont (1526-16 March 1583) 18 May 1558 Pyrmont two children
Regency of Herman Simon, Count of Lippe-Sternberg (1563-1576)							His marriage brought the county of Schaumburg (one of the last feuds of the counts of Holstein) into the family's domains. After Simon's death, the county entered into a more permanent division.
Simon VI		15 April 1554	1563-1613	7 December 1613	County of Lippe	Armgard, Countess of Rietberg 1578 no children Elisabeth of Holstein-Pinneberg 1585 ten children
Regency of Ursula of Spiegelberg-Pyrmont (1576-1578)							His early and childless death brought Sternberg once again under Lippe control.
Philip		5 October 1560	1576-1583	11 February 1583	County of Lippe-Sternberg	Unmarried
Annexation to Lippe
Simon VII		30 December 1587	1613-1627	26 March 1627	County of Lippe-Detmold	Anna Catharina of Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein (4 December 1590 - 6 January 1622) 6 May 1607 Brake twelve children Maria Magdalena of Waldeck-Wildungen (27 April 1606 - 28 May 1671) 27 April 1623 three children	Sons of Simon VI, divided the county once more. Simon kept his capital at Detmold; Otto received Brake, and Philip, Alverdissen. Following the annexation of the county of Schauenburg after the extinction of the House of Schauenburg in 1640 (the Lippes were heirs through the mother of the last count), Philip joined this new county to his inheritance.
Otto		21 September 1589	1613-1657	18 November 1657	County of Lippe-Brake	Margaret of Nassau-Dillenburg (5 September 1606 - 30 January 1661) 30 October 1626 Dillenburg twelve children
Philip I		18 July 1601	1613-1681	10 April 1681	County of Lippe-Alverdissen (until 1640) County of Schaumburg-Lippe (from 1640)	Sophie of Hesse-Kassel 13 October 1644 Stadthagen ten children
Regency of Christian, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1627-1631)							Sons of Simon VII, and both minors. Simon Louis kept Detmold, under his step-grandfather, the Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont, and his half-brother received Biesterfeld, under his own mother's regency.
Simon Louis		14 March 1610	1627-1636	8 August 1636	County of Lippe-Detmold	Catherine of Waldeck-Wildungen (20 October 1612 - 24 November 1649) 19 June 1631 Wildungen three children
Regency of Maria Magdalena of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1627-1654)
Jobst Herman		9 February 1625	1627-1678	6 July 1678	Lordship of Lippe-Biesterfeld (at Schwalenberg until 1654; at Biesterfeld since 1654)	Juliane Elisabeth of Sayn-Wittgenstein (4 October 1634 - 23 June 1689) 10 October 1654 Wittgenstein twenty children
Regencies of Christian, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1636-1637) and Catherine of Waldeck-Wildungen (1637-1650)							Died with no descendants. The county fell to his uncle.
Simon Philip		6 April 1632	1636-1650	19 June 1650	County of Lippe-Detmold	Unmarried
John Bernard		18 October 1613	1650-1652	10 June 1652	County of Lippe-Detmold	Unmarried	Brother of Simon Louis, also had no descendants.
Herman Adolphus		31 January 1616	1652-1666	10 October 1666	County of Lippe-Detmold	Ernestina von Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein (9 February 1614 - 5 December 1665) 1648 four children Amalia of Lippe-Brake (20 September 1629 - 19 August 1676) 27 February 1666 no children	Brother of the previous.
Casimir		22 July 1627	1657-1692	12 March 1700	County of Lippe-Brake	Anna Amalia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Homburg (6 December 1641 - 27 March 1685) 28 May 1663 Nymbrecht nine children	In 1692, he abdicated to his eldest son.
Simon Henry		13 March 1649	1666-1697	2 May 1697	County of Lippe-Detmold	Amalia of Dohna-Vianen (2 February 1644 - 11 March 1700) 15 December 1666 The Hague sixteen children
Regency of Juliane Elisabeth of Sayn-Wittgenstein (1678-1689)
Rudolph Ferdinand		17 March 1671	1678-1736	12 July 1736	Lordship of Lippe-Biesterfeld	Juliana Louisa von Kunowitz (21 August 1671 - 21 October 1741) 22 February 1705 Halle eight children
Frederick Christian		16 August 1655	1681-1728	13 June 1728	County of Schaumburg-Lippe	Joanna Sophia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 4 January 1691 Langenburg (annulled 1723) six children	Sons of Philip I, divided their inheritance: Frederick Christian kept Schaumburg, and Philip Ernest received Alverdissen (the land of his father prior to the inheritance of the County of Schaumburg).
Philip Ernest I		20 December 1659	1681-1723	27 November 1723	County of Lippe-Alverdissen	Dorothea Amalia of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck 31 December 1686 Beck seven children
