Speaker of Bernegg (noble family)

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Family coat of arms of those von Sprecher, around 1370
Improvement of the coat of arms of the family Sprecher von Bernegg, 1582

Spokesman von Bernegg , also from spokesman or often just spokesman , is the name of an old Swiss noble family . In addition to the Salis and Planta , the speakers from Bernegg were among the most influential families in the Valtellina and Graubünden . The family was originally of Walser descent and played a leading role in the ten-court association . From the 16th to the 19th century, members of the sex provided the federal state administrator 15 times , to which the office of district administrator of the Davos judicial community also belonged. Some branches of the family still exist today.

history

origin

According to ancient traditions, the family that originally called themselves Sprächers von Bäreneck comes from the noble Ursinius from Schanfigg in Rhaetia . He is said to have been mentioned as early as 766.

According to the Genealogical Handbook of the Aristocracy and the Historical Lexicon of Switzerland , the family line begins in the mid-14th century (around 1340) with Joos Sprecher. He was a free Walser in Strassberg in the Fondeital , who died around 1390. The family name was the short form of the Walser official designation for the legal or advocate . Fortunat Sprecher (1585–1647) was the first to use the nickname of Bernegg , after Bernegg Castle near Calfreisen in the Schanfiggertal, which was owned by the family as early as 1428.

Spread and personalities

The progenitor Joos Sprecher was a wealthy landowner who already had an arrow in a red shield as a coat of arms . His sons Johann, Martin, Heinrich and Josias were the founders of four lines. Martin and John were in 1443 with the castle Subvia to Peist invested . From 1428 Heinrich owned the Bernegg Castle already mentioned in the front court of St. Peter .

16th century - Davos tribe

Heinrich's great-grandchildren Florian and Andreas settled in Davos . Florian married Maria, the daughter of the Landammann Nicolaus von Beeli. He initially served as a captain in the royal French army and fought in the campaigns in Italy . In 1512 he captured a flag at the Battle of Ravenna . Florian died as a chief judge in August 1554 on the battlefield of Hohensiena. His younger brother Andreas married the widow of the knight Rudolf Juvalta, Barbara von Planta , daughter of Colonel Konradin von Planta , around 1525 . His wife's family was wealthy in Davos. Andreas Sprecher took part in seven campaigns in Italy and France, initially as an ensign and finally as a panner lord . He later became a marriage judge for the Davos region. In 1536 he sealed and sworn the renewed Federal Letter of the Ten Courts. From 1539 to 1541 he administered the Podestaamt zu Morbeun in the Valtellina and was later for a long time governor of the Davos region and the ten-court federation. Andreas Sprecher died in January 1586 in St. Johann am Platz, his stately residence in Davos, at the age of 84.

17th and 18th centuries

Andreas spokesman left six sons. Andreas, the third son, died in Loches in France in 1569 as captain of a little Graubünden ensign . His grandson, another Andreas (* 1592) and son of the Podestate Christian Sprecher, went to Spain in 1637 with the district judge Hans Jacob Schmid von Grünegg and with Adolf Andreas von Salis-Zizers as envoy from Graubünden . They concluded the preliminaries for the capitulation of Milan (September 3, 1639) with the royal plenipotentiaries . After completing the mission, all three were richly honored with gifts from King Philip IV . Andreas became federal state administrator in 1643 and 1651. In 1649 he belonged to the embassy to the court of Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria and Tyrol because of the expiry of the Ten Courts of the Erzhaus Österreich . Andreas Sprecher died on December 24th, 1667. With the death of his grandson Georg Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1652), who resigned as royal French sergeant-major in 1730 , this branch expired.

Florian spokesman von Bernegg ("Ritter Fluri", * 1548), the sixth son of Andreas, was in 1572 the master of the ten courts. In 1574 he entered French royal service as a captain. Just one year later he was commissioner judge at Chiavenna (Cläven), from 1579 to 1581 Podesta at Traona and from 1582 to 1586 Landammann at Davos and head of the Ten Court Association. He was also used in diplomatic missions. In 1582 he belonged to the embassy in Paris to establish the peace alliance with King Heinrich III with the federal state delegates . to be completed by France. All ambassadors received the accolade and were presented with triple gold chains. King Heinrich confirmed his old nobility to Florian Sprecher von Bernegg in the knight's diploma issued in December 1582 in Paris. He also received an improvement in the coat of arms, the spokesman's family coat of arms now showed the royal colors blue and gold (two crossed golden arrows in blue) and a crowned helmet with a bear paw. In 1585 Florian became Federal Supreme Leader and in 1589 he was appointed envoy of the Ten Courts at the court of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in Innsbruck and in 1590 at the estates in Zurich and Glarus . He died on April 18, 1612 at his residence in Albertigut zu Davos. From his marriage to Dorothea, born Brunner called von Beusch, five sons and five daughters were born.

