Witzleben (noble family)

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Coat of arms of those von Witzleben
Coat of arms of the Wendelstein branch at the Roßleben monastery school

The noble family Witzleben belongs to the Thuringian nobility . The headquarters in Witzleben is now a municipality in the Ilm district in Thuringia.

Origin and history

history

The first trace of the family can be found on the ancestral castle of the Elgersburg line in the form of a coat of arms carved in stone with the year 1088, which was created at a later time.

According to the legend and cannot be proven, the first bearer of the name mentioned in the older literature is Erich von Witzleben, who lived from 933 to 980 and is said to have been knighted by Emperor Otto in 964. Furthermore, a Fritz von Witzleben is named, who is said to have died as a knight in the battle of the Welfesholz in 1115 .

In a document first appeared in 1133 with “Adalherus et Gerboto de Wiceleibe” in the entourage of Landgrave Ludwig von Thuringia, two representatives of the family. The family line began with Hermann von Witzleben in 1251. As early as the 13th century, several lines had emerged. One begins with Christian von Witzleben, Herr auf Barchfeld 1290/91, one with the knight Friedrich von Witzleben, Herr auf der Elgersburg, 1288 and another also in 1288 with the knight Herbord (Herborto) von Witzleben as ancestral lords. Several branches and branches of the family have become extinct over time. The three lines Elgersburg, Liebenstein and Wendelstein have been preserved to this day.

Possessions

The Witzleben family owned several possessions, including Angelroda (first from 1363 to the 15th / 16th centuries, then 1651-1946), Berka (1422-1608), Bösleben (in the Middle Ages), Elgersburg (1297-1316 and 1437 -1802), Fröttstädt (domain since 1737), Gera (at Graefenroda ) Liebenstein (1282-1363 and 1434-1820) Manebach (from 1660), Mittelsömmern (1502), Molschleben (1351-1737), Neuroda , Oberellen , Traßdorf , Wartenburg, Wendelstein (1355–1523), Witzleben (West Prussia) (until 1945) and Wohlmirstedt (until 1803).

Roßleben monastery school

Heinrich von Witzleben zum Wendelstein founded the Roßleben monastery school , which still exists today, in 1554 , and since then a Wendelsteiner Witzleben has been the hereditary administrator. This Wendelstein prerogative was changed in 2001 by the foundation and extended to all male descendants of legal age.

The possession of the Witzleben as Vicomte d'Ipigny in Belgium, which remained in the family from 1546 to 1645: Ipigny (Uppein), Charmoy, Gilet, Neuville and Franchoy-Bergaingne ( Beauraing ) was important.

Equally extraordinary was the property of Heinrich Hartmann Friedrich Graf von Witzleben-Alt-Doebern , consisting of Altdöbern Castle , the brewery and the connected goods Reddern , Gräbendorf , Laasdorf , Göritz , Casel, Ilmersdorf and Muckwar , all of which ran from 1879/1880 to Remained in family ownership in 1914.

The expulsion from Poland and the expropriation through the land reform in the Soviet occupation zone led to the loss of the two estates Witzleben and Angelroda in 1945/46 . Today only the manor house Hude (Oldenburg) (since 1678) of the Liebensteiner line is owned by family members. The Roßleben monastery school (since 1554) belongs to a foundation in which the family is involved. The castle Weingartsgreuth is a former possession of the baron of Seckendorf since 1962 owned by the heirs of Baron Seckendorf-von Witzleben.

Name and title

Knight

In the Middle Ages, most of the family members were knights in the true sense of the title, i.e. bearers of the knighthood. These include:

Barons

Some representatives of the primeval nobility allowed themselves to be addressed as Freiherr or Baron, but no official award of the title of baron is known. Siebmacher's coat of arms book describes this situation best when the Witzleben family often lists it in the "Freiherrn" department with the addition of "Alias-Freiherrn". It is said that the family in some lines in Prussia is in the baron class, but no family member is known who would use the title.

