Groote (noble family)

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Coat of arms of the von Groote family, held by leopards

The family of nobles and knights von Groote , originally de Groote , is a noble family whose roots go back to the 11th century. The family was based in the county of Flanders at that time and belonged to the patriciate either civil or noble-knightly class.

At the end of the 16th century, one branch made its way into the patriciate of Cologne and in 1780 was raised to the hereditary nobility and accepted into the imperial knighthood as a nobleman from Groote zu Kendenich . The family acquired a city palace in Cologne and several manors in Kurköln .

history

origin

The first de Grootes mentioned in a document can be found in Flanders . You exercised public offices as Burgritter at Oostkerke Castle near Damme near Bruges on behalf of the Count of Bruges. The lifetime of Dankardus (mentioned in a document from 1236, which refers to a process in 1127) can be classified at the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th century. According to a contemporary note, his son Hugo could have been nicknamed Magnus / de Groote because of his crusade activities. Hugo's sons are already regularly nicknamed de Groote or Magnus. The work of Hugo's son Willelmus Magnus is well documented . From 1190 to 1206 he held the high office of Seneschal , later Bailli , at the court of the Count of Flanders , which designated him as chief police officer and public prosecutor . He was also a member of the Flemish Regency Council. It is highly likely that he presided over the Bruges Court of Appeal and is mentioned in 1211 as chairman of the bailiffs of the Burgraviate of Bruges.

Maldeghem Castle near Bruges, ancestral home of the de Groote family

In the next generations, too, de Grootes held the prestigious office of Bruges Bailli and free judges. Jean (Jan) de Groote left the count's service and moved to Ghent , where he was mentioned in a document in 1316. He is the first de Groote to appear as a merchant . His son Sohier de Groote joined the profession of a businessman with high public office: he was alderman (Eschevin) and first Deputy Mayor at the Bare Farchons in Ghent. Other family members are also registered as lay judges or high officials in Ghent. The tradition of the connection between the business profession and political office has been maintained in the family for more than five centuries since then. It is unclear whether the de Groote family in Flanders belonged to the nobility or to the bourgeois patriciate .

From Flanders to Cologne

In the middle of the 16th century the Spanish-Dutch war reached Ghent and forced Mathias de Groote to flee to Ypres with his family . There he is named as a lay judge in 1555. At the end of the 16th century, his son, the strict Catholic and opponent of the Reformation, Nikolas de Groote , had to leave his Protestant homeland of Ypres and moved on to Cologne after a stay in Antwerp . During this escape, he was separated from his wife and two young children. The family chronicle reports that in 1580, after a long search in Cologne's Römergasse, he found his wife giving lessons. A sign is said to have read : "Here Ms. de Groote gives lessons in reading and writing" . His family was initially destitute, but they quickly established themselves in Cologne merchants' circles.

Work of the family in Cologne

To build up an extensive trade network, Nicolas de Groote was able to fall back on his Dutch trade relations, which reached as far as France , England , Italy , Spain and Portugal . It is reported that soon after acquiring citizenship in 1584, he was one of the most respected and wealthiest citizens of the free imperial city of Cologne.

His son Heinrich de Groote was already a councilor in Cologne . His son of the same name Heinrich de Groote was already mayor of Cologne . This rapid rise was facilitated by the family connection to the influential Cologne family Jabach . Mayor Heinrich von Groote married Sibilla von Duisterloe, the daughter of the Cologne merchant Matthias von Duisterloe and heiress of the house at Glockengasse no.3. Jacob von Groote built the Grootesche Palais in its place around 1614.

Palais Glockengasse 3 (before 1900)

The fourth generation of Cologne provided the mayor of Cologne twice, one of them, Franz de Groote , even 13 times. His daughter Maria Anna married into the family Cologne Mayor Hilgers one whose son Franz Jakob de Groote to Cologne and Düsseldorf Mayor family for Puetz -Hemmerich, his wife born Maria Ursula, zum Pütz (1734–1768) played a social and literary role. In 1752, Mayor Franz Jacob von Groote had the Palais Glockengasse 3 torn down and replaced by a new building by the architect Nikolaus Krakamp . From 1765 to 1768, Franz Jacob von Groote, together with Everhard Anton von Groote, also built the church of St. Gregorius im Elend in Cologne's Severinsviertel, which is still owned by a family foundation.

Franz Jacob's son Heinrich Josef Franz Anton Hermann Josef Balthasar von Groote took over the mayoral position of his father and the palace. In 1823, Eberhard von Groote's wife brought house 9 at Glockengasse into the marriage. The von Groote family also owned the post house no. 27 (old: no. 4824), which was referred to as "horse mail". In 1794 the von Groote family had to flee from the French troops to Arnsberg and Siegen and, among other things, had to give up the palace in Cologne's Glockengasse No. 3.

