Leiningen family

The House of Leiningen is the name of an old German noble family whose lands lay principally in Alsace, Lorraine, Saarland, Rhineland, and the Palatinate. Various branches of this family developed over the centuries and ruled counties with Imperial immediacy.

Arms of the Leiningen family
Evolution of the Leiningen arms

Origins

Count Frederick II (d. 1237)

The first count of Leiningen about whom anything definite is known was a certain Emich II (d. before 1138). He (and perhaps his father Emich I) built Leiningen Castle, which is now known as "Old Leiningen Castle" (German: Burg Altleiningen), around 1100 to 1110. Nearby Höningen Abbey was built around 1120 as the family's burial place.

This family became extinct in the male line when Count Frederick I died about 1220. Frederick I's sister, Liutgarde, married Simon II, Count of Saarbrücken. One of Liutgarde's sons, also named Frederick, inherited the lands of the counts of Leiningen, and he took their arms and their name as Frederick II (d. 1237). He became known as a Minnesinger, and one of his songs was included in the Codex Manesse. Before 1212, he built himself a new castle called Hardenburg, about 10 kilometers south of Altleiningen. This was outside the county of Leiningen on the territory of Limburg Abbey, of which his uncle was the overlord (Vogt), which caused some trouble.

His eldest son, Simon (c. 1204–1234), married Gertrude, heiress of the County of Dagsburg, bringing that property into the family. They had no children and Simon's two brothers inherited the county of Leiningen together: Frederick III (d. 1287) also inherited Dagsburg and Emich IV (d. c. 1276) Landeck Castle; he founded the town of Landau, but the Landeck branch extinguished with his grandson in 1290. Frederick III, who disliked sharing Leiningen castle with his brother, had a new castle built in 1238–41 about 5 kilometres northeast of Leiningen, called Neuleiningen Castle ("New Leiningen"). Frederick III's son, Frederick IV (d. 1316), had two sons, who divided the county into Leiningen-Dagsburg and Leiningen-Hardenburg.

Line of Descent

Note that different sources use different sequence numbers for some of the Counts. For consistency across sources, dates of birth and death are useful.

Earliest Counts

  • Emicho of Leiningen helped lead the German Crusade, 1096. His relationship to the others is unclear.
  • Emich I was Count of Leiningen in 1127,[1] but it is unclear when he died, or his relation to the other counts.
  • Emich II is attested as Count of Leiningen in documents from 1143[2] to 1179[3]
    • His son, Friedrich I had taken over the county by 1189[4]
  • Emich III is attested as Count of Leiningen in documents from 1193[5] through 1208,[6] though it is unclear his relationship to the previous Counts
  • Friedrich I, cousin of Emich III, was recorded as junior count under Emich in 1205, and as count in his own right from 1210[7] to 1217.[8] A document from 1220 refers to his widow.[9]

Saarbrücken Line

  • Simon II, Count of Saarbrücken married Liutgarde, the heiress of Leiningen whose descent from the original counts of Leiningen is unclear
    • Their son, Friedrich II (d. 1237) inherited the County of Leiningen
      • His son, Simon (c. 1204 – 16 Mar 1234) married Gertrude, heiress of the County of Dagsburg, bringing that property into the family.
      • Friedrich III, son of Friedrich II, (d. 1287) was attested as count in documents from 1239 and 1249, and married Adelheid of Kyburg
      • Emich IV, brother of Friedrich III (d. c. 1276) ruled a portion of the lands at Leiningen-Landeck
        • His son, Emich V (d. 1289), Count of Leiningen-Landeck had no heir.
        • Agnes (d. between 1299 and 1303) married Otto I, Count of Nassau
        • Kunigunde (d. 1311) married Heinrich I of Salm-Blamont (d. 1331)

Leiningen-Dagsburg (First Line)

Dagsburg Castle (1663)
  • Friedrich VI (d. 1327), son of Friedrich V, became Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg,[10] today Dagsbourg at Dabo, Moselle, Lorraine (France)
    • Friedrich VII, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg (d. before 1342)
      • Friedrich VIII, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg (1320 – 31 Oct 1387) married Jolanda of Jülich, granddaughter of Gerhard V of Jülich.

Leiningen-Westerburg

  • Kuno I, Lord of Westerburg (1425–1459), was the son of Margaret of Leiningen and Reinhard of Westerburg
    • Reinhard I, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg (1453–1522) inherited the county from his grandmother.[10]
      • Kuno II, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg (1487–1547)
        • Philipp I, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen (1527–1597)
        • George I, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg (1533–1586)
        • Reinhard II, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg (1530–1584)
          • Albrecht Philipp, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg (1567–1597)
          • Johann Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg (1572–1597), last of this branch.

