thumb|262px|[[Coat of arms used by the Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn]]
Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn was a county of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, comprising the lands of the region of Sayn. It was created as a partition of Sayn-Wittgenstein in 1607, although it was not until the next year that it obtained fully the Countship of Sayn. The succession was never clear, leading to the annexation of the county in 1623 by the Archbishop of Cologne. It was not until a treaty in 1648 (at the end of the Thirty Years' War) that it was decided the county would pass to the sisters Ernestine and Johanette of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, under the regency of their mother, Countess Louise Juliane von Erbach (1603–1670). They partitioned the county into Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn-Altenkirchen and Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hachenburg soon after.
Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, First Creation
- William III (ruled from 1607–1623), third son of Count Louis I; married Countess Anna Elizabeth of Sayn-Sayn (1572-1608), the niece and heiress of Henry IV, Count of Sayn-Sayn.
<!-- this article states that the county was annexed in 1623 by the Archbishop of Cologne, but a German Wikipedia article (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafschaft_Sayn#Die_Grafen_von_Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn) indicates that the title went to the son of William III, as follows:
- Ernst (ruled from 1623–1632), son of William III and Anna Elisabeth von Sayn; married in 1624 to Louise Juliane von Erbach (1603–1670).
- Ludwig (ruled from 1632–1636 under the regency of his mother, Louise Juliane von Erbach), son of Ernst; died young without issue. -->
Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, Second Creation
Count William III's sons from his second marriage with Countess Anna Ottilie of Nassau-Weilburg (1582-1635) became Counts of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. The branch became extinct in 1846 with the death of Count Gustaf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (1811-1846).
Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
thumb|262px|Ruins of an old fortress and the new [[Sayn palace in Bendorf, Mayen-Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany]]
Count Ludwig Franz II of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (1694–1750) founded a branch which in 1834 became Prussian Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg and in 1861 Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. The present head of this branch is Alexander, Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1943), the 7th prince.
Line of succession
- Ludwig Franz II, 1st Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (1694–1750)
- Christian Ludwig Casimir, 2nd Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (1725–1797)
- Ludwig Adolf Peter, 1st Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg-Ludwigsburg (Prussia) 1834 (1769–1843)