Stone from Hilpoltstein
The Lords of Stein were a medieval Frankish noble family .
history
Under the Hohenstaufen the Lords of Stein were Reichsministeriale (around 1129–1254), then Ministeriale under the Wittelsbacher (until 1385). Their ancestral seat was probably Hilpoltstein Castle in Middle Franconia , which is named after the last Lord von Stein (Hilpolt IV. Von Stein).
The search for an ancestral family of the castle is not easy: Herren von Stein or de Lapide are not uncommon. The names Udalricus in 1139 and 1142 and Burchhardt in 1159 (probably his son) are relatively certain. A “castellum dicto stone” was mentioned for the first time in 1154. In the documents, the von Stein men are listed as witnesses among the nobles, but their further fate is unclear. However, there are some indications that these gentlemen from Stein were quite prominent: During excavations, three ornate glass beakers from around 1150 were found, which at that time were actually only found among the nobility.
Only 100 years later can be found in documents on the Reich Ministerial Heinrich von Stein, the progenitor of the later Hilpoltsteiner. It is to him that gender owes its rise to an important local power. Heinrich maintained close relationships with the Hohenstaufen emperors and had held a lucrative position since 1254 with the Nuremberg office of imperial groomer (e.g. imperial bailiff and head of administration). The successor to the family castle was his son Hilpolt I, the other sons Heinrich had put the other sons through a clever marriage policy in the nearby castles of Niedersulzbürg , Haimburg and Breitenstein . From then on, the Hilpoltsteiners maintained close contact with the Sulz citizens and Wolfsteiners (for more information, see Wolfstein) and donated diligently to their monastery in Seligenporten, where an impressive family tombstone can be found. The founding of the cities of Hilpoltstein and Freystadt probably goes back to them. Hilpolt III. and IV. held high administrative posts of the Wittelsbach dukes after 1350. The success story ends in 1385 with the death of Hilpolt IV, who left no direct descendants.
The possessions came to the dukes of Bavaria-Landshut and in 1505 to Pfalz-Neuburg , who occupied the castle with caretakers. The castle had its last high point in 1606, when Maria Dorothea, the widow of Duke Ottheinrich II, chose the castle as her residence and had it expanded again. After her death in 1639, the castle remained empty, and the Neuburg administrator moved to a courthouse in the city (today the town hall). In 1793 the castle was sold to private individuals and used as a quarry from then on. Since 1972 it has belonged to the district of Roth, which in 1989 initiated extensive excavations and security measures.
coat of arms
The escutcheon is divided by blue and silver. The helmet with its blue-silver covers is adorned with a flight tinged like the shield .
Family members
- Heinrich von Stein : He was Reichsbutiger ( cupbearer ) in Nuremberg and was responsible for the imperial estates in Franconia from 1254 to 1265 .
- Hilpolt III. von Stein is said to have played an important role in the background in the election of the Wittelsbach Duke Ludwig von Oberbayern as Roman-German Emperor ( Ludwig IV the Bavarian ) in 1314, which seems to confirm additional fiefs by Emperor Ludwig IV.
- Hilpolt IV, the last representative of the family, died in 1385.
See also
- List of other noble families from Stein