Grandvillars (noble family)

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Grandvillars is a noble family from the town of the same name near Belfort in the French department Territoire de Belfort in the Franche-Comté region .

origin

The Château of Grandvillars
The coat of arms of the Barone de Grandvillars, resp. of the Grauwiler family

The family de Grandvillars belonged to the ancient nobility of the Holy Roman Empire and was mentioned for the first time in the 11th century. Approx. In 1190 Nardin de Grandvillars took part in the third crusade (recapture of Acre and Jerusalem ) of Frederick I Barbarossa . In various sources other family members are named as Knights Templar . A more detailed mention can be found with Baron Henri de Grandvillars (married to the Countess d ' Arguel ), who had to ensure peace between the diocese of Basel and local counts in the 13th century . The Barons of Grandvillars were subsequently appointed vassals by the Counts of Monbéliard and Ferrette (German Mömpelgard or Pfirt). During this time, Alsace played a central role in the Holy Roman Empire. The family lived in the Château de Grandvillars until the 16th century, which was rebuilt several times (most recently in 1787 by Jean-Baptiste Kléber ). The Château de Bisel (also Grantweyler, later called Granwiller Guth) also belonged to the estates, as well as the Château de Morvillars and the Château de Thiancourt . In addition to mansions in Basel , Delémont and Mulhouse , Angenstein Castle has also belonged to the family throughout history. The local domination of the family lasted until the 17th century, in the meantime as direct vassals of Emperor Rudolf II.

Modern times

During the Huguenot Wars in the 16th century, the main line of the family died out. Thiébauld II and the lost battle at Moncontour in 1569 played an important role here. With the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648 ( Peace of Westphalia ), France made important territorial concessions in Alsace , which meant that the family's claims to power in the now French region were lost. In addition, due to their unsuccessful support of the Huguenots in the fight against the French king , the other branches of the family had to leave the ancestral region and seek refuge in the well-meaning Swiss Confederation . One of these branches of the family was concentrated in Delémont, which at the time belonged to the diocese of Basel , and there, along with the following generations, provided important officers in various positions. Are known u. a. Jean-Vernier de Grandvillers (1612–1675; governor of the prince-bishop, mayor and lord of the banner), François Conrad de Grandvillers (1717–1806; court cavalier in Regensburg and Obervogt von Freiberg , Saint-Ursanne and the Ajoie ) and Antoine de Grandvillers (1743– 1828; regimental commander, mayor, Chevalier de l'Ordre Royale et Militaire de Saint-Louis). The other part of the family settled in the region around Eptingen in what is now the canton of Basel-Landschaft . Various family relationships existed with the noble von Eptingen family. In this German-speaking area, the name was used almost exclusively in the Germanized form (Grandwiler, Graweiler, Grauwiler). The family's connection to the city ​​of Basel continues today after the division of the Canton of Basel .

coat of arms

When Prince Joseph Wilhelm von Fürstenberg confirmed the nobility in 1740, the coat of arms was given two additional silver lions as shield holders.

Known family members

  • Nardin de Grandvillars
  • Baron Henri de Grandvillars
  • Baron Guillaume de Grandvillars
  • Baron Thiébauld de Grandvillars
  • Jean-Vernier de Grandvillers (1612--16 November 1675)
  • François Conrad de Grandvillers (February 20, 1717 - May 9, 1806), Chevalier de Saint-Jean, Obervogt der Freiberg
  • Antoine de Grandvillers (October 1, 1743 - April 8, 1828), Chevalier de Saint-Louis, regimental commander and mayor of Delémont
  • Ernst Grauwiller (born January 13, 1895 - † November 26, 1981), District Administrator Basel-Landschaft
  • Lukas (born April 13, 1984) and Stefan (born November 12, 1986) Grauwiler, Swiss ice hockey player National League A

swell

  • Christ, Dorothea A .: The family book of the Lords of Eptingen, commentary and transcription, Verlag des Kantons Basel-Landschaft, Liestal, 1992.
  • Schaller, Lucien: La mémoire d'un village (Grandvillars), Ed. Michel Colney, Belfort, 1992.
  • Schwennicke, Detlev et al .: European Family Tables, New Series, Volumes XI and XV, Klostermann Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1986 and 1993.
  • Siebmacher, Johann: Wappenbuch, Volume Baden, p. 154, plate 86, Battenberg-Verlag, Munich.