Rudolph		10 May 1664	1692-1707	27 October 1707	County of Lippe-Brake	Dorothea Elisabeth of Waldeck-Wildungen (6 July 1661 - 23 July 1702) 4 November 1691 Kleinern one child	Left no surviving descendants. The county passed to his cousin.
Frederick Adolphus		2 September 1667	1697-1718	18 July 1718	County of Lippe-Detmold	Joanna Elizabeth of Nassau-Dillenburg-Schaumburg (5 September 1663 - 8 February 1700) 16 June 1692 Schaumburg six children Amalia of Solms-Hohensolms (13 October 1678 - 14 February 1746) 8 June 1700 Hohensolms seven children
Louis Ferdinand		27 September 1680	1707-1709	21 February 1709	County of Lippe-Brake	Unmarried	Son of Frederick, a younger brother of Casimir. After his childless death Brake reverted to Lippe.
Annexation to Lippe
Simon Henry Adolphus		15 April 1554	1718-1734	7 December 1613	County of Lippe-Detmold	Johanetta Wilhelmina of Nassau-Idstein (14 September 1700 - 2 June 1756)16 October 1719 Wiesbaden eleven children
Frederick Ernest		20 December 1694	1723-1749	28 August 1749	County of Lippe-Alverdissen	Elisabeth Philippine von Friesenhausen (19 August 1696 - 4 August 1764) 27 September 1722 Rebourg eleven children
Albert Wolfgang		27 April 1699	1728-1748	24 September 1648	County of Schaumburg-Lippe	Margarete Gertrud of Oeynhausen (9 April 1698 - 8 April 1726) 30 October 1721 London two children Charlotte Frederica of Nassau-Siegen (30 November 1702 - 22 July 1785) 26 April 1730 Varel no children
Regency of Johanetta Wilhelmina of Nassau-Idstein (1734-1747)
Simon Augustus		12 June 1727	1734-1782	1 May 1782	County of Lippe-Detmold	Polyxena Louise of Nassau-Weilburg (27 January 1733 - 27 September 1764) 24 August 1750 Kirchheimbolanden one child Maria Leopoldine of Anhalt-Dessau 28 September 1765 Dessau one child Casimire of Anhalt-Dessau 9 November 1769 Dessau one child Christine of Solms-Braunfels (30 August 1744 - 16 December 1823) 26 March 1780 Braunfels no children
Frederick Charles Augustus		20 January 1706	1736-1781	31 July 1781	Lordship of Lippe-Biesterfeld (until 1762) County of Lippe-Biesterfeld (until 1762)	Barbara Eleonora of Solms-Baruth (30 October 1707 - 16 June 1744) 7 May 1732 Baruth eight children	Sons of Rudolph Ferdinand. Frederick Charles ascended after his father's death, and, during his rule, the Lordship was elevated to a County. In this same year (1762), he gave Weissenfelf to his brother Ferdinand Louis.
Ferdinand I Louis		22 August 1709	1762-1787	18 January 1787	County of Lippe-Weissenfeld	Ernestine Henriette of Solms-Baruth (23 May 1712 - 17 November 1769) 2 November 1736 Baruth nine children
William		9 January 1724	1748-1777	10 September 1777	County of Schaumburg-Lippe	Maria Barbara Eleonore of Lippe-Biesterfeld 12 November 1765 Stadthagen two children	Left no surviving descendants. The county passed to his cousin from the Alverdissen line.
Philip II Ernest II		5 July 1720	1749-1777	13 February 1787	County of Lippe-Alverdissen	Ernestine Albertine of Saxe-Weimar 6 May 1756 Weimar four children Juliane of Hesse-Philippsthal 10 October 1780 Philippsthal four children	After the death of the last male representative of the Schaumburg-Lippe line, he assumed the reins of this County, probably even merging his own with the recently acquired property.
			1777-1787		County of Schaumburg-Lippe
Annexation to Schaumburg-Lippe
Charles Ernest Casimir		2 November 1735	1781-1810	19 November 1810	County of Lippe-Biesterfeld	Ferdinanda Henrietta Dorothea of Bentheim-Tecklenburg (24 August 1737 - 23 April 1779) 16 October 1769 Rheda five children
Regency of Louis Henry Adolph of Lippe-Detmold (1782-1789)							During his rule, the County was elevated to a Principality.
Leopold I		2 December 1767	1782-1802	4 April 1802	County of Lippe-Detmold (until 1789) Principality of Lippe (from 1789)	Pauline Christine of Anhalt-Bernburg 2 January 1796 Ballenstedt two children
Regency of Juliane of Hesse-Philippsthal (1787-1820)							During his rule, the County was elevated to a Principality.
George William		20 December 1784	1787-1860	21 November 1860	County of Schaumburg-Lippe (until 1807) Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe (from 1807)	Ida of Waldeck-Pyrmont 23 June 1816 Arolsen nine children
Frederick John Louis		2 September 1737	1787-1791	14 May 1791	County of Lippe-Weissenfeld	Maria Eleonora von Gersdorf (1 September 1752 - 3 December 1772) 21 February 1772 Milkel one child Wilhelmina von Hoenthal (19 February 1748 - 8 December 1789) 28 August 1775 Debernitz five children
Ferdinand II		20 November 1772	1791-1846	21 June 1846	County of Lippe-Weissenfeld	Eleonora Gustava von Thermo (19 October 1789 - 23 February 1868) 23 November 1804 Lipten seven children
Regency of Pauline Christine of Anhalt-Bernburg (1802-1820)
