the hohenzollerns were counts as reported throughout history. adalbert (1125) was count of zollern. since the 14th century, the house of hohenzollern was named after the hohenzollern mountain, which is located upstream from the swabian alb. in 1685, emperor leopold i granted the brandenburgers the title "count of hohenzollern". the prussian kings came from the frankish line, from which the brandenburg line developed. the principalities of hohenzollern-hechingen and hohenzollern-sigmaringen were ceded by their princes to prussia on 7 december 1849, and were accepted by prussian law on 12 march 1850.