name of the ruling family of Brandenburg (1415-1918), of Prussia (1701-1918), & of Germany (1871-1918)
historical region of SW Germany: formerly a province of Prussia
See Hohenzollern in American Heritage Dictionary 4
German royal family who ruled Brandenburg from 1415 and later extended their control to Prussia (1525). Under Frederick I (ruled 1701-1713) the family's possessions were unified as the kingdom of Prussia. From 1871 to 1918 Hohenzollern monarchs ruled the German Empire.