The House of Bülow () is the name of an old German and Danish

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

origin, members of which have borne the title of Baron (''

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

''), Count (''

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

'') or Prince (''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

'').

History

The family traces its main line back to one knight ''Godofridus de Bulowe'', mentioned in a 1229 deed. He was named after the village of Bülow near Königsfeld, then part of the

Bishopric of Ratzeburg The Diocese of Ratzeburg (german: Bistum Ratzeburg, la, Dioecesis Ratzeburgensis) is a former diocese of the Catholic Church. It was erected from the Diocese of Oldenburg c. 1050 and was suppressed in 1554. The diocese was originally a suffragan ...

. The family made great donations to nearby

Rehna Rehna () is a town in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 26 km southeast of Lübeck, and 28 km northwest of Schwerin. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. References

...

Abbey. As ''Bülow'' was also a word for oriole in the local dialect based on Wendish roots, the bird is depicted as a

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

in the family's coat of arms. In Mecklenburg the family acquired around 110 estates, castles or villages from 1229 onwards, nine of which remained in its possession until the confiscations in communist East Germany in 1945. From 1470 to this day the family holds the manor of

Gudow Gudow is a municipality in the district of Lauenburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. History Since 1470 the Bülow family owns the estate and manor house of Gudow, to this day. Between 1982 and 1990 Gudow served as West German inner German b ...

Saxe-Lauenburg The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a '' reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme so ...

(today part of the former West-German state of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

), and in the 19th century it acquired three more estates nearby, also still owned by family members. In the 14th century, four members officiated as

Bishops of Schwerin A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

; one Dietrich von Bülow was

Bishop of Lebus The Diocese of Lebus (; ; ) is a former diocese of the Catholic Church. It was erected in 1125 and suppressed in 1598. The Bishop of Lebus was also, '' ex officio'', the ruler of a lordship that was coextensive with the territory of the diocese. T ...

from 1490 onwards. Numerous female members joined the convent of

Dobbertin Abbey Dobbertin Abbey (''Kloster Dobbertin'') is a former Benedictine monastery of monks, afterwards housed a community of nuns, and later still a women's collegiate foundation, located in the municipality of Dobbertin near Goldberg in the district of L ...

. In 1383 the Mecklenburg knight Heinrich von Bülow burnt down the village and church of

Wilsnack Bad Wilsnack (until 1929 Wilsnack) is a small town in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany. The former pilgrimage site of the Holy Blood of Wilsnack has been officially recognised as a spa town (''Bad'') since 1929. It is the administrati ...

; thereafter, the rebuilt Church of the

Holy Blood of Wilsnack The Holy Blood of Wilsnack was the name given to three hosts, which survived a fire in 1383 that burned the church and village to the ground. The hosts were thus seen as miraculous. The relics became the destination of medieval religious pilgrim ...

became a destination of medieval religious pilgrimages. The most notable family members are

Hans von Bülow Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for es ...

(1830–1894), pianist, conductor and composer who married Liszt's daughter Cosima, who later left him for

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

, and Prince

Bernhard von Bülow Bernhard Heinrich Karl Martin, Prince of Bülow (german: Bernhard Heinrich Karl Martin Fürst von Bülow ; 3 May 1849 – 28 October 1929) was a German statesman who served as the foreign minister for three years and then as the chancellor of t ...

(1849–1929), Chancellor of Germany from 1900 to 1909.

Notable members

Andreas von Bülow Andreas von Bülow (born 17 July 1937) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and writer. He was Minister for Research and Technology from 1980 to 1982. Von Bülow has authored books about intelligence agencies, including ' ...

(born 1937), German politician, former government minister and author of a 9/11 conspiracy book * Babette von Bülow (1850–1927), German author of short stories, comedies and farces under the male pen name Hans Arnold *

Bernhard Ernst von Bülow Bernhard Ernst von Bülow (2 August 181520 October 1879) was a Danish and German statesman. Early life He was born at Cismar in Holstein, as the son of Adolf Heinrich Hartwig von Bülow (1787-1816), a Danish and German official, and his wife, C ...

(1815–1879), Danish and German statesman, father of the Bernhard von Bülow (below) *

, Prince (1849–1929), Chancellor of the German Empire from 1900 to 1909 * Bertha von Marenholtz-Bülow (1810–1893), German educator * Christoph Carl von Bülow (1716–1788), Prussian general under Frederick the Great * Claus (von Bülow*)(1926–2019), Anglo-Danish lawyer and socialite. (Born Claus Borberg, he adopted his mother's family name.) * Cosima (von Bülow*) Pavoncelli (born 1967), American socialite and philanthropist, daughter of Claus (von Bülow*) and Sunny (von Bülow*) *

