The Barnekow family is a medieval German noble family originating from Mecklenburg and

Pommerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

. Though the original Mecklenburg branch died out around 1600, Danish, Swedish, and German lines of the family still exist. The family shares its name with the present-day municipality of

Barnekow Barnekow is a municipality in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...

in Germany. The etymology of the name ''Barnekow'' has Wendish origins: "Baran" meaning ram, "ek" for the diminutive form, and "ow" referring to a place.

History

Historical evidence of the Barnekow family of Rügen dates back to 1255. Earlier references are found of Alvericus de Bernekowe, who was born in

around 1186. He had a son recorded as Hinricus de Barnekowe. Hinricus' son Ulrich Barnekow is recorded as a witness to a treaty between the King of Denmark

Erik Menved Eric VI Menved (1274 – 13 November 1319) was King of Denmark (1286–1319). A son of King Eric V and Agnes of Brandenburg, he became king in 1286 at age 12, when his father was murdered on 22 November by unknown assailants. On account of his age ...

and Henrik of Mecklenburg in 1307.

Danish line

The oldest branch of the Pommeranian Barnekow family moved to Denmark in the beginning of the 16th century when Hans Barnekow acquired the estate Birkholm (now Løvenborg). Hans became a naturalised citizen on 13 December 1547, at which time he was also ennobled.

Christian Barnekow Christian Barnekow (28 July 1837 in Luz-Saint-Sauveur, France – 20 March 1913 in Copenhagen) was a Danish nobleman and composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western ...

inherited the estate after the death of his elder brother Johan Barnekow in 1603. He had already acquired the nearby estate

Tølløsegård Tølløsegård, also known as Tølløse Castle (Danish language, Danish: ), is a former manor house and estate located at Tølløse, Denmark. It has since 1997 been operated as a school under the name . The current main building was built after a ...

in 1592. A descendant of a separate line, Wilken Zacharias Barnekow (1730–1784), later also settled in Denmark, where he served as a lieutenant colonel. His descendants received a patent recognising them as members of the Danish nobility on 26 September 1877. Among those who thus became nobles was

, a composer who produced written histories about the family. At various points in time, descendants of the Barnekow family have owned the estates of

Løvenborg Savoy Hotel Copenhagen is a 66-room, privately run hotel located at Vesterbrogade 34 in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The hotel is based in the rear wing of the Løvenborg Building, Denmark's first example of Art Nouveau. The b ...

, Gammel Køgegård, Ødemark (in

Sorø Municipality Sorø Municipality is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 29,331 (2015). The main town and the ...

Jomfruens Egede Jomfruens Egede is a manor house located three kilometres north-west of Faxe, a small town some 40 km south of Copenhagen, Denmark. It owes its current appearance to Sophie Amalie Moth who in the late 18th century altered it with the assistanc ...

, and Nielstrup (in

Guldborgsund Municipality Guldborgsund is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Sjælland in Denmark, created on 1 January 2007 from six (6) former municipalities on the two islands Lolland in the west and Falster in the east bordering the Guldborgsund strait. It ...

Swedish line

owned Vidskøvle slot and Lillö slot in Skåne. His descendants became members of the Swedish nobility in 1664, following the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, when Scania became a Swedish territory. His grandson, also named Christian Barnekow (1626–1666), was given the title of

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

in 1751. In 1816, his descendant, Christian Barnekow (1773–1830) was given the title of count, and thus the head of this branch of the family inherit that title. Several descendants of this line became members of the

Swedish Parliament The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and s ...

German line

A German noble line still exists.

Coat of arms

It is possible that there have been two different noble families with this name, as the Mecklenburg branch carried a separate coat of arms from the Pommeranian Barnekows of Rügen. The coat of arms used by the Rügen branch consists of a shield bearing the upper body of a ram in red on a silver field, above which sits a helmet between two white ostrich or peacock feathers. Both the ram and the helmet bear crowns, though the specific design of the helmet varies.

Notable members

Notable descendants of the family include, but are not limited to: *

Hans Barnekow Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

(?–1559), diplomat and member of the

Privy Council of Denmark The Council of State (, , ) is the privy council of the Kingdom of Denmark. The body of advisors to the Danish monarch, the council is a formal institution, with largely ceremonial functions. Chaired by the monarch, the council comprises all cabi ...

. *

Christian Barnekow (1556–1612) Christian Barnekow (24 January 1556 – 21 February 1612) was a Danish nobleman, estate holder and diplomat. He was noted for his extensive travels. Biography Barnekow was a son of Pomeranian nobleman Hans Mortensen Barnekow til Birkholm (d. 15 ...

, extensive traveller and royal diplomat of the King of Denmark * Christian Barnekow (1626–1666), traveller and commissioner in Skåneland, husband of

Brita Scheel Birgitte "Brita" Scheel (1638–1699), was a Danish noblewoman who married a Danish nobleman who became Swedish with the annexation of Denmark's eastern provinces. For that reason, Birgitte belongs both to Danish and Swedish history, and her family ...

. *

Kjell Christoffer Barnekow Kjell is a Scandinavian male given name. In Denmark, the cognate is Kjeld or Keld. The name comes from the Old Norse word ''kętill'', which means " kettle" and probably also "helmet" or perhaps "cauldron". Examples of old spellings or forms are ...

(1663–1700), Swedish colonel *

Christian Barnekow (1694–1762) Christian Barnekow (28 July 1837 in Luz-Saint-Sauveur, France – 20 March 1913 in Copenhagen) was a Danish nobleman and composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western ...

, Swedish baron, general *

(1730–1818), baron *

Adolf Fredrik Barnekow Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...

(1744–1787), baron, architect, head of the Royal Swedish Theaters * Christian Barnekow (1773–1830), count *

, (1781–1875), baron * Adolf Barnekow (1838–1924), count * Fredrik Barnekow (1839–1912), baron * Adolph Gotthardt Joachim Barnekow (1805–1839) *

(1837–1913), Danish composer *

Raven Freiherr von Barnekow Leutnant Raven Erik Freiherr von Barnekow (10 March 1897 – 8 December 1941) was a German World War I flying ace credited with eleven aerial victories. Postwar, he emigrated to the United States and became romantically involved with movie star ...

(1897–1941), World War I flying ace, Luftwaffe General

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnekow Danish noble families Swedish noble families Mecklenburgian nobility Pomeranian nobility Prussian nobility Danish people of German descent Swedish people of German descent