Stauffenberg

Coat of Arms of the Schenk von Stauffenberg family

Stamp with the most famous Stauffenberg, Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg

Johann Franz Schenk von Stauffenberg

The Schenken von Stauffenberg are an aristocratic Roman Catholic family from Swabia in Germany, whose best-known member was Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg – the key figure in the 1944 "20 July plot" to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

The recorded history of the family Schenk von Stauffenberg begins in Swabia in the 13th century, when the family, who belonged to the Reichsrittern (Imperial Knights), originated from the settlement Cell, where they owned extensive estates surrounding the village and the Zollerberg long before the Counts of Zollern took possession of the mountain and acquired lands there.

Its first known member is mentioned in 1251 as Wernherus Pincerna de Celle, who in 1255 was appointed to the ceremonial court office of Schenk (cupbearer, sommelier, butler) with the Counts of Zollern. The officeholder was in charge of his lord’s wine cellars and vineyards, and when the office of Schenk later became hereditary within the family the title was adopted into the family name.

Surnames were appended according to the officeholder's place of residence, and so the family name varied between Schenk von Zell, Schenk von Neuenzell, Schenk von Andeck, Schenk von Erpfingen and Schenk von Stauffenberg. By the end of the 15th century the family’s permanent name was Schenk von Stauffenberg, which refers to Burg Stauffenberg, a former castle situated by a small cone-shaped mountain of the same name between the small town of Hechingen and its suburb Rangendingen in Land Württemberg. A tradition in the family also associates it with the Staufen dynasty.

The Stauffenbergs rose in the world in 1698 when Emperor Leopold I conferred upon the brothers Maximilian Gottfried and Johann Philipp the hereditary title of Reichsfreiherr (Imperial Baron). The family was later split into four branches; the Katzensteiner, Bacher, Wilflinger and Amerdinger ones. The former two became extinct during the 18th century, while a member of the Wilflingen branch was raised to the rank of hereditary Reichsgraf (Imperial Count) by Emperor Leopold II in 1791. Since the Wilflinger branch also became extinct in 1833, only the baronial Amerdinger branch remained. All now living members of the family are descendants of the brothers Franz Ludwig and Friedrich of the Amerdingen branch. Franz Ludwig was made a hereditary Graf (Count) in the Kingdom of Bavaria by King Ludwig II. Since then there exist two subbranches; one which holds the title of Count and one which bears the title of Imperial Baron.

In the 16th century the Stauffenberg family acquired the castle Amerdingen near Nördlingen through marriage. Before that the Stauffenbergs were owners of Wilflingen and Jettingen. Over the course of the years further estates were added to the family’s possessions, such as Schloss Greifenstein and Schloss Burggrub in Heiligenstadt near Bamberg, the Lautlingen castle near Ebingen on the southern slopes of the Schwäbische Alb, Ristissen some twenty kilometers south of Ulm and the Straßberg and Wildentierberg estates in Lautlingen near Albstadt.

After 1918, when the constitution of the Weimar Republic abolished all noble titles in Germany and declared them to be part of the family name, the family came to have two names in order to preserve the former titles of Schenk, Graf ( Count ) and Freiherr ( Baron ) as parts of the surnames.

Since the title of Schenk is considered to be of superior rank due to being a hereditary office title, it is placed before the noble title, which in turn is placed before the surname. The correct versions of the family’s surnames are thus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and Schenk Freiherr von Stauffenberg respectively. Two of the family’s members also served as Prince-Bishops of Bamberg (Marquard Sebastian) and Augsburg and Konstanz (Johann Franz) and thus used the title Fürst (Prince) instead of their other noble titles.

