Falkenstein (Hessian noble family)

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Family coat of arms of those of Falkenstein

The Falkensteiners , named after the Falkenstein Castle on Donnersberg in the Palatinate , were a German noble family - see also Grafschaft Falkenstein .

origin

The first bearer of the name was Philip IV of Bolanden . Around 1220 the von Bolanden family divided into the lines Bolanden, Hohenfels and Falkenstein, named after the Falkenstein Castle (Palatinate) .

Coat of arms of those of Hagen-Münzenberg , after their inheritance in 1255 also used by the Falkensteiners

In 1246, Philip IV of the Falkenstein line was administrator of the Trifels Imperial Castle and guardian of the imperial regalia . Philip's wife was Isengard von Munzenberg, heir daughter of a part of the Munzenberg rule , when in 1255 the line of those von Hagen-Munzenberg died out in the male line. The Falkensteiners obtained most of the Munzenberg inheritance . The Lords of Bolanden had already acquired property in the Rhine-Main area from the property of the Counts of Nürings . In this domain they built Neufalkenstein Castle near Königstein im Taunus .

The rule in the Taunus , in the Rhine-Main area and the Wetterau was weakened in 1271 when the sons of Philip I of Falkenstein divided them into two lines: Philip II founded a line to Butzbach , while Werner I closed a line Lich reasoned. Both lines were only reunited shortly before the total line was extinguished in the 15th century.

In 1372 they pledged the town of Offenbach am Main , inherited from the Munzenbergers, to the City Council of Frankfurt am Main for 1,000 guilders . In 1410 they again expressly confirmed this Pfandbrief. Nothing more is known about this Pfandbrief. The pledge must have been redeemed a little later, because Offenbach, unlike other places in the region, was not incorporated into Frankfurt.

Philip VII of Falkenstein-Münzenberg reached the high point of the family in 1397 when he was raised to the rank of count.

Family list of the Falkenstein family

Root list with the people represented in Wikipedia and important links.