Church of St. Gregorius im Elend in Cologne, donated by Franz Jacob and Everhard Anton von Groote

In addition to their commitment in the commercial and political area, the von Groote family was also always active in humanitarian and church fields. Jacob de Groote had the St. Katharinen cemetery established as a cimiteria exulum , known as the Elendsfriedhof , pacified . This was the cemetery where all foreigners, those executed and those who died in prison, but also the Cologne Protestants and the deceased of the Cologne city soldiers, the Kölner Sparks , were buried. Jacob endowed two theological chairs at the city ​​university and public education for poor children at Sunday schools . Jacob (the younger) de Groote , born in 1627, had the cemetery wall and iron grating because he had watched a dog gnaw the bones of someone who had recently been buried. In his will, he donated 30,000 Reichstaler to support cultural and social purposes, including to support poor craft apprentices . Franz Jacob von Groote and his brother Everhard Anton Jacob Balthasar were the founders of the St. Gregorius im Elend church, which was built on the misery cemetery .

Erhard Anton Hermann Melchior von Groote was the Imperial Chief Postmaster in Cologne. His son Everhard von Groote was president of the Cologne poor administration. The mayor of Cologne, Jakob Gabriel de Groote, resided at Glockengasse 3; he bought Kendenich Castle in 1766 (inherited by the von Kempis family in 1821). The von Grootes belonged to the Cologne patriciate . Several family members are / were in the Order of Malta .

Prussian time

In 1794 the family had to flee from the French troops to Arnsberg and Siegen and lost many properties, including the family palace in Cologne's Glockengasse 3. After 1816, the family attracted attention through high positions in the Prussian civil service. Everhard von Groote , State Councilor and Lord of Immendorf, Hermülheim and Grimmlinghausen (1789–1864), later returned to Cologne. On behalf of Blücher , he succeeded in tracking down numerous art treasures stolen by the French in the Rhineland , including Rubens ' “The Crucifixion of Peter” and bringing them back to Cologne. One of his grandsons became mayor of Godesberg . The second eldest son, Joseph Cornelius Alois Anton Balthasar, was the Royal Prussian Senior Consistorial Councilor and Chancellor of the Archbishopric .

Elevation to the nobility and knighthood

Kendenich Castle

Maria Franz Jakob Gabriel de Groote became because of his services to the city and empire for himself, his siblings and descendants on February 13, 1780 by Emperor Joseph II in Vienna as a nobleman of Groote zu Kendenich, the Holy Roman Empire knight in the hereditary imperial nobility and the imperial knighthood was raised with the right to name oneself after possessions owned or acquired ( privilegium denominandi ).

coat of arms

The first secure use of the family coat of arms is dated September 4, 1260. Walter de Groote, who performed military, administrative and judicial functions as bailiff and bailiff for Bruges City and Burgraviate, sealed a lay judge's verdict on this date with the coat of arms. The still preserved coat of arms is described by Wolfgang von Groote in his article “The oldest tribe of the von Groote family” as follows: “Twelve mutilated blackbirds (stripped of beak and feet), three of them in the fields, looking to the left for the observer of a cross arranged so that they together form a circle. (Inventaire des Archives de la ville de Bruges No.7) ”. The village of Maldegem has the same coat of arms, with a different tinge .

There is no clear evidence of what the symbolism of the coat of arms is all about. The Heraldry sees gestümmelten blackbirds also Merlette hot, early coat of arms animals on a only by participating knights crusade could be included in the coat of arms. However, this statement is controversial among experts and is not sufficient as evidence of participation in a crusade. The number 12 seems to stand for "the perfect order". The cross could also point in this direction. The coat of arms of the von Groote family could also have emerged from an official or functional coat of arms. The special thing about the Merletten is the mutilation, i.e. the lack of beak and feet. This could indicate that these are not natural birds, but rather those that do not depend on either food or movement on earth. Such birds existed in different cultures. They are mostly connected with the judiciary, less with the judge's office than more with the office of the messenger or executor. Even before Christianity, the cross was a sign of salvation in our cultural area and was connected with the judiciary. Overall, the Merletten coat of arms seems to be either a badge of a descendant of a crusader or that of a court official or guardian.

Coat of arms of Groote in the church of St. Maria in the Kupfergasse

The coat of arms described in the nobility diploma combined the Flemish family coat of arms , which has been used since 1260 (a shield divided into four fields by a light blue cross, in which the merlettes or mutilated blackbirds were) with a new coat of arms that Nicolas de Groote adopted in Cologne. As a sign of a new beginning in Cologne, Nicolas de Groote had created a coat of arms that shows two blue stars and a green clover leaf below in a golden field. With this he could have expressed trust in God and optimism for a new beginning. This is indicated by the chosen symbols of the stars as the bearer of light and the shamrock as a sign of the Trinity, but also for unity and stability, while the basic color gold stands for future and eternity.

