Bentheim-Steinfurt was a historical
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
located in northwestern
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
in the region surrounding
Steinfurt
Steinfurt (; Westphalian: ''Stemmert'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt. From roughly 1100-1806, it was the capital of the County of Steinfurt.
Geography
Steinfurt is situated north- ...
, Germany. Bentheim-Steinfurt was a partition of
Bentheim-Bentheim
Bentheim-Bentheim was a county in southeastern Lower Saxony, Germany, the borders of which by 1806 were the modern borders of the District of Bentheim. This county was formed from the county of Bentheim in 1277, and from it was formed Bentheim-Ste ...
, itself a partition of the
County of Bentheim
The County of Bentheim (''Grafschaft Bentheim'', Low German ''Benthem'') was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the south-west corner of today's Lower Saxony, Germany. The county's borders corresponded largely to those of the modern adm ...
. Bentheim-Steinfurt was partitioned: between itself and
Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda
Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda was a historical county of the Holy Roman Empire, located in present northwestern North Rhine-Westphalia and southwestern Lower Saxony, Germany.
The princely branch of Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda, with its family seats ...
in 1606; and between itself and
Bentheim-Bentheim
Bentheim-Bentheim was a county in southeastern Lower Saxony, Germany, the borders of which by 1806 were the modern borders of the District of Bentheim. This county was formed from the county of Bentheim in 1277, and from it was formed Bentheim-Ste ...
in 1643.
History
![Bad Bentheim, Burg Bentheim -- 2014 -- 9555 -- Ausschnitt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Bad_Bentheim%2C_Burg_Bentheim_--_2014_--_9555_--_Ausschnitt.jpg)
Bentheim-Steinfurt and its territories were converted to
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
in 1544 by Count Arnold II. He was succeeded by his less-religious son, Eberwin III. After the latter's early death at age 26, he was succeeded by his infant child, Arnold III, under the regency of Anna of
Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg () is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its name comes from the ruined castle around which it was built. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg hiking trail.
The coat of arms shows an anchor a ...
. Arnold III married Magdalena of
Neuenahr
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler () is a spa town in the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate that serves as the capital of the Ahrweiler district. The A61 motorway connects the town with cities like Cologne and Mainz. Formed by the merging of th ...
in 1576, and he began attempts to properly convert the county to
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
. In the autumn of 1587, Lutheran preachers from across Germany were invited to help reform the Counties of Bentheim, Steinfurt, Lingen and Tecklenburg. The new laws were largely modelled on those of
Mörs
Moers (; older form: ''Mörs''; archaic Dutch: ''Murse'', ''Murs'' or ''Meurs'') is a German city on the western bank of the Rhine, close to Duisburg. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel.
History
Known earliest from 1186, the county of Moe ...
, and were introduced in Bentheim and Tecklenburg, in the following year, and finally Steinfurt in 1591. Arnold also founded a successful school in
Schüttorf
Schüttorf (Northern Low Saxon: ''Schüttrup'') is a town in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in southwesternmost Lower Saxony near the Dutch border and the boundary with Westphalia (North Rhine-Westphalia). The town of Schüttorf forms with the ...
during 1588, which was relocated to Steinfurt in 1591 and taught Latin, law, theology, philosophy and (from 1607) medicine. Arnold died in 1606, and was succeeded by his sons Arnold Jobst, William Henry, Frederick Liudolph and Conrad Gumbert. Arnold Jobst created the Higher Church Council 1613 in the Bentheim territory as the supreme spiritual authority below the counts, and also in that year the Reformed Church of Bentheim was created, comprising also the Twelve Articles.
In 1643, Arnold Jobst died and was succeeded by his son Ernest William. He was greatly influenced by
Bernhard von Galen
Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen (12 October 1606, Drensteinfurt – 19 September 1678) was Prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family.
Background, education and conversion to Roman Catholicism
Christoph Bernha ...