Falkenstein House

  1. Philip I (Falkenstein) (* around 1200, † after October 4, 1271); ∞ Isengard von Münzenberg (* unknown; † after 1270)
    1. Guda / Jutta von Falkenstein (* unknown, but apparently before 1237; † February 4, 1290); ∞ Conrad II of Bickenbach (1245–1270)
    2. Adelheid von Falkenstein (* unknown, but apparently before 1237, † after 1237)
    3. Werner I. von Falkenstein , Mr. zu Münzenberg & Falkenstein (* unknown, probably after 1237; † between May 25, 1298 and September 22, 1300) ∞ (I) unknown; (II) Mathilde von Diez (* 1238, † 1288)
      1. Gisela von Falkenstein (* unknown, † March 6, 1280); Daughter of (I), ∞ with Johann I. (Heinsberg) , Herr von Löwenberg
      2. Philip III von Falkenstein , Lord of Munzenberg (* around 1257, † February 9, 1322); Son of (II); ∞ (I) 1287 with Mechthild von Eppstein (* around 1269, † 1303), daughter of Gottfried IV von Eppstein and Mathilde von Isenburg; ∞ (II) Luckard (e) von Isenburg († around October 11, 1309), an (illegitimate) daughter of Ludwig I von Isenburg von Cleeber, burgrave of Gelnhausen ; ∞ (III) Mechthild / Mathilde von Hessen (* around 1267, † around 1332), widow of Count Gottfried VI. von Ziegenhain , daughter of Landgrave Heinrich I of Hesse and Adelheid von Braunschweig
        1. Elisabeth von Falkenstein († September 1, 1328); Daughter of (I); ∞ Raugraf Heinrich III. from Neuenbaumburg
        2. Isengard von Falkenstein (* around 1280, † around 1326) daughter of (I); ∞ Luther of Isenburg-Grenzau
        3. Werner von Falkenstein († around 1309); Son of (I)
        4. Ulrich II von Falkenstein († around 1307); Son of (I)
        5. Philipp von Falkenstein (* around 1272, † 1312); Son of (I); ∞ around 1294 with Adelheid von Rieneck
        6. Elsa von Falkenstein († around 1317); Daughter of (II)
        7. Kuno II von Falkenstein-Münzenberg († May 14, 1333); Son of (II); ∞ (I) Anna of Nassau-Hadamar , daughter of Count Emich I of Nassau-Hadamar († 1329); ∞ (II) Imagina von Bickenbach († 1367)
          1. Luitgard von Falkenstein (* unknown, † before July 14, 1363); Daughter of (I); ∞ Count Emich V. von Leiningen-Hartenburg
          2. Philip VI von Falkenstein (* around 1320; † between March 24, 1370 and August 6, 1373); Son of (I); ∞ (I) 1338 Anna von Katzenelnbogen (* unknown, † 1353); ∞ (II) 1353 Agnes von Falkenstein-Münzenberg (* around 1337, † September 28, 1380)
            1. Anna von Falkenstein (* unknown, † 1420); Daughter of (I): marriage contract of August 6, 1374 with Gottfried von Rieneck (* unknown, † February 10, 1389); Marriage contract of August 28, 1390 with Günther XVIII. (XXVII.), Herr zu Schwarzburg and Stadtilm (* unknown, † between June 13, 1397 and December 10, 1399)
            2. Werner von Falkenstein (* around 1355, † October 4, 1418); Son of (II); from 1388 to 1418 as Werner III. Archbishop and Elector of Trier
            3. Luitgard von Falkenstein (* around 1357, † May 28, 1391); Daughter of (II); ∞ Eberhard I. von Eppstein
            4. Agnes von Falkenstein (* around 1358, † September 1, 1409); Daughter of (II); ∞ Count Otto I. von Solms-Braunfels
            5. Philip VIII von Falkenstein (* unknown, † March 21, 1407); Son of (II); ∞ with Elisabeth von Eppstein
            6. Ulrich von Falkenstein (* unknown, † 1379); Son of (II); Canon and archdeacon in Trier
            7. Kuno von Falkenstein (* unknown, † after May 19, 1402); Son of (II); Priest in Koblenz
      3. Kuno I. von Falkenstein (* unknown, † unknown); Son of (II)
      4. Werner von Falkenstein (* unknown, † after 1293); Son of (II)
      5. Ulrich von Falkenstein (* unknown, † after 1317); Son of (II)
      6. Isengard von Falkenstein (* 1260 in Munzenberg, † after 1316); Daughter of (II), ∞ before December 18, 1290 with Siegfried (Eppstein)
    4. Philip II of Falkenstein , Lord of Munzenberg (* unknown; † between June 29, 1293 and December 13, 1293); ∞ before April 4, 1266 with Gisela von Kyrburg
      1. Isengard von Falkenstein (* unknown, † February 5, 1304)
      2. Gisela von Falkenstein (* unknown, † after May 1, 1313)
      3. Ulrich I. von Falkenstein (* unknown, † November 1, 1300)
      4. Elisabeth von Falkenstein (* unknown, † after 1293)
      5. Philip IV of Falkenstein (* around 1282, † after 1328); ∞ (I) Elsa von Ziegenhain (* unknown, † before 1304); ∞ (II) Adelheid von Rieneck ; ∞ (III) Johanna von Saar Werden (* unknown, † after 1347)
        1. Bechte von Falkenstein / Fye von Falkenstein (* before 1304, † after 1333); Daughter of (I)
        2. Bertha von Falkenstein (* unknown, † between August 9, 1342 and December 31, 1342); Daughter of (II) ∞ Reinhard I. von Westerburg († around 1353)
        3. Elisabeth von Falkenstein (* unknown, † September 1, 1328); Daughter of (II)
        4. Philipp V. von Falkenstein , Lord of Munzenberg & Laubach (* unknown, † April 10, 1343); Son of (III); ∞ Elisabeth von Hanau before 1329
          1. Elisabeth von Falkenstein (* unknown, † between October 16, 1364 and April 9, 1366)
          2. Ulrich III. von Falkenstein (* unknown, † March 20, 1365)
          3. Philipp VII von Falkenstein , Lord of Munzenberg, Governor of the Wetterau (* unknown; † unknown)
          4. Agnes von Falkenstein (* around 1337, † September 28, 1380); ∞ with Philip VI. von Falkenstein (* around 1320; † between March 24, 1370 and August 6, 1373)
        5. Johann I von Falkenstein , Lord of Munzenberg (* unknown, † August 26, 1365); Son of (III)
        6. Schonette von Falkenstein (* unknown, † September 16, 1370); Daughter of (III); Nun in the Padenhausen Monastery
        7. Katharina von Falkenstein (* unknown, † September 16, 1370); Daughter of (III); Nun in the Padenhausen Monastery
        8. Margareta von Falkenstein (* unknown, † after 1389); Daughter of (III); Nun in the Padenhausen Monastery
        9. Agnes von Falkenstein (* around 1314, † after 1376); Daughter of (III); ∞ Gottfried VII (Ziegenhain) before March 27, 1349
        10. Kuno II of Falkenstein , Lord of Munzenberg (* 1320, † May 21, 1388); Son of (III); Archbishop and Elector in Trier (1362 to 1388)
    5. Luckard von Falkenstein (* unknown, † after February 1, 1302)

