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Principality of Reuss-Greiz
Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz
← 1778–1918 →
Flag Coat of arms
Motto Ich Bau Auf Gott "I build on God"
Anthem Gott, erhalt' in Deiner Gnaden Unsern Fursten "God, Save in Your Mercy Our Prince"
Reuss Elder Line within the German Empire
Reuss Elder Line within Thuringia
Capital		Greiz
Government		Principality
Prince
•	1778–1800	Heinrich XI
•	1800–1817	Heinrich XIII
•	1817–1836	Heinrich XIX
•	1836–1859	Heinrich XX
•	1859–1902	Heinrich XXII
•	1902–1918	Heinrich XXIV
Minister of State
•	1782–1833	Franz von Grün
•	1901–1918	Ernst von Meding
History
•	Established	12 May 1778
•	Disestablished	11 November 1918
Area
•	1905	316.7 km² (122 sq mi)
Population
•	1905 est.	70,590
Density		222.9 /km²  (577.3 /sq mi)

Reuss Elder Line in the 19th century

The Principality of Reuss-Greiz (German: Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz), was a state in Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. The Counts Reuss of Greiz, Lower- and Upper Greiz (German: Reuß zu Greiz, Untergreiz und Obergreiz), were elevated to princely status in 1778. Its members bore the title Prince Reuss, Elder Line, or Prince Reuss of Greiz. Similarly to the more numerous Reuss Younger Line, the male members of this house were all named "Heinrich", in honour of Heinrich VI who had benefited the family, and were numbered sequentially by birth, rather than by reign, the last series beginning with Heinrich I (born 1693) and ending with Heinrich XXIV (1878–1927).

The Principality of Reuss Elder Line had an area of 317 km² and a population of 71,000 (1905). Its capital was Greiz.

In 1919, in the aftermath of World War I, the territory of the Elder Line was merged with that of the Junior Line as the Republic of Reuss, which later that year was incorporated into the new state of Thuringia. The Reuss Elder Line died out with the death of the childless Heinrich XXIV in 1927, after which its claims were passed to the younger line.

• 

  The Upper Castle at Greiz

• 

  The Lower Castle at Greiz

Princes of Reuss-Greiz (1778–1918)[edit]

• Heinrich XI (1778–1800)
• Heinrich XIII (1800–1817)
• Heinrich XIX (1817–1836)
• Heinrich XX (1836–1859)
• Heinrich XXII (1859–1902)
• Heinrich XXIV (1902–1918)

Princes post-monarchy[edit]

• Heinrich XXIV (1918–1927)

To Reuss Younger Line on the death of Prince Heinrich XXIV

Notable figures[edit]

• Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz - wife of former German Emperor Wilhelm II
• Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz - wife of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

v t e Upper Saxon Circle (1512–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire Electorates Brandenburg Saxony Ecclesiastical Cammin Secular Principality of Anhalt Bernburg Köthen Zerbst Barby Hatzfeld-Gleichen Pomerania Further Hither Querfurt Reuss Elder Junior Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Coburg Saxe-Eisenach Saxe-Gotha Saxe-Weimar Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Prelates Gernrode Quedlinburg Abbey Walkenried Abbey Counts / Lords Hohnstein Lohra / Klettenberg Mansfeld Schönburg (Saale) Stolberg Stolberg Wernigerode Rossla Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish     ·     Unencircled territories

v t e States of the Confederation of the Rhine (1806–13) Rank elevated by Napoleon Kingdoms Bavaria Saxony Württemberg Grand Duchies Baden Hesse Duchies Nassau States created Kingdoms Westphalia Grand Duchies Berg Frankfurt1 Würzburg Principalities Aschaffenburg2 Leyen Regensburg2 Pre-existing states Saxon duchies Coburg-Saalfeld Gotha-Altenburg Hildburghausen Meiningen Weimar3 Eisenach3 Weimar-Eisenach4 Other duchies Anhalt (Bernburg Dessau Köthen) Arenberg Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Principalities Hohenzollern Hechingen Sigmaringen Isenburg-Birstein Liechtenstein Lippe-Detmold Reuss Ebersdorf Greiz Lobenstein Schleiz Salm5 Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Waldeck 1 from 1810 2 until 1810 3 until 1809 4 from 1809 5 until 1811

v t e States of the German Confederation (1815–66) Empires Austria1 Kingdoms Prussia1 Bavaria Saxony Hanover Württemberg Electorates Hesse Grand Duchies Baden Hesse Luxembourg Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Duchies Anhalt Bernburg2 Dessau2 Köthen3 Brunswick Holstein Limburg4 Nassau Saxe-Lauenburg Saxony Altenburg5 Coburg-Saalfeld6 Coburg-Gotha5 Gotha-Altenburg6 Hildburghausen6 Meiningen Principalities Hesse-Homburg Hohenzollern Hechingen7 Sigmaringen7 Liechtenstein Lippe Reuss Elder Junior Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Waldeck and Pyrmont City-states Bremen Frankfurt Hamburg Lübeck Unrecognized 1 w/o areas listed under other territories 2 Merged with Anhalt from 1863 3 until 1847 4 from 1839 5 from 1826 6 until 1826 7 until 1850 8 1849–60 9 as of 1849 10 until 1837 11 until 1829 12 until 1848/57 13 until 1848 14 as of 1848 15 as of 1829 16 as of 1864

v t e States of the North German Confederation (1866–71) Kingdoms Prussia Saxony Grand Duchies Hesse Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Duchies Anhalt Brunswick Saxe-Lauenburg Ernest Altenburg Coburg and Gotha Meiningen Principalities Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg Rudolstadt Sondershausen Lippe Reuss Elder Junior Waldeck-Pyrmont City-states Bremen Hamburg Lübeck

v t e States of the German Empire (1871–1918) Kingdoms Bavaria Prussia Saxony Württemberg Grand Duchies Baden Hesse Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Duchies Anhalt Brunswick Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Lauenburg (until 1876) Saxe-Meiningen Principalities Lippe Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) Reuss-Greiz (Senior Line) Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Waldeck-Pyrmont City-states Bremen Hamburg Lübeck Imperial Territories Alsace-Lorraine Other German colonial empire