Editing Wernigerode (section)

===Early rulers===
The [[graf|counts]] of Wernigerode, who can be traced back to the early 12th century, were successively [[vassal]]s of the [[List of rulers of Brandenburg#Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg|margraves of Brandenburg]] (1268), and the [[Archbishopric of Magdeburg|archbishops of Magdeburg]] (1381). On the extinction of the family in 1429 the county fell to the [[County of Stolberg|counts of Stolberg]], who founded the Stolberg-Wernigerode branch in 1645. The latter surrendered its military and fiscal independence to [[Prussia]] in 1714, but retained some of its sovereign rights till 1876. The counts were raised to [[Fürst|princely]] rank in 1890.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}