Frederick IX of Hohenzollern

Frederick IX of Hohenzollern, called the Old or the Black Count, was the second son of Count Frederick VIII. In 1339 he succeeded his elder brother Fritzli II and ruled as Count of Hohenzollern until his death between 1377 and 1379. In 1341 he married Adelheid of Hohenberg-Wildenberg.

In 1342 he agreed with the Zollern-Schalksburg line that the senior of the two counts should decide who inherited the original Zollern fief. He became a captain of the Lion League, an association of Swabian nobles.

In 1344 he divided the lands with his younger brother Frederick of Strasbourg and founded the Black Count line. It died out in 1412 with his son Frederick X, and the Strasbourg line inherited the county, later producing the princes of Hohenzollern.