Leopold II		6 November 1796	1802-1851	1 January 1851	Principality of Lippe	Emilia Frederica of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (23 April 1800 - 2 April 1867) 23 April 1820 Arnstadt nine children
William Ernest		15 April 1777	1810-1840	8 January 1840	County of Lippe-Biesterfeld	Dorothea Christina Modesta von Umru (29 April 1781 - 29 September 1854) 26 July 1803 Bayreuth nine children
Julius		2 April 1812	1840-1884	17 May 1884	County of Lippe-Biesterfeld	Adelaide Clotilda Augusta of Kastell-Kastell (18 June 1818 - 11 July 1900) 30 April 1839 Kastell fourteen children
Gustav		21 August 1805	1846-1882	17 June 1882	County of Lippe-Weissenfeld	Ida of Lippe-Weissenfeld (16 January 1819 - 18 March 1878) 21 August 1848 Niedergurig seven children
Leopold III		1 September 1821	1851-1875	8 December 1875	Principality of Lippe	Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1 October 1833 - 27 November 1896) 17 April 1852 Rudolstadt no children	Left no descendants. The principality fell to his brother.
Adolphus I		1 August 1817	1860-1893	8 May 1893	Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe	Hermine of Waldeck-Pyrmont 25 October 1844 Arolsen three children
Woldemar		18 April 1824	1875-1895	20 March 1895	Principality of Lippe	Sophie of Baden 9 November 1858 Karlsruhe no children	Left no descendants. The principality fell to his brother.
Ferdinand III		6 October 1844	1882-1900	11 April 1900	County of Lippe-Weissenfeld	Margarete von Winterfeld (17 September 1858 - 11 July 1903) no children	Left no children. The county passed to his cousin, Clemens.
Ernest		9 June 1842	1884-1904	26 September 1904	County of Lippe-Biesterfeld	Karoline of Wartensleben 16 September 1869 Neudorf six children	Held regency to the Principality of Lippe due to the mental illness of his relative and actual prince, Alexander.
George		10 October 1846	1893-1911	29 April 1911	Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe	Marie Anne of Saxe-Altenburg 16 April 1882 Altenburg nine children
Regencies of Ernest, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1895-1904) and Leopold, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1904-1905)							Had a mental illness, so he never fully assumed he reins of the principality, which was assumed by his cousin from the Lippe-Biesterfeld line. After his death, his regent became the new prince.
Alexander		16 January 1831	1895-1905	13 January 1905	Principality of Lippe	Unmarried
Clemens		15 July 1860	1900-1918	29 April 1920	County of Lippe-Weissenfeld (until 1916) Principality of Lippe-Weissenfeld (from 1916)	Friederike von Carlowitz 7 January 1901 Proschwitz two children	Grandson of Christian, a brother of Ferdinand II. In 1918, he abdicated following the dissolution of the monarchy.
Leopold IV		30 May 1871	1904-1905	30 December 1949	County of Lippe-Biesterfeld	Bertha of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (25 October 1874 - 19 February 1919) 16 August 1901 Rotenburg five children Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen 16 April 1922 Büdingen one child	From the Lippe-Biesterfeld line. After the death of the last male representative of the Lippe-Detmold line, he assumed the reins of the Principality of Lippe, probably even merging his own county with the recently acquired principality. In 1918, he abdicated following the dissolution of the monarchy. In addition to being pro Nazis, both his eldest sons (Ernst and Chlodwig) had contracted unequal marriages. So in 1947, when Leopold wrote his will, Armin, his youngest son and only child with his second wife, would succeed him as head of the House of Lippe. One of Leopold's nephews, Bernhard, became the consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.
			1905-1918		Principality of Lippe
Annexation to Lippe
Adolphus II		23 February 1883	1911-1918	26 March 1936	Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe	Ellen Bischoff-Korthaus (6 November 1894 - 26 March 1936) 10 January 1920 Berlin no children	In 1918, he abdicated following the dissolution of the monarchy. Died in a plane crash.

See also

• List of consorts of Lippe

Castles of the House of Lippe

• 
  Detmold Castle
• 
  Falkenburg Castle, Detmold
• 
  Brake Castle, Lemgo
• 
  Blomberg Castle
• 
  Varenholz Castle, Kalletal
• 
  Schwalenberg Castle
• 
  Sternberg Castle, Extertal
• 
  Horn Castle
• 
  Alverdissen Castle, Barntrup
• 
  Schieder House, Schieder-Schwalenberg
• 
  Lopshorn hunting castle, Augustdorf
• 
  Lippehof in Lemgo
• 
  The New Palace at Detmold

External links

• Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of the House of Lippe". Genealogy.EU.
• Regnal chronology of Lippe