, the
Prince-Bishop of Münster, and in 1688 he converted to
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
. A fierce crisis ensued in which the Protestant preachers were expelled. Ernest William died in 1693, and it was left to his son and heir, Count Ernest, to resolve the troubles, doing so by converting to Lutheranism in 1701. A new reformed Church constitution was released, modelled on the 1678 Church Constitution of
Lingen
Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2008, its population was 52,353, and in addition there were about 5,000 people who registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is ...
(it would continue in use until 1971). Bentheim-Steinfurt obtained the
Castle Batenburg in 1700, although by that time it had ceased to be permanently garrisoned, and it was destroyed by the French in 1795.
Count Louis obtained the County of Bentheim-Bentheim in 1803. Bentheim-Steinfurt was
mediatised to
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
in 1806, ceded to
Berg Berg may refer to:
People
*Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor
* Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer
Former states
*Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...
in 1809, restored to Prussia in 1813 and ceded to the
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
in 1815.
Today, the still existing branches of the House of Bentheim are the Princes of Bentheim-Steinfurt with their seat at
Steinfurt
Steinfurt (; Westphalian: ''Stemmert'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt. From roughly 1100-1806, it was the capital of the County of Steinfurt.
Geography
Steinfurt is situated north- ...
Castle (also still owners of the ancestral seat
Burg Bentheim
Bentheim Castle (german: Burg Bentheim) is an early medieval hill castle in Bad Bentheim, Lower Saxony, Germany. The castle is first mentioned in the 11th century under the name ''binithem''.
Situation
The castle is built on a protrusion of Ben ...
) and the Princes of
Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda
Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda was a historical county of the Holy Roman Empire, located in present northwestern North Rhine-Westphalia and southwestern Lower Saxony, Germany.
The princely branch of Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda, with its family seats ...
with their seat at
Rheda Castle (also still owners of
Hohenlimburg Castle) and the Counts Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda.
Counts of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1454–1806)
*
Arnold I Arnold I may refer to:
Clergy
* Arnold I of Cologne (c. 1100–1151), Archbishop of Cologne 1137–1151
* Arnold I of Vaucourt (c. 1120–1183), Archbishop of Trier 1169–1183
* Arnold I van Isenburg (died c. 1197), Bishop of Utrecht 1196–1197
* ...
(1454–1466)
*
Eberwin II (1466–1498)
*
Arnold II (1498–1544)
*
Eberwin III (1544–1562)
*
Arnold III (1562–1606)
*''Anna of Tecklenburg (1562–1577) (regent)''
*Arnold Jobst (1606–1643) ''with''
**William Henry (1606–1632) ''and''
**Frederick Ludolph (1606–1629) ''and''
**Conrad Gumbert (1606–1618)
*Ernest William (1643–1693)
*Ernest (1693–1713)
*Charles Frederick (1713–1733)
*
Charles Paul Ernest (1733–1780)
*
Louis Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
(Count of
Bentheim-Bentheim
Bentheim-Bentheim was a county in southeastern Lower Saxony, Germany, the borders of which by 1806 were the modern borders of the District of Bentheim. This county was formed from the county of Bentheim in 1277, and from it was formed Bentheim-Ste ...
) (1780–1806) raised to Prince 1817
(Mediatized) Princes of Bentheim and Steinfurt (1866–)
*
Ludwig Wilhelm, 1st Prince 1866–1890 (1812-1890)
**
Alexis Alexis may refer to:
People Mononym
* Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet
* Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC
* Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer
* Alexis (comics) (1946–1977 ...
, 2nd Prince 1890–1919 (1845-1919)
***
Viktor Adolf, 3rd Prince 1919–1961 (1883-1961)
**** ''Alexis, Hereditary Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt'' (1922-1943)
****
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, 4th Prince 1961- (1923-)
**** Prince Reinhard Georg (1934-2021)
***** Prince Carl Ferdinand (1977-), adopted by his uncle Prince Christian
****** Prince Jonathan (2008-)
***** Christoph Peter (1978-)
References
{{Authority control
Counties of the Holy Roman Empire
States and territories established in 1454