Cosima Wagner Francesca Gaetana Cosima Wagner ( née Liszt; 24 December 1837 – 1 April 1930) was the daughter of the Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt and Franco-German romantic author Marie d'Agoult. She became the second wife of the German co ...

daughter of

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

. Wife of

, she left von Bülow for composer

. * Dietrich Heinrich von Bülow (1757–1807), a.k.a. Heinrich Dietrich Bülow, Prussian officer during the Napoleonic Wars, military theorist, and brother of Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow * (1791–1858), Danish general leading the defence of Fredericia during the 1849 Battle of Fredericia * Friedrich Gustav von Bülow (1814–1893), founder of *

Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow, Graf von Dennewitz (16 February 175525 February 1816) was a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars. Early life Bülow was born in Falkenberg, in the Altmark, and was the elder brother of Freiherr Dietric ...

, (1755–1816), Prussian general during the Napoleonic Wars * Frits Toxwerdt von Bülow, (1872–1955), Danish politician and government minister. * Hans, Count von Bülow (1774–1825), Westphalian and Prussian statesman and senior president of Silesia *

(1830–1894), pianist, conductor and composer who married Liszt's daughter Cosima, who later left him for

(1816–1897), Prussian general who fought during

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...

, and Franco-Prussian War. *

Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp (19 November 1897 – 27 February 1976) was a German fighter pilot notable for being one of the few two-war aces in history. After scoring six victories in World War I, he became a Luftwaffe ace in World War II, with 12 ...

(1897–1976), German fighter ace in two World wars, brother of Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp * Heinrich von Bülow (1792–1846), Prussian ambassador to England from 1827 to 1840, uncle of Bernhard *

Heinrich von Bülow (Grotekop) Heinrich von Bülow also known as Big Top (Grotekop) was a knight born in the middle of the fourteenth century. He died either before 1395 or during 1415. He prospered as a warrior-supporter of Prince Albrecht of Mecklenburg (and of Sweden). Outs ...

(died before 1395/1415?), known as Big Head, who in 1383 destroyed Wilsnack * Johan Hartvig Victor Carl von Bülow, Rittmester (1754–1823), Norwegian-Swedish vice general during the Swedish-Danish war of Norway * Johann Albrecht von Bülow (1708–1776), Prussian general under Frederick the Great *

Karl von Bülow Karl Wilhelm Paul von Bülow (24 March 1846 – 31 August 1921) was a German field marshal commanding the German 2nd Army during World War I from 1914 to 1915. Biography Born in Berlin to the distinguished Prussian military family von Bülow, ...

(1846–1921), German general during World War I *

Otto von Bülow Otto von Bülow (16 October 1911 – 5 January 2006) was a German U-boat commander in World War II, and a captain in the ''Bundesmarine''. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Family Bülow w ...

(1911–2006), German World War II U-boat commander *

Sunny von Bülow Martha Sharp "Sunny" von Bülow (; September 1, 1932 − December 6, 2008) was an American heiress and socialite. Her second husband, Claus von Bülow (1926−2019), was convicted in 1982 of attempting to murder her by insulin overdose, but the ...

(1932–2008), wife of Claus von Bülow; husband was accused of poisoning her *

Vicco von Bülow Bernhard-Viktor Christoph-Carl von Bülow (12 November 1923 – 22 August 2011), known as Vicco von Bülow or Loriot (), was a German comedian, humorist, cartoonist, film director, actor and writer. He was best known for his cartoons, the sk ...

a.k.a. Loriot (1923–2011), German humorist, graphic artist * Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp (1894–1918), German fighter ace, brother of Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp

Heraldry

The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

of the family's coat of arms is: Azure, fourteen

bezant In the Middle Ages, the term bezant (Old French ''besant'', from Latin ''bizantius aureus'') was used in Western Europe to describe several gold coins of the east, all derived ultimately from the Roman ''solidus''. The word itself comes from th ...

s in pile, displayed four, four, three, two, one. The family's

heraldic animal In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an '' escutcheon'' (shield). That may be a geometric design (sometimes called an '' ordinary'') or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object, building, or ...

is the oriole, which can be seen in the armorial crest below. File:Bülow von Dennewitz - Tyroff HA.jpg, ''Graf Bülow von Dennewitz'' (1814) File:Bülow 2 - Tyroff HA.jpg, ''Graf von Bülow'' (1816) File:Buelow-Wappen.png, Arms of the Bülow family (1858) File:Friedrichshagen Kirche 6.jpg, Epitaph in Friedrichshagen church File:Bülow Pirol.JPG, The oriole as crest, at

Doberan Minster The Doberan Minster is the main Lutheran Church of Bad Doberan in Mecklenburg, Germany. Close to the Baltic Sea and the Hanseatic city of Rostock, it is the most important religious heritage of the European Route of Brick Gothic. It is the rema ...

References

External links

Website of the Bülow family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulow family Surnames