In the nobility diploma awarded by Emperor Joseph II, the family coat of arms is described as follows: Furthermore, and to commemorate this Our Imperial Grace, we have Maria Franz Jacob Gabriel von Groote of the (hasty) Roman Knight, his marital heir to you and the same heirs-heirs of both sexes are awarded the following knightly coat of arms and are graciously granted and permitted to carry them at all times. As a whole silver shield, studded with twelve mutilated black blackbirds of three and three, which is covered with a blue cross, in the foot of which a green clover leaf can be seen, but above two black octagonal stars. On the shield rests an open, aristocratic, blue-torn, red-lined, right-swept, gold-crowned tournament helmet, adorned with silver and blue hanging jewels on the right and left, with a blue one on the right and a silver one on the left Sickle appear. On both sides of the shield there is a golden leopard with a red lipped tongue and a red collar and gold ring as a shield holder, as such a knightly coat of arms in the middle of this emperor's (lichen) mercy letter is actually designed and painted with colors .

Foundations

From 1765 to 1768 Franz Jacob von Groote built the church of St. Gregorius im Elend in Cologne's Severinsviertel in gratitude for the family's success , which is still owned by the family today. According to the foundation's idea, the church has been used for Catholic services for national minorities since the Second World War . In 1963, a separate chapel was added to the north wall of the church building for the “Schoenstatt Sisters”. The Church of St. Gregorius has retained its status as a “family church” to this day. Once a year, on All Saints' Day , it is only accessible to family members of the “von Groote”.

Possessions

  • Maldeghem Castle, ancestral home of the de Groote family near Bruges
  • Manors Dransdorf , Disternich, Busch, Lohmar and Ingenfeld - Carl Alexander von Groote until his death in 1860
  • Family church St. Gregorius in misery
  • Cologne Palais Glockengasse No. 3, demolished in 1752 and replaced by a magnificent new building
  • Reichsgüter Thurn and Wolffskeel zu Sinzig
  • 1766 Acquisition of the knightly seat of Burg Kendenich including the castle courtyard by Maria Franz Jakob Gabriel de Groote (came to von Kempis through marriage in 1821)
  • 1834 Everhard von Groote acquires Hermülheim Castle (in 1955 the property was exchanged for the municipality / town of Hürth )
  • House Pesch near Euskirchen. The Pescher line was founded by Heinrich Joseph von Groote (1762-1823), who was also mayor of Cologne. The manor house Pesch has been family-owned since 1792 until today.

shops

The von Groote family was very active commercially and had branches in Lisbon , Seville , Venice , Calais , Liège , Hamburg , London and Emden . In 1799, the family had to flee from the French troops to Arnsberg and lost many goods, including the family palace at 3 Glockengasse in Cologne.

Known family members

Eberhard von Groote (1789–1864)

literature

  • The estate of the von Groote family is located in the historical archive of the City of Cologne as holdings 1042.
  • Yearbook of the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis 1998. Rheinlandia Verlag Siegburg, ISBN 3-931509-38-9 , p. 79 ff.
  • Siegfried Formanski: Rudolf Felix Joseph von Groote, royal district administrator of Rheinbach (1889-1918).
  • Willi Spiertz: Eberhard von Groote. Life and work of a Cologne social politician and literary scholar. Böhlau, Cologne 2007.
  • Adolf Giesen: Eberhard von Groote. A contribution to the history of romanticism on the Rhine. Gladbach-Rheydt 1929.
  • Bernd Dreher: Cologne: The equestrian monument for King Friedrich Wilhelm III. of Prussia on the hay market. Cologne 2004, pp. 439–440 (with further literature); ISBN 3-7616-1796-8 .
  • Peter Paul Trippen: The Groote family.
  • Karl Friedrich von Frank : Status surveys and acts of grace.
  • Clemens Klug: The von Groote family - respected and influential in Cologne for several centuries. Huerth, 1988
  • Wolfgang von Groote : The oldest line of the von Groote family. Genealogy , Volume 32, Volume 16, Issue 3, March 1983.
  • Philippe de L'Espinoy: Recherche des antiquitez et noblesse de Flandres, contenant l'histoire généalogique des comtes de Flandres, avec une description dudit pays, la suite des gouverneurs de Flandres… un recueil des nobles et riches châtellenies… la police qui y at [”Sic”] esté observée en la conduite et gouvernement de l'Estat et villes ... divisée en deux livres, par Philippe de L'Espinoy,… Douay: impr. de Vve M [arc] Wyon, 1631. - In-fol., 1012 p., fig. et frontisp ..

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