Karl was the eldest son of the Count
Eitel Friedrich III of Hohenzollern (1494–1525) from his marriage to Johanna van Witthem (d. 1544), daughter of Philip, Lord of
Beersel and
Boutersem. Karl was Imperial Archchamberlain and later chairman of the
Aulic Council. In 1534, he received the Counties of Sigmaringen and Veringen as imperial
fiefs from Emperor
Karl V.
Karl married in 1537 with Anna (1512–1579), a daughter of Margrave
Ernst of Baden-Durlach, with whom he had several children, among them:
Ferfried (1538–1556),
Marie (1544–1611),
Eitel Friedrich IV (1545–1605), later the first Count of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Karl II (1547–1606), later the first Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Johanna (1548–1604),
Jacobea Marie (1549–1578) wife of Leonard V of Harrach (1542–1597),
Eleanor (1551–1598),
Christoph (1552–1592), later the first Count of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch
Magdalena (1553–1571), a nun in Holz,
Joachim (1554–1587), titular Count of Hohenzollern
He had held the family possessions in a single hand since the Counts of
Haigerloch had died out with the death of his cousin Jobst Nicholas II in 1558. After his death in 1576, however, they were divided. His eldest son, Eitel Friedrich IV became the founder of the
Hohenzollern-Hechingen line. His second son, Karl II, founded the
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The third son, Christoph, founded the
Hohenzollern-Haigerloch line, which died out in 1634, with Christoph's share falling to Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The youngest son, Joachim, received the county of Zollern. This line was the first to die out, when Joachim's son Joachim Georg died in 1602.