HISTORY. The greater part of modern Wiirt temberg was included in the mediaeval Duchy of Swabia. About the beginning of the twelfth century history first speaks of a Count of Wiirt temberg. An uninterrupted line of counts may be traced back to the middle of the thirteenth cen tury, when they ruled a district in the valleys of the Neckar and its affluent, the Reins. The do millions of the house were steadily extended. Count Eberhard IV, (1417-19), through his mar Tinge with the heiress of MontlAiard. united that county with \Vflrttemberg. Count Eberhard im Bart (q.v.), an able ruler who founded the Uni versity of Tfibingen, was raised by the Emperor Maximilian in 1495 to the rank of Duke, with the title of Eberhard I. In 1519 Duke Ulrieh, in con sequence of arbitrary acts of oppression exercised upon the free Imperial city of Reutlingen, was forcibly ejected from Wiirttemberg by the Swabian League and did not recover his throne till 1534. lie adopted the Reformation for his dominions. Duke Frederick, having taken part in the war against the French Republic, was compelled to re sign in 1796. In ISO() the French oc cupied the country, which was restored to Duke Frederick (q.v.) in 1801. In 1803 this ruler re ceived large accessions of territory, including Heil bronn, Reutlingen. and other free cities, and was raised to the dignity of Imperial Elector. He reluctantly joined Napoleon in the war against Austria in 1805, and at the Peace of Pressburg (December 26, 1805) Wiirtteutberg was further enlarged and erected into a kingdom. On January 1. 1806, Frederick I. assumed the royal title. He joined the Confederation of the Rhine in the same year and received additional territory, and as an ally of Napoleon in the French-Austrian 1Var of 1800 was rewarded with new possessions, includ ing U1111. Wiirttemberg was required to furnish a quota of 16,000 men for Napoleon's Russian cam paign. On November 2, 1813, the King abandoned
the cause of Napoleon, and joined the other Ger man princes in their rising against the French power. King Frederick died October 30, 1816, and was succeeded by his son, William I. (1816 64 ). William reduced the public expenditure, and in 1819 promulgated a constitution. In the revolutionary movement which swept over Ger many in 1848 William yielded at first to the demand of his subjects for political reforms, but ultimately the hopes of the Liberals were disap pointed. For nearly 50 years William reigned over a people steadily increasing in prosperity, and died on June 25, 1S64. Ile was succeeded by his on Charles, who sided with Austria in the Seven Weeks' War. The troops of W'firttemberg were beaten and a war indemnity of $4,000,000 was levied by Prussia upon the kingdom. In 1867 \Viirttemberg formed an alliance with the North German Confederation. She supported Prussia against France in 1S70, and in 1871 be came part of the new German Empire. King Charles died on October 6, 1891, and was suc ceeded by his nephew, William 11.
Bthuonearnr. Des Konigreieh Wurttemberg. Herausgegeben vote Koniglieh statistischen Landesamt (Stuttgart. 1903 et seq.) Hirsch feld, ll'Urttembergs GrosSinrlustrie told Handel (Leipzig, ISS9) ; Gaupp, Das Staatsrecht des lionigreichs Wiirttemberg (Freiburg, 1895) : Chr. F. von Stalin, Wiirttembcryische Geschichte (Stuttgart, 841-73) ; Schneider, -Wurttemberg isehe Teeformationgesehichte (ib.. 1888) ; Belseh ner, Geschichte von Wurttemberg (ib., 1902) ; Heyd, Bibliographic der miiritembergisehen Ge schichte (ib., 1895) ; Schiffer. Wiirttembergisehe Geschichtsquellen (ib., 1894-95).