Velen (noble family)

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Coat of arms of the Velen family

The von Velen family was a noble Westphalian family. It had dynastic origins, but became part of the nobility in the conflict with the Münster bishopric . Among other things, he was entitled to the dignity of Hereditary Marshal of Flanders . In the early modern period, substantial property came through pledges, purchases and marriages before it became extinct in the 18th century.

history

Older house

Velen Castle

The ancestors of the von Velen family belonged to the noble dynasty . They were possibly an elimination of the noble Lord s wage . The Lords of Velen were first mentioned in the person of Hermann von Velen in 1221. Their castle was first mentioned in 1245. Hermann II married Kunigunde von Gemen in 1265 . The family died out at the end of the 13th century.

Younger house

The heirs from the von Bermentsfelde family called themselves von Velen from 1313 . The founder of this younger line was Simon von Bermentfelde. The family was involved in numerous feuds. At first they were only obliged to the emperor and founded the parish and the freedom of Velen .

They lost their position as dynasts after a feud. Bishop Florence von Wevelinghofen captured the castle. Hermann IV von Velen had to declare it an open house and take the property from the bishopric of Münster as a fief in 1371/1379 .

As a result, the bishops endeavored to integrate the family into the Münster area. Members of the family received Burgmann posts in Dülmen and later in Meppen.

The family was able to grant the sovereign loans in the period after 1541. For this, the bishopric had to pledge income or offices to the von Velen, among other things. Hermann von Velen received the office of Drosten in Emsland as a pledge in 1542 . The pledge was not released until the end of the old empire , so that the Drostenamt remained inherited in the family. The Rheine-Bevergern office was added in 1555 . This was later lost again. Hermann von Velen rose to the position of governor until 1574 in the service of the prince-bishop. Together with his brother Alexander von Velen zu Raesfeld, the family had five drosten offices. She was also involved in salt production.

At the time of Dietrich Wilhelm von Velen in 1630 the dilapidated Papenburg was acquired and the moor region was developed and settled based on the Dutch model. In addition to farming, the family ran a copper mill around 1626 and owned three salt pans. The economic boom was temporarily interrupted by the Thirty Years' War . Through the recatholization efforts in the Emsland, Dietrich Wilhelm won the favor of Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen . This declared Papenburg in 1657 to be judicial and glory. The debts accumulated during the war could only be paid off in the following generation.

In the further course of the 17th and 18th centuries, property could be increased considerably through purchase and sometimes through marriage. These included Ahlen (1676), Engelrading (1698), Gut Altenkamp , Röhlinghof (1729), Botzlar (1739), Barnsfeld and Dücking (1748).

In 1661 the elevation to the imperial baron status took place . Alexander von Velen was elevated to imperial count in 1641. Since Anton Bernhard von Velen had no male descendants, the property fell to the heiress Anna Theresia. With her marriage to Clemens August von Landsberg zu Erwitte in 1756, the property fell to the von Landsberg family , who then called themselves Landsberg-Velen and included the Velen coat of arms in their increased coat of arms. Velen Castle is still owned by the Counts of Landsberg.

coat of arms

The coat of arms shows three right-facing red birds without feet ( merlette ) in gold . On the helmet with red and gold covers, a golden eagle flight on the right and a red flight on the left, the shield in between.

people

literature

  • Gerhard Köbler : Historical lexicon of the German countries. The German territories from the Middle Ages to the present. 4th, completely revised edition. CH Beck, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-406-35865-9 , p. 648.
  • Manfred von Landsberg-Velen : The history of the Landsberg and Velen houses (in two volumes), Dankern 2007.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Castles, palaces and aristocratic residences in Westphalia-Lippe: Raesfeld Castle ( Memento from December 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Book of arms of the Westphalian nobility (Book 1), p. 51

Web links