Last Falkensteiner: Werner III. von Falkenstein - Archbishop of Trier

Count Werner III. von Falkenstein († 1418) was Archbishop of Trier from 1388 to 1418 . He disregarded the Frankfurt protests against the building of castles in Offenbach and the customs levy there and had the Sachsenhausen Landwehr destroyed. Werner III. even had its own coins minted in Offenbach, which the Free City of Frankfurt perceived as a special provocation.

Domain of the Falkensteiner around 1400 (light orange, in the middle)

The Falkensteiner family died with the death of Werner III. 1418 in male line. The property was transferred to the Lords of Eppstein and the Counts of Solms . Part of the Solms inheritance was transferred to the Isenburg-Büdingen family , as Elisabeth von Solms was married to Count Diether von Isenburg.

The Counts of Sayn and the Counts of Virneburg also became heirs because of marriages with daughters of the Solms family.

Coat of arms of the Falkenstein (Nassau) in Siebmacher's coat of arms book

coat of arms

The Falkenstein family coat of arms was a silver wheel in a blue shield (the Bolanden line had a red wheel in a golden field). This shield still occurs after the Munzenberg inheritance, quartered with the Munzenberg shield divided by red over gold. Since then, the Lords of Falkenstein have only sealed with the divided Munzenberg shield. As a crest a golden hat with red surcharge, which was soon decked out with a peacock's tail or four Münzenberger Fähnlein between which sits a silver doggie appear 1,302th The helmet decoration appears similarly on the quartered coat of arms, where the right flag bears the Falkensteiner wheel.

legend

The last Falkensteinerin was Countess Anna, sister of Archbishop Werner III. She took up residence in Dreieichenhain , where she founded a hospital for the sick and infirm, which existed until 1750. Then it was lifted and moved to Offenbach. In the middle of the 19th century , the story of the old woman from Falkenstein was told, who had no rest due to the relocation of her hospital and who wandered around as a white-clad ghost .

Personalities

literature

  • Klaus-Peter Decker: Gentlemen in the Wetterau. In: Knights, Counts and Princes - secular dominions in the Hessian area approx. 900–1806. Marburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-942225-17-5 (= Handbook of Hessian History. 3 = Publications of the Historical Commission for Hesse. 63), pp. 274–325, esp. Pp. 308–315.
  • Karl Ernst Demandt : History of the State of Hesse. 2nd edition, Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel / Basel 1972, ISBN 3-7618-0404-0 , pp. 446–451.
  • Alfred Kurt: City and district of Offenbach in history: on the Main, in Rodgau and in the Dreieich. Bintz-Verlag, Offenbach 1998, ISBN 3-87079-009-1 .
  • Anette Löffler: The Lords and Counts of Falkenstein (Taunus): Studies on territorial and property history, on imperial political position and on the genealogy of a leading ministerial family; 1255-1418. (= Sources and research on Hessian history. 99). Darmstadt 1994, ISBN 3-88443-188-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Karl Ernst Demandt: History of the State of Hesse , 2nd edition, Kassel / Basel 1972, p. 446.