Count

  • Heinrich von Witzleben , son of the Prussian President Hartmann von Witzleben , was raised to the hereditary Prussian count status as "von Witzleben-Alt-Doebern" in Bad Ems on June 21, 1886 .
  • Jobst Heinrich Graf von Witzleben, Vicomte d'Ipigny (Burgrave of Uppein (Belgium)), Lord of Charmoy, Gilet, Neuville and Franchoy-Bergaingne (Beauraing), Saxon War Councilor, married Margarethe von Tilly, sister of the Generalissimo Graf von Tilly in 1594 , died in 1605.
  • Julius Graf von Witzleben, Vicomte d'Ipigny (Burgrave of Uppein (Belgium)), Lord of Charmoy, Gilet, Neuville and Franchoy-Bergaingne (Beauraing), Elector of Cologne Chamberlain and Imperial Colonel, 1613 on the recommendation of Tilly's Truchsess of Maximilian I of Bavaria ; Son of the aforementioned. He was involved in the battle of the White Mountain (according to the report of November 12, 1620) and is said to have covered Tilly's body in the battle of Wiesloch (April 29, 1622); he himself died in 1632 in the battle of Lützen.
  • Ernestine Derne de Loyers, b. von Witzleben, Vicomtesse d'Ipigny (Countess of Uppein (Belgium)), Mistress of Charmoy, Gilet, Neuville and Franchoy-Bergaingne (Beauraing); Sister of the aforementioned, together with her sister (below), held title and property after brother's death.
  • Anna Baroness von Groesbeeck, b. von Witzleben, Vicomtesse d'Ipigny (Countess of Uppein (Belgium)), Mistress of Charmoy, Gilet, Neuville and Franchoy-Bergaingne (Beauraing); Sister of the aforementioned, together with her sister (above), held title and property after her brother's death.

Family unions

Relationships - and legitimized under nobility - associations with lines of other noble families have also become the name associations von Witzleben-von Normann (since 1876), von Ziegler Witzleben (since 1919), Barons von Seckendorff-von Witzleben (since 1962) and von Wurmb-von Witzleben (since 1989), some of which still exist today and are both independent families and parts of the two families affected - if they still exist. In this context, associations and divisions of coats of arms also emerged.

coat of arms

The family coat of arms is divided three times by silver and red in an inverted rafter cut. On the helmet is a round red hat with an open ermine brim. The hat is studded with two black shafts, which are studded with red leaves on both sides and at the top carry five alternating red and silver ostrich feathers. The helmet cover is also red-silver.

The Liebensteiner line also carries a second helmet, out of which the neck and head of a gold-armored vulture with a gold collar grow in natural color between two silver and red-split flags with red poles on the left.

Selected representatives

I. or Elgersburger line

Field Marshal General Erwin von Witzleben in 1940

II., Liebensteiner or Oldenburg line

Portrait of Adam Levin von Witzleben the Younger in a Danish officer's uniform.

III. or Wendelsteiner line

  • Christian von Witzleben (1338–1374), knight
    • Friedrich von Witzleben (1356-1393), knight
      • Dietrich von Witzleben (1392–1429), knight
        • Friedrich von Witzleben (1464), Lord on Wendelstein
          • Friedrich von Witzleben (1441–1501), gentleman on Wendelstein
            • Dietrich von Witzleben (1488–1531), knight, gentleman on Wendelstein
    • Christian von Witzleben (1358–1394), Bishop of Naumburg-Zeitz from 1381/1382 to 1394

Other representatives

See also

literature

  • Ancestral sample of Mr. Alexander von Witzleben ... In: Weekly for the noblesse and the friends of coats of arms and noble gender , Verlag Wittekind, Eisenach 1786, p. 129 ff. Digitalisat
  • Historie Générale, ecclésiastique et civile de la ville et province de Namur, Volume 4, 1789, p. 123.
  • Otto Hupp : Munich Calendar 1929 ; Munich, Regensburg: book and art print, 1929
  • Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels , Adelige Häuser A , Volume 24, p. 465 f .; Limburg (Lahn): CA Starke, 1996; ISSN  0435-2408
  • Gerhard August von Witzleben, Karl Hartmann August von Witzleben: History of the family von Witzleben, Volume 1 ; Berlin: A. Bath, 1880 digitized
  • Gerhard August von Witzleben, Karl Hartmann August von Witzleben: History of the family von Witzleben, Volume 2 ; Berlin: A. Bath, 1880 digitized
  • Genealogical handbook of nobility , Adelslexikon Volume XVI, Volume 137 of the complete series, CA Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 2005, ISSN  0435-2408
  • Gothaisches genealogical pocket book of the baronial houses to the year 1856. Sixth year, S.770ff Wartenburg and Werben

Web links

Commons : Witzleben family  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ CDS IA 2 No. 94