Fortunat spokesman von Bernegg
(* 1585; † 1647)
Theophil spokesman von Bernegg
(* 1850, † 1927)
Luzein trunk and its ramifications

The eldest son of Ritter Florian, Andreas Sprecher von Bernegg ("Commissari", * 1568), settled in 1590 in Luzein in the Prättigau . He was commission judge in Valtellina and in 1595 mayor of the court of Castels Luzein. From 1599 to 1601 he was governor of Chiavenna and from 1621 to 1629 envoy in Innsbruck. During the Prättigau uprising , he courageously defended the evangelical faith. He married Dorothea nee Müller, with whom he was married for over 50 years, and died in 1638 in high esteem. The couple had five sons.

The lines of the eldest son Florian (Florian-Ast Luzein) and the third-oldest son Andreas became extinct (older Chur branch) in 1736 and 1779 in the male line . Sixtus (* 1594), the second son, was the founder of the Clus-Maienfeld line and Johann, the fourth son, the progenitor of two lines (Johann-Ast Luzein). Her youngest brother Heinrich (* 1615; † 1685) was also able to establish two lines after two marriages (Heinrich-Ast zu Luzein with branches Senftenau / Chur and Jenins).

Older Davos tribe

The second eldest son of Ritter Florian, Johann Sprecher von Bernegg ("Colonel Hans", * 1582), administered the vicariate in Valtellina from 1605 to 1607. From 1607 to 1619 he was Landammann at Davos and head of the Ten Courts. In November 1631 Johann was murdered in Maienfeld . From his three marriages to Ursula von Buol , Barbara von Capol and Maria von Mont, several daughters and four sons have sprung up. Salomon spokesman von Bernegg (* 1635; † 1693), a descendant of Johann, was a colonel and owner of a Spanish regiment, commissioner of Chiavenna and federal state administrator. His son Paul Sprecher von Bernegg († 1734) also held his last office several times. Salomon's brother Johann Andreas Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1697) entered military service at an early age. In 1743 he set up his own regiment with which he fought under Austrian command until 1750 in Italy. For his services he was promoted by Maria Theresa to major general and governor of Como . In 1756 Johann Andreas was appointed owner of the Hagenbach regiment and promoted to field marshal lieutenant. He was in command of Breslau during the Seven Years' War and had to hand over the fortress to the Prussians on December 19, 1757. Before a court martial, he was able to fully rehabilitate himself. After being promoted to Feldzeugmeister and being promoted to the rank of imperial baron , Johann Andreas died in an accident on September 15, 1758, and his car overturned near Aussig . The children from his first marriage died early, his second marriage remained childless. His nephew Anton Hercules spokesman von Bernegg (* 1741) inherited his estates. Anton Hercules managed the commissariat of Chiavenna at the age of 20, was four times head of the ten courts and envoy in Milan. He died in March 1827 in Grüsch on the inherited residence of his mother Margaretha Katharina von Salis. The descendants of his two sons from their third marriage with Maria Magdalena von Ott († 1826) Johann Andreas (* 1783; † 1836) and Salomon (* 1791; † 1827) established two new lines.

The third son of Ritter Florian Fortunat Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1585; † 1647) is one of the most important Graubünden historians of the early modern period. 1606 he attained to Orléans the doctoral degree in Law . He was initially general provender of the Valtellina as well as Bormio (Worms) and Chiavenna and from 1617 to 1619 commissioner to Chiavenna. He became known for his works on the history of Graubünden. Fortunat was married twice. His line died out with the death of his children from his second marriage, Rhätus († 1675), Podesta zu Plurs , and Peter († 1689).

Younger Davos tribe

The fourth son Florian, a twin brother of Fortunat, became captain of the Davos in the battle of Tirano (September 11, 1620). He died a few days later when his troops took the entrenchments at Terraplana near Bormio by storm. His youngest brother Konradin Sprecher (* 1592) fell as a panner lord of the Davos region on May 8, 1622 in a battle on St. Luzisteig .

19th century to the present

Luzeiner lines

The younger Luzeiner line, which also had possessions at Seewis in the Prättigau , died in 1812 with the death of Johann VI. Speaker from Bernegg. Johann died as a captain in royal British service. From the older Luzein line came Andreas Sprecher von Bernegg († 1848) whose two sons were able to continue the line.

