Herman Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg

Herman Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (5 November 1627 – 22 September 1674 in Munich) was Hofmeister, Chamberlain, Privy Councillor and Hofmarschall to Elector Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria. With his brothers Francis Egon and Wilhelm Egon, he played an important role in the imperial election of 1658 in Frankfurt. In 1664, Herman Egon and his brothers were elevated to Imperial Princes.

Herman Egon
Prince of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg
Born(1627-11-05)5 November 1627
Died22 September 1674(1674-09-22) (aged 46)
Munich
BuriedChapel of the family castle in Heiligenberg
Noble familyFürstenberg
Spouse(s)Maria Franziska of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen
FatherEgon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg
MotherAnna Maria of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Engraving of Herman Egon

Life and career

Herman Egon was the fourth son of Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg and Countess Anna Maria of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1603–1652). He studied in Cologne from 1639 to 1643, then spent two years at the University of Leuven. In 1651, he became a secret councillor at the court of Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria.

In 1655, his brothers Francis Egon and Wilhelm Egon, who were both bishops, left Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg to him, in exchange for monetary compensation. In 1657, he made a similar arrangement with his older brother, Ferdinand Frederick Egon.

The members of the Fürstenberg family were Imperial Counts. In 1664, Emperor Leopold raised Herman Egon and his brothers Franz Egon and Wilhelm Egon to the rank of Imperial Prince.[1][2]

In 1672, he advised the Elector of Bavaria against entering the Franco-Dutch war. This made him fall from grace with Emperor Leopold I. He died on 22 September 1674 in Munich and was buried in the chapel of the family castle in Heiligenberg.

Marriage and issue

In 1655, Herman Egon was married in Stühlingen with Maria Franziska of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen (d. 24 August 1680 in Weitra). With her, he had eight children:

  • Anton Egon (23 April 1656 - 10 October 1716), succeeded his father as ruler of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg
  • Felix Egon (25 November 1657 - 5 March 1686 in Cologne), High Provost of the Electorate of Cologne
  • Anna Adelaide (16 January 1659 - 13 November 1701 in Brussels), married Eugen Alexander Franz, 1st Prince of Thurn and Taxis
  • Maria Franziska (17 September 1660 - 8 June 1691), married William Hyacinth, Prince of Nassau-Siegen
  • Max Egon Ferdinand (24 October 1661 - 6 May 1696 in Paris), French general
  • Emanuel Franz Egon (7 March 1663 - 6 September 1688 outside Belgrade), Imperial colonel; married Katharine Charlotte von Wallenrodt (mistress of his uncle Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg) in 1685[3]
  • A daughter (b. and d. 5 June 1665)
  • John Egon (25 April 1667 - bef. 1670)

References
  • Ernst Münch and Carl Borromäus Alois Fickler: Geschichte des Hauses und Landes Fürstenberg, vol. 3, Aix-la-Chapelle and Leipzig, 1832;vol. 4, Karlsruhe, 1847, pp. 40-73 at Google Books
  • C.B.A. Fickler: Kurze Geschichte der Häuser Fürstenberg, Geroldseck und von der Leyen, Karlsruhe, 1844, p.20 at Google Books
  • O'Connor, John T. (1978). Negotiator out of Season. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0-8203-0436-0.

Footnotes
  1. Johann Jacob Moser: Von denen Teutschen Reichs-Ständen…, Frankfurt a. M. 1767, p. 70
  2. C.B.A. Fickler: Kurze Geschichte der Häuser Fürstenberg, Geroldseck und von der Leyen, Karlsruhe, 1844, p. 17-18
  3. O'Connor 1978, p. 43.
Herman Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg
Fürstenberg
Born: 5 November 1627 Died: 22 September 1674
Preceded by
Egon VIII
as Landgrave of
Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg		 Prince of Fürstenberg
1635-1674		 Succeeded by
Anton Egon
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