Reuss-Greiz, or Reuss älterer Linie, with an area of 122 square miles, belongs to the larger of the two main divisions above mentioned, within which it consists of three large and several smaller parcels of land, bordering on Saxony, Reuss jüngerer Linie, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and the Prussian exclave of Ranis. The soil is on the whole little favourable for agriculture, but cattle-rearing is carried on with some success. No less than 63 per cent, of the inhabitants are supported by industrial pursuits, the chief products of which are the woollen fabrics of Greiz, the capital, and the stockings of Zeulenroda, both largely exported. The population of the principality in 1880 was 50,782, of whom only 450 were Roman Catholics and 60 Jews. The constitution of Reuss-Greiz dates from 1867, and provides for a representative chamber of twelve members, of whom three are appointed by the prince, while two are elected by the nobles, three by the towns, and four by the rural districts.

The revenue and expenditure for 1885 were each estimated at <£36,254, while the public debt in 1884 was £46,886.

Reuss-Schleiz, or Reuss jüngerer Linie, with an area of 318 square miles, includes part of the southern and the whole of the northern of the two main divisions above indicated, touching Bavaria on the south and Prussian Saxony on the north. The former portion is known as the Oberland, the latter as the Unterland. Owing to the fertility of the Unterland, agriculture is carried on here with greater success than in Reuss-Greiz, fully one quarter of the population being supported by tillage and cattle-breeding. The industrial activity is, however, also large, supporting one-half of the population. The principal product consists, as in Reuss-Greiz, of woollen goods, and the manufacture centres in the capital, Gera, a busy town with 27,118 inhabitants. A considerable trade is carried on in the products of the manufactories, and in timber, cattle, and slate. The iron mining of the Oberland is limited by the want of sufficient railway communication. Large quantities of salt are yielded by the brine springs of Heinrichshall. In 1880 Reuss-Schleiz contained 101,330 inhabitants, including 442 Roman Catholics and 69 Jews. The annual revenue and expenditure for 1885-1886 were calculated at <£66,060; the public debt in 1884 was £61,780.

The history of Reuss stretches back to the times when the German emperors appointed voigts, or bailiffs, to represent them in lands conquered from the Sorbs or other Slavonic races. The forefathers of the present princes of Reuss appear in this capacity at an early period, and the historical head of the family is generally recognized in Henry, voigt of Weida, who flourished about the middle of the 12th century. The name of Reuss came to be applied to the territory ruled over by his descendants from the sobriquet of “Der Russe,” or the Russian, which one of them acquired about 1280 from the nationality of his mother. The district embraced by the name was at one time much more extensive than at present, taking in the Bavarian town of Hof and the whole of the Saxon Voigtland. Of the numerous lines and sub-lines into which the family was divided nearly all became sooner or later extinct, till in 1616 none were left except the two that still subsist. Since 1616 numerous subdivisions have again taken place within these families, and it was not till 1848 that Reuss jüngerer Linie became again a united whole. The rulers of Reuss were created counts of the German empire in 1671 and sovereign princes in 1778. In 1807 both principalities joined the Confederation of the Rhine, and in 1866 Reuss-Greiz had to atone for its active sympathy with Austria by the payment of a fine. Since 1871 both principalities have been members of the German empire, each sending one member to the federal council and one representative to the Reichstag.