Members of the Schenk von Stauffenberg Family

• Marquard Sebastian von Schenk von Stauffenberg (14.May.1644-9.Oct.1693)
• Adam Friedrich Schenk Freiherr von Stauffenberg (07.Mar.1767-14.May.1808) married Charlotte Freiin von Harff (06.Oct.1777-13.Sep.1839)
  • Franz Ludwig Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (13.May.1801-08.May.1881) married Eleonore Gräfin Butler von Clonebough (20.Sep.1807-05.Feb.1861)
    • Anna Grafin von Stauffenberg (01.Mar.1825-03.Sep.1852) married Karl Alexander Graf von Seinsheim (15.Oct.1823-03.Sep.1852)
    • Klemens Graf Stauffenberg (12.Aug.1826-16.Novon1886) married Leopoldine Grafin von von Oberndorff (18.Oct.1831-07.May.1919)
      • Gabriele Grafin von Stauffenberg (24.Dec.1857-04.Jan.1946)
      • Berthold Graf Stauffenberg (21.Aug.1859-09.Novon1944) married Maria Theresia Frn Groß von Trockau (11.Feb.1860-19.Dec.1943)
        • Klemens Graf Stauffenberg (02.Jun.1885-10.Feb.1949) married Elisabeth Frn von und zu Guttenberg (20.Apr.1891-24.Feb.1946)
          • Marie Gabriele Gfn Stauffenberg (born 18.Jul.1914)
          • Karl Berthold Graf Stauffenberg (24.Feb.1918-01.Dec.1941)
          • Markwart Graf Stauffenberg (born 07.Mar.1921) married Anna Edle von Rauscher auf Weeg (born 13.Dec.1923)
            • Elisabeth Gfn Stauffenberg (born 09.Novon1948) married Alexander Nette (born 24.Aug.1946)
            • Marie Gfn Stauffenberg (born 31.Mar.1950) married Edward Lee Williams (born 23.Jul.1955)
            • Karl Berthold Graf Stauffenberg (born 19.Aug.1951) married Irina Lampe (born 10.Oct.1965)
            • Franz Graf Stauffenberg (born 22.Jun.1954) married Alda Balestra (born 14.Aug.1954)
            • Georg Graf Stauffenberg (born 06.Dec.1957) married Christiane Philippi (born 17.May.1963)
            • Philipp Graf Stauffenberg (born 31.Dec.1960) married1 Anette Peterson (born 20.Dec.1961) married2 Marion Stoof (born 02.Aug.1964)
          • Otto Graf Stauffenberg (born 28.Oct.1926) married Oculi Frn von Lerchenfeld (born 04.Mar.1923)
            • Christoph Graf Stauffenberg (born 01.Aug.1950) married Monika Gfn von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (born 22.Mar.1961)
            • Maria Gfn Stauffenberg (born 13.Dec.1951) married Louis-Ferdinand Graf von Zech sonst von Burckersroda (born 06.Aug.1944)
            • Alexander Graf Stauffenberg (born 10.Mar.1954) married Maria-Anna Gfn von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny (born 08.Apr.1960)
            • Isabell Gfn Stauffenberg (born 10.Mar.1954)
        • Leopoldine Grafin von Stauffenberg (29.Jul.1887-28.Apr.1975) married Philipp Graf von Ingelheim gen. Echter von und zu Mespelbrunn (07.Mar.1883-14.Sep.1933)
        • Markwart Graf Stauffenberg (12.May.1889-04.Apr.1975) married Olga Böhl de Liagre (09.May.1899-01.Dec.1973)
          • Delia Grafin von Stauffenberg (4.Mar.1919-2012) married Karl Friedrich Fst zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Wallerstein (23.May.1917-30.Mar.1991)
          • Marie Agnes Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 14.Dec.1920) married Hans Heinrich Linden
          • Alexandra Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 09.May.1922) married Rolf Staelin (09.Jun.1913-19.Feb.1985)
          • Alfred Graf Stauffenberg (born 28.Jul.1923) married Gioia Gfn von Hochberg, Frn zu Fürstenstein (born 11.Oct.1934)
            • Maria Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 09.May.1955) married Conrad Schloesser (born 14.Oct.1944)
            • Clemens Graf Stauffenberg (born 20.May.1958) married Bettina Scherping (born 11.Mar.1952)
            • Bolko Graf Stauffenberg (born 30.Jul.1964)
          • Klemens Graf Stauffenberg (13.Aug.1929-30.Dec.1987) married Clementine Gfn Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (born 05.Aug.1937)
            • Alexandra Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 25.May.1960) married Karl Friedrich Erbpr von Hohenzollern (born 20.Apr.1952)
            • Claus Graf Stauffenberg (born 28.Apr.1964)
            • Clarissa Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 30.Jun.1965) married Friedrich-Christian Frhr von Elverfeldt-Ulm (born 27.Dec.1960)
        • Irma Grafin von Stauffenberg (13.Apr.1898-28.Sep.1932) married Otto Frhr Groß von Trockau (*Würzburg 10.11.1890, +Trockau 21.2.1957)
