Keyserlingk
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Keyserlingk is an old nobility family from Westphalia. It is first mentioned with Hermann Keselinch on 16th November 1300. The direct line began with Albert Keserlink (mentioned 1443-1467), mayor at Herford.
1492 his son Hermann von Keyserlingk fought in Livland for the Teutonic Order. For this Walter von Plettenberg gave him fiefs in Courland. In Prussia, tsarist Russia and the Electorate of Saxony his descendants worked for state and in 18th century four of them gained the title of Graf. From this 4 Graf-lines 2 still exist. There is also a Freiherr-line.
After 1945 all property in the baltics and East Prussia had to be abandoned. Since then around 180 descendants live all over the world, mainly in Germany, USA, Canada and Australia.
The Keyserlingks have family relations with Barrett, von Below, von Bogen, Bordehl von Bordelius, von Braun, von der Brueggen, von Dehn, Finck von Finckenstein, von Grotthuss, von Hahn, Hillis, von Kleist, von Lieven, von der Pahlen, Perkins, Popp, von Quistorp, von Rahden, von der Recke, von Roenne, von der Ropp, Ruggels, Schick, Schirinski Schikhmatoff, Spano, Sponholtz, Thurn and Taxis, Turcot and Wilson.
Reichsgraf Hermann Carl von Keyserlingk (1696 - 1764) who was the Russian ambassador to Saxony has helped Johann Sebastian Bach to get the title Court composer to the King of Poland and the Elector of Saxony, received from Frederick Augustus I of Saxony in 1733. [1]