Line to Clus-Maienfeld

The progenitor of the line to Clus-Maienfeld was Sixtus spokesman von Bernegg (* 1594, † 1629), who took part in the campaign in Piedmont as a captain in the regiment of Colonel Ulysses von Salis . His fourth generation descendant, Jacob Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1756), joined the Royal Dutch Army , like some of his brothers . He initially served as a captain in the Bentick Regiment. Later, as a major, he distinguished himself several times during the French invasion. He accompanied the Prince of Orange into exile in England. After several years of absence, Jacob returned to Graubünden and in 1807 married Dorothea (* 1772; † 1835), the daughter of the Landammannes Anton Hercules, spokesman von Bernegg, and his wife Margarethe Brügger von Maienfeld. Through his wife he came into possession of the Bruges property with the manor in Maienfeld. In 1811 he received the citizenship of the city of Maienfeld. In 1814 he returned to Holland and entered the royal Dutch service again. Jacob became a colonel and chief of a regiment and promoted to major general in 1818 . In the same year he received the hereditary baron status of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He died on March 5, 1822 on a vacation trip in Grüsch .

His son Anton Hercules Freiherr Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1809) became the district administrator of the Maienfeld High Court and a member of the District Administrator and District Court. In 1839 he married Clara Emilia (* 1815; † 1852), the daughter of the podium Lucius Bazzigher von Vicosoprano and his wife Katharina von Stampa. Their son Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1850; † 1927) was Chief of the General Staff of the Swiss Army from 1914 to 1919 .

His aunt Julie Cäcilie Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1808), a sister of Anton Hercules, married the theologian and professor at the theological institute of the Reformed Cantonal School Chur Johann Christoph Wilhelm Schircks (* 1804; † 1879). Her younger brother Johann Andreas Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1811; † 1862) became a colonel , commander of the 2nd federal battalion and national councilor. He married Barbara, the daughter of the Federal President and Mayor Christoph von Albertini and his wife Ursula Elisabeth Gugelberg von Moos. Johann Andreas and Barbara had six children, two daughters and four sons. Anton Adolf Christoph Sprecher von Bernegg (1849–1915), the third son, studied law in Göttingen and Leipzig from 1869 . He entered royal Prussian state services and, after a steep legal career, came in 1900 as a judge at the Imperial Court in the 1st Civil Senate . Anton Adolf Christoph retired in 1911 and died in Baden AG in 1915 .

Some family members settled in the United States and Argentina . Johann Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1823; † 1900), who emigrated in 1846, founded the Jenins line in Wisconsin USA. The forester Heinrich Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1820, † 1864), who left Chur in 1848 , became the progenitor of the Senftenau line in the states of Virginia and Ohio . Georg Sprecher von Bernegg (* 1884; † 1950) emigrated to Argentina in 1902. He was the progenitor of the Luzeiner line in Allen on the Rio Negro .

Status surveys

According to the Gotha genealogical paperback , the family received two baron diplomas. The General Feldzeugmeister Salomon Sprecher von Bernegg zu Davos was raised to the status of imperial baron by Maria Theresa in 1758 .

On June 7, 1818 at The Hague , Major General Jacob von Sprecher and Bernegg, colonel-owner of the Swiss regiment, from the Cluser line at Maienfeld received the status of Dutch baron for himself and his descendants from King Wilhelm I.

coat of arms

Family coat of arms

The improvement of the coat of arms of 1582 shows two upward-twisted golden arrows in blue . On the helmet with blue and gold helmet covers a gold armored black bear paw.

Baron coat of arms

The baronial coat of arms with the baron's crown is quartered . 1 and 4 , golden arrows in blue in the form of a St. Andrew's cross , the tips of which point upwards (family coat of arms). 2 and 3 in a gold black bear paw with gold claws ( crest of the stem arms). A bear's paw on the crowned helmet with blue and gold covers. The shield is surrounded by a white lined blue coat of arms with narrow golden fringes and cords.
The motto is: Potius frangi, quam flecti.

District and municipal coats of arms

Elements and colors from the family coat of arms of the speakers from Bernegg still appear today in some Swiss district, local and municipal coats of arms.

  • Coat of arms of the Schanfigg district

  • Coat of arms of the municipality of Furna

  • Coat of arms of the municipality of Luzein

Name bearer (selection)

Buildings and possessions

Speaker houses in Luzein

  • Storage room with drying arbor from 1671 at the main building (Brigadierhaus)

  • House Sprecher-Pestaluzz (Putzi) from 1650

  • Speaker house on Landsgemeindeplatz (Bsatzig) from 1652

  • Bath and wash house on Landsgemeindeplatz from 1743

  • Barn and entrance gate on Landsgemeindeplatz

  • Large house from 1658

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Daniel Speaker: Speaker. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . July 11, 2011 , accessed June 25, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b New General German Adels Lexicon Volume 8, Pages 573-575.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Gothaisches genealogisches Taschenbuch Freiherrliche Häuser to the year 1858. Pages 725–736.
  4. ↑ a b c Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels , Adelslexikon Volume XIII, Volume 128 of the complete series, page 486