House of Leiningen

Arms of the Leiningen family

Leiningen is the name of an old German noble family whose lands lay principally in Alsace, Lorraine and the Palatinate. Various branches of this family developed over the centuries and a number of those still exist, including the branch of the Princes of Leiningen.

Origins

The first count of Leiningen about whom anything definite is known was a certain Emich II (d. before 1138), whose family became extinct in the male line when Count Frederick, a Minnesinger, died about 1220. Frederick's sister, Liutgarde, married Simon II, count of Saarbrücken, and Frederick, one of their sons, inheriting the lands of the counts of Leiningen, took their arms and their name.

History

Evolution of the Leiningen arms

Having increased its possessions, the Leiningen family was divided around 1317 into two branches. The elder of these, whose head was a landgrave, died out in 1467. Upon this event, its lands fell to a female, the last landgrave's sister Margaret, wife of Reinhard, lord of Westerburg, and their descendants were known as the family of Leiningen-Westerburg. Later this family was divided into two branches, those of Alt-Leiningen-Westerburg and Neu-Leiningen-Westerburg, both of which are represented today.

Meanwhile, the younger branch of the Leiningens, known as the family of Leiningen-Hartenburg, was flourishing. On 27 June 1560, this branch was divided into the lines of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg, founded by Count Johann Philip (d. 1562), and Leiningen-Dagsburg-Heidesheim or Falkenburg, founded by Count Emicho (d. 1593).

In 1779, the head of the Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg line was raised to the rank of a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire with the title of Prince of Leiningen. In 1801, this line was deprived of its lands on the left bank of the Rhine by France, but in 1803 it received ample compensation for these losses. A few years later, its possessions were mediatized, and they are now included mainly in Baden, but partly in Bavaria and in Hesse.

The second prince of the Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg line, Prince Emich Charles, married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After his death in 1814, the princess married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, a younger son of George III, by whom she became the mother of Queen Victoria.

Prince Karl Emich converted from Lutheranism to Eastern Orthodox Christianity on 1 June 2013

Since 1991, the head of the princely line has been Prince Andreas (b. 1955).[1] In 2013, Prince Karl Emich converted from Lutheranism to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and now claims to be the major pretender to the former Russian throne according to the pre-Revolution Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire, because of his Russian monarchical ancestors such as Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna and Alexander II of Russia.

The family of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Heidesheim was divided into three branches, the two senior of which became extinct. At present, it is represented by the counts of Leiningen-Guntersblum and Leiningen-Heidesheim, also called Leiningen-Billigheim and Leiningen-Neidenau.

Line of Descent

Note that different sources use different sequence numbers for some of the Counts. For consistency across sources, dates of birth and death are useful.

Earliest Counts

Saarbrücken Line

Leiningen-Dagsburg (First Line)

Leiningen-Westerburg

This County was then absorbed into Leiningen-Schaumburg.[17]

Leiningen-Leiningen

This branch ended in 1705, and this County was also absorbed into Leiningen-Schaumburg.[17]

Leiningen-Schaumburg

Leiningen-Altleiningen

Leiningen-Neuleiningen

Leiningen-Hartenburg

Arms of the Princes of Leiningen

Leiningen-Dagsburg (Second Line)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels (2004), Volume 133, p. 249, 251.
  2. 1 2 http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANCONIA.htm#_Toc359858872
  3. ↑ Simon, J. (1865) Die Geschichte des reichständischen Hauses Ysenburg und Büdingen, Band III Das Ysenburg und Büdingensche Urkundenbuch (Frankfurt) ("Isenburg Urkundenbuch"), III, p. 4.
  4. ↑ Stumpf, K. F. (ed.) (1863) Urkunden zur Geschichte des Erzbisthums Mainz im zwölften Jahrhundert (Acta Maguntina Seculi XII) (Innsbruck) ("Mainz Urkunden 12th Century"), 24, p. 27.
  5. ↑ Brinckmeier (1890), Vol. I, p. 20, quoting charter "im Besitz des Germanischen Museums".
  6. ↑ MGH Diplomata, Tome X, Pars IV, D F I, 993, p. 282.
  7. ↑ Brinckmeier (1890), Vol. I, p. 22, citing Fahne, A. (1866) Geschichte der Grafen zu Salm-Reifferscheidt, Band. I, 2 Abth. p. 48
  8. ↑ Würdtwein, S. A. (1788) Nova Subsidia Diplomatica (Heidelberg), Vol. X, LXXXIX, p. 246
  9. ↑ Stillfried, R. M. von (1843) Monumenta Zollerana, Quellensammlung zur Geschichte des erlauchten Hauses der Grafen von Zollern und Burggrafen von Nürnberg, Erster Theil (Halle) ("Monumenta Zollerana (1843))", XVII, p. 31
  10. ↑ Otterberg, 18 and 19, pp. 16-17
  11. ↑ Brinckmeier (1890), Vol. I, pp. 20 and 41, citing Kremer, J. M. (1779) Origines Nassoicae, Vol. II, p. 261
  12. ↑ http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANCONIA.htm#LiutgardeLeiningenM1SimonIISaarM2LotWied
  13. ↑ http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANCONIA.htm#FriedrichIIILeiningendied1287
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Ersch-Gruber:Leiningen
  15. 1 2 3 http://genealogy.euweb.cz/leiningen/leiningen3.html
  16. ↑ http://thepeerage.com/p4298.htm#i42975
  17. 1 2 3 http://genealogy.euweb.cz/runkel/runkel2.html
  18. 1 2 3 http://genealogy.euweb.cz/runkel/runkel3.html
  19. 1 2 http://thepeerage.com/i2063.htm#s28558
  20. 1 2 http://genealogy.euweb.cz/leiningen/leiningen4.html

Coordinates: 49°32′24″N 8°08′24″E / 49.54000°N 8.14000°E / 49.54000; 8.14000


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