This county was then absorbed into Leiningen-Schaumburg.[12]

Leiningen-Leiningen

  • Philipp I, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen (1527–1597), son of Kuno II, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg
    • Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen (1557–1622) married Bernardine of Lippe
      • Johann Kasimir, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen (1587–1635)
      • Philipp II, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen (1591–1668)
      • Ludwig Emich, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen (1595–1635)
        • Johann Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen (1625–1665)

This branch ended in 1705, and this county was also absorbed into Leiningen-Schaumburg.[12]

Leiningen-Schaumburg

  • George I, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg (1533–1586), son of Kuno II, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg
    • Philipp Jakob, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg (1572–1612)
    • Reinhard II, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg (1574–1655)
    • Christoph, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg (1575–1635)

Leiningen-Westerburg-Altleiningen

  • Christoph Christian, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (11 Mar 1656 – 17 May 1728), son of George Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
    • George Hermann, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (21 Mar 1679 – 4 Feb 1751)
      • Christian Johann, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (31 Aug 1730 – 20 Feb 1770)
        • Christian Karl, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (18 Sep 1757 – 1 Dec 1811)
        • Friedrich I Ludwig Christian, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (2 Nov 1761 – 9 Aug 1839)
          • Friedrich II Eduard, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (20 May 1806 – 5 Jun 1868)
          • Károly Leiningen-Westerburg
          • Johann Ludwig (6 Jun 1807 – 31 Oct 1864)
            • Friedrich III Wipprecht Franz, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (30 Dec 1852 – 7 Feb 1916)
              • Gustav Friedrich Oskar, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen (8 Feb 1876 – 23 Jul 1929)[13]

Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen

  • George II Karl Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (2 Mar 1666 – 4 Oct 1726), son of George Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
    • George Karl I August Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (Nassau Line) (17 Feb 1717 – 19 Mar 1787)
      • Karl II Gustav Reinhard Waldemar, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (28 Jun 1747 – 7 Jun 1798)
        • Ferdinand Karl III, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (8 Sep 1767 – 26 Nov 1813)
        • August George Gustav, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (19 Feb 1770 – 9 Oct 1849)
          • Christian Franz Seraph Vincenz, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (1810 – 1856)
    • George Ernst Ludwig (Bavaria Line) (3 May 1718 – 24 Dec 1765)
      • Karl IV Joseph Philipp Ludwig Ernst, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (13 Aug 1739 – 27 Jul 1797)
        • George Karl August, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (27 Aug 1789 – 17 Mar 1865)
          • Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen (16 Feb 1824 – 29 Apr 1887)[13]

Leiningen-Hardenburg

Hardenburg Castle (1580)
  • Gottfried, son of Friedrich V, inherited the portion of Leiningen ruled from Hardenburg
    • His son Friedrich married Joan of Rixingen, and their children became Counts of Leiningen-Rixingen, which lasted until 1506
    • Gottfried's other son became Emich V, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg

Leiningen-Dagsburg (Second Line)

Further historical family seats

See also

Notes

  1. Simon, J. (1865) Die Geschichte des reichständischen Hauses Ysenburg und Büdingen, Band III Das Ysenburg und Büdingensche Urkundenbuch (Frankfurt) ("Isenburg Urkundenbuch"), III, p. 4.
  2. Stumpf, K. F. (ed.) (1863) Urkunden zur Geschichte des Erzbisthums Mainz im zwölften Jahrhundert (Acta Maguntina Seculi XII) (Innsbruck) ("Mainz Urkunden 12th Century"), 24, p. 27.
  3. Brinckmeier (1890), Vol. I, p. 20, quoting charter "im Besitz des Germanischen Museums".
  4. MGH Diplomata, Tome X, Pars IV, D F I, 993, p. 282.
  5. Brinckmeier (1890), Vol. I, p. 22, citing Fahne, A. (1866) Geschichte der Grafen zu Salm-Reifferscheidt, Band. I, 2 Abth. p. 48
  6. Würdtwein, S. A. (1788) Nova Subsidia Diplomatica (Heidelberg), Vol. X, LXXXIX, p. 246
  7. Stillfried, R. M. von (1843) Monumenta Zollerana, Quellensammlung zur Geschichte des erlauchten Hauses der Grafen von Zollern und Burggrafen von Nürnberg, Erster Theil (Halle) ("Monumenta Zollerana (1843))", XVII, p. 31
  8. Otterberg, 18 and 19, pp. 16-17
  9. Brinckmeier (1890), Vol. I, pp. 20 and 41, citing Kremer, J. M. (1779) Origines Nassoicae, Vol. II, p. 261
  10. Ersch-Gruber:Leiningen.
  11. Marek, Miroslav. "leiningen/leiningen3.html". genealogy.euweb.cz.
  12. Marek, Miroslav. "runkel/runkel2.html". genealogy.euweb.cz.
  13. Marek, Miroslav. "runkel/runkel3.html". genealogy.euweb.cz.
  14. Marek, Miroslav. "leiningen/leiningen4.html". genealogy.euweb.cz.

References

  • Toussaint, Ingo (1982). Die Grafen von Leiningen. Sigmaringen: Jan Thorbecke Verlag. ISBN 3-7995-7017-9.

Attribution

  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Leiningen". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 399. This work in turn cites:
    • Brinckmeier (1890–1891). Genealogische Geschichte des Hauses Leiningen. Brunswick.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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