The House of Palatinate-Simmern (German: Pfalz-Simmern) was a German-Bavarian cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. The house was one of the collateral lineages of the Palatinate. It became the main branch in 1559.
| 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 |
The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided into four lines after the death of Rupert III in 1410, including the line of Palatinate-Simmern with its capital in Simmern. This line became extinct in 1685 with the death of Charles II. The House of Palatinate-Neuburg line inherited the Electorate.
The founder of the line Simmern, Stephen, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken is also the founder of the cadet branch House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken and its cadet branches. The rights over the County of Veldenz and a share of the County of Sponheim, transmitted by Stephen's wife Anna of Veldenz, were held by these lineages.
As of 2022[update], those in the line of succession to the British throne are Protestant descendants of Sophia, who was born into the house (daughter of Frederick V and Elizabeth Stuart) as Princess palatine of the Rhine, later becoming Electress consort of Hanover[1][2]
Counts Palatine of SimmernEdit
- Stefan 1410–1444
- Frederick I 1444–1480
- John I 1480–1509
- John II 1509–1557
- following Frederick, as II 1557–became Elector
Electors of the PalatinateEdit
- Frederick III 1559–1576
- Louis VI 1576–1583
- Frederick IV 1583–1610
- Frederick V 1610–1623
- Charles I Louis 1649–1680
- Charles II 1680–1685
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "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. ISBN 9781351035125.