House of Regenstein

This article is about the noble family. For their domain, see County of Regenstein. For the castle, see Regenstein Castle.
Coat of arms in Siebmacher’s Book of Heraldry

The House of Regenstein, also Reinstein, was a Lower Saxon family of counts, which was named after the eponymous Regenstein Castle near Blankenburg on the edge of the Harz Mountains of central Germany.

History

In 1162 Cunradus Comes de Regenstein (Conrad, Count of Regenstein), the son of Count Poppo I of Blankenburg from the House of Reginbodonen, was documented for the first time by name, thus establishing the line of Reinstein-Blankenburg. Heimburg came into their possession in the 14th century as a fief and founded the Younger Line of Reinstein(-Heimburg). Regenstein Castle (the line of Reinstein-Reinstein) was abandoned in the mid-15th century in favour of Blankenburg and Derenburg. The last male descendant of the noble family, John Ernest, Count of Regenstein, died in 1599. Parts of the county evolved into the Principality of Blankenburg.

Seats

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the comital line displays in silver a (black) red, six-tined antler. The later quartered shield shows also in silver (1:4) a black and in (2:3) a red six-tined antler. Helmet: crowned, right a black six-tined antler, left a red one of the same. The mantle is black and silver on the right and red and silver on the left.

Personalities

Portrait of Abbess Elizabeth

Sources

External links