Riedesel

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Riedesel is a German family name that began to appear in legal documents in the early 1200s. They were of the knightly class, though not all had the official status of Ritter or knight. Its exact geographical and temporaral origins are uncertain. However, all of the early references are from the area of Hesse, and many served as vassals of the Margrave of Hesse in Marburg. In later centuries, the men served a wide variety of higher nobility as men-at-arms, administrators, and counselors.

Lines of the family are known to have had residences in Josbach, Camberg, Bellersheim, Melsungen and other places. The names employed typically used "zu" to designate their main residence, e.g. the Wappen (coat of arms) of Krafft Riedesel zu Josbach dating from 1200 still hang in the church of Saint Elisabeth in Marburg.

With one significant exception, the various lines of Riedesel knights either died out in the male line during the Middle Ages or disappeared into the ranks of unfree peasants. Without hereditary lands, they were dependent on fiefs from higher nobility in exchange for their services.

The exception was the line of Riedesels based in Melsungen. Hermann II (1407-1463) of this line married Margareta von Röhrenfurth after establishing himself as an able knight and adviser in the service of Landgrave Ludwig. Hermann took possession of Schloss Eisenbach near Lauterbach (Hesse), as well as other lands and rights. He also took over the office of Erbmarschall zu Hessen (hereditary counselor to the Hessian courts). With this achievement, the Riedesels of Melsungen-Eisenbach had a permanent, hereditary financial base. Their holdings were substantial in comparison with those of most free knights, but still quite minor within the patchwork of German states, secular and ecclesiastical.

In 1680, four of the male Riedesels were granted the title of "Freiherr zu Eisenbach" by the German Emperor, with that title passing to all of their male descendants who reached majority. The title is usually translated as "Baron" in English. The common property of the family was governed by complex arrangements that have kept it intact. Nevertheless, few had enough income to support the lifestyle of even minor nobility without entering the service of greater powers in their armies or administration. Some continued to live around Lauterbach, but many others resided elsewhere.

The best-known member of the family, at least in the United States, was General Friedrich Adolph Riedesel, Freiherr zu Eisenbach (1738-1800). Erroneously known to American historians as "von Riedesel", he commanded a regiment of soldiers from the Duchy of Braunschweig as part of the British forces during the American Revolution.

The noble Riedesels lost their sovereignty (and feudal rents and services) in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, so pursued other enterprises included brewing, brick-making, and forestry.

None of the Riedesel families in America descend from the Riedesel Freiherren zu Eisenbach. It is likely that they trace back to other lines such as the Riedesel zu Josbach.

[edit] Sources

The history of the Riedesel zu Eisenbach has been thoroughly researched and documented in a series of volumes.

1. Vom ersten Auftreten des Names bis zum Tode Hermanns III. Riedesel 1500 (Dr. E.E. Becker, 1923)

2. Riedeselisches Urkundenbuch 1200 bis 1500 (Dr. E.E. Becker, 1924)

3. Vom Tode Hermanns III. Riedesel 1501 bis zum Tode Konrads II 1593 (Dr. E.E. Becker, 1927)

4. Vom Tode Konrads II 1593 bis zum Vertrag mit Hessen-Darmstadt 1593-1713 (Dr. Fritz Zschaeck, 1957)

5. Vom Reich zum Rheinbund 1713-1806 (Dr. Karl Siegmar Baron von Galéra, 1961)

6. Wege zu neuen Lebensformen 1806-1918 (Dr. Karl Siegmar Baron von Galéra, 1965)

7. Die Riedesel in republikanischen Staatsformen 1918-1965 (Karl-August Helfenbein, 2003)

Also Riedesel web site has a variety of references and factual information.