      • Alfred Graf Stauffenberg (27.Sep.1860-20.Jan.1936) married Caroline Grafin von von Üxküll-Gyllenband (07.Apr.1875-03.Jun.1956)
        • Berthold Graf Stauffenberg (15.Mar.1905-10.Aug.1944) married Maria Classen (05.Feb.1900-13.Sep.1977)
          • Alfred Graf Stauffenberg (08.Novon1937-28.Oct.1987) married Marie Sophie Schenk Frn von Stauffenberg (born 23.Sep.1937)
            • Berthold Graf Stauffenberg (born 26.May.1963) married Maria Carabias (born 17.Jul.1961)
            • Philippe Graf Stauffenberg(born 17.May.1964) married Bettina Baatz (born 06.Sep.1966)
              • Isabel Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 20.Sept 1998)
              • Olivia Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 5 April 2000)
              • Mafalda Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 14. March 2003)
              • Klara Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 14 June 2005)
            • Alexander Graf Stauffenberg (born 08.Feb.1967) married ? ?
          • Elisabeth Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 13.Jun.1939) married Count Piero Roberti (born 26.Dec.1935)
        • Alexander Graf Stauffenberg (15.Mar.1905-27.Jan.1964) married1 Melitta Schiller (09.Jan.1903-08.Apr.1945), married2 Marlene Hoffmann (born 10.Jul.1913)
        • Claus Graf Stauffenberg (15.Novon1907-20.Jul.1944) married Nina Frn von Lerchenfeld (27.Aug.1913-02.Apr.2006)
          • Berthold Graf Stauffenberg (born 03.Jul.1934) married Mechthild Grafin von von Bentzel-Sturmfeder-Horneck (born 27.Jan.1938)
            • Claus Graf Stauffenberg (born 01.Jun.1959) married Maryam Zahedi (born 31.Jan.1962)
              • Valerie Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 17.Feb.1992)
            • Sebastian Graf Stauffenberg (born 02.Dec.1961)
            • Gottfried Graf Stauffenberg (born 08.Oct.1964)
          • Heimeran Graf Stauffenberg (born 09.Jul.1936)
          • Franz Ludwig Graf Stauffenberg (born 04.May.1938) married Elisabeth Frn von und zu Guttenberg (born 05.Jul.1944)
            • Hans Graf Stauffenberg (born 03.Mar.1966) married Maria Grafin von von Waldburg zu Zeil und Hohenems (born 29.Aug.1964)
            • Valerie Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 04.Jun.1968) married Marcus von Mauchenheim gen. Bechtolsheim (born 31.Oct.1958)
            • Maximilian Graf Stauffenberg (born 27.Oct.1970) married Harriet von Randow (born 27.Novon1974)
            • Maria Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 02.Sep.1982)
          • Valerie Grafin von Stauffenberg (15.Novon1940-04.Jun.1966) married Heino von l'Estocq (born 06.Apr.1935)
          • Konstanze Grafin von Stauffenberg (born 27.Jan.1945) married Dietrich von Schultheiß-Rechberg (born 13.Oct.1937)
        • Konrad Graf Stauffenberg (15.Novon1907-16.Novon1907)
      • Friedrich Graf Stauffenberg (11.Feb.1862-03.Sep.1882)
      • Philipp Graf Stauffenberg (12.May.1864-29.Jul.1945) married Marie Schönhofen (02.Jun.1875-??.Feb.1959)
        • Maria Grafin von Stauffenberg (28.Sep.1905 - 02.Mar.1940) married Adalbert Graf Kottulinsky, Frhr von Kottulin und Krzizkowitz (born 27.Mar.1904)
      • Maria Grafin von Stauffenberg (23.Oct.1867-09.Apr.1875)
    • Philipp Graf Stauffenberg (24.Novon1828 - 11.Jul.1895) married Karoline Przn Lobkowitz (29.Apr.1835-05.Mar.1881)
      • Franz Graf Stauffenberg (25.Sep.1861-27.Jun.1907) married Konstanze Grafin von von Prokesch (09.Novon1861-28.Oct.1921)
      • Lory Grafin von Stauffenberg (22.Apr.1862-22.Apr.1862)
      • Eleonore Grafin von Stauffenberg (08.Jul.1864-08.Jul.1864)
      • Marie Grafin von Stauffenberg (08.Jul.1864-24.Feb.1909)
      • Eberhard Graf Stauffenberg (19.May.1866-10.Sep.1917) married Luise Grafin von Terlago (12.Aug.1869-22.Aug.1952)
      • Klemens Graf Stauffenberg (10.Jul.1869-01.Aug.1890)
    • Charlotte Grafin von Stauffenberg (17.Apr.1831-02.Aug.1891) married Anton von Bösmiller
    • Albrecht Graf Stauffenberg (31.Aug.1836-25.Jan.1837)
  • Friedrich Schenk Freiherr von Stauffenberg (23.Oct.1806-02.May.1874) married Karoline Gräfin Butler von Clonebough (31 Jan 1812 - 06 Nov 1879)

References

• http://www.schwaben-kultur.de/pdfs/2003-3.pdf