The County of Virneburg was a territory of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
in the region of the
Eifel in present-day
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
.
History
The Counts of
Virneburg
Virneburg is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. Virneburg Castle is located in the village.
Geography
Virneburg is a municipality in the Vulkaneifel. Next towns are Mayen in the East and A ...
first appear in the 11th century as witnesses in documents. The administrative centre of the county and family seat was the eponymous
Virneburg Castle. The history of the county is closely associated with that of the
Counts Palatine of the Rhine
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
, which until the 13th century in the so-called
Pellenz
The Pellenz is a hill country in the northwestern part of the Middle Rhine Basin in Germany between Mayen in the southwest and Andernach in the northeast. In addition Pellenz is the name of a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the state of Rhineland-Pal ...
possessed important lordship rights. Later the Counts of Virneburg were fief holders of the Counts Palatine. The further history of the county is characterized by the war of the
Archbishops of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
and
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
with the Counts Palatine and the Virneburgern about the predominance in this region.
In 1288 Ruprecht II took part as tactical commander of the Brabanter in the
Battle of Worringen
The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succession, fought for the possession ...
.
In 1306 Count Ruprecht bought half of the
County of Wied
The County of Wied () was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire located on the river Wied where it meets the Rhine. Wied emerged as a County earlier than many other German states. From 1243–1462, Wied was united with an Isenburgian County as I ...
from Siegfried of Eppstein, who had inherited this region. The share fell already in the 14th century to Wilhelm of Braunsberg.
With
Heinrich II of Cologne and
Heinrich III of Mainz the Virneburger provided in the 14th century two archbishops.
In the 14th century various lordship rights went lost to the Trierer Archbishop
Baldwin of Luxembourg
Baldwin of Luxembourg (c. 1285 – 21 January 1354) was the Archbishop- Elector of Trier and Archchancellor of Burgundy from 1307 to his death. From 1328 to 1336, he was the diocesan administrator of the archdiocese of Mainz and from 1331 to 1 ...
. He took advantage of financial difficulties of the Virneburger. In 1419 Phillip of Virneburg married Katharina of Saffenburg, wherewith parts of the
County of Neuenahr and the Lordship of Saffenburg reached the family of Virneburg.
In 1445 a division took place.
In 1545 the Counts of Virneburg died out with the death of Kuno of Virneburg. The true heirs were the
Counts of Manderscheid. However, a large part of the estate was lost. In 1592 the Virneburger heritage fell to
Löwenstein-Wertheim
Löwenstein-Wertheim was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, part of the Franconian Circle. It was formed from the counties of Löwenstein (based in the town of Löwenstein) and Wertheim (based in the town of Wertheim am Main) and from 1488 until ...
.
Until the end of the 18th century, the county remained as a
fiefdom
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...
of the
Electorate of Trier in the possession of the Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg. Under French control in 1798, canton Virneburg was built out of the county, a canton which belonged to
Arrondissement
An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands.
Europe
France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements ...
Bonn in the
Département de Rhin-et-Moselle.
Location and territory
The possessions of the Counts of Virneburg originated from a region around the castles Virneburg and
Monreal and numerous other fiefdoms. Particularly important were the courts of
Pellenz
The Pellenz is a hill country in the northwestern part of the Middle Rhine Basin in Germany between Mayen in the southwest and Andernach in the northeast. In addition Pellenz is the name of a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the state of Rhineland-Pal ...
. They originated from the "great Pellenz", a region around
Mendig
Mendig () is a small town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approximately 6 km north-east of Mayen, and 25 km west of Koblenz. Mendig is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective ...
, and the "little Pellenz", a region around
Münstermaifeld
Münstermaifeld () is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Maifeld. It is situated south-east of Mayen, a few kilometres from the Moselle riv ...
. To the enlarged Pellenz-courts belonged the
Beltheimer court, the court
Bubenheim and the court
Lonnig
Lonnig is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has ...
.
In the end of the 18th century belonged to the County of Virneburg the
flecken Virneburg and the locations of
Anschau,
Arbach,
Baar (Ober-, Mittel- and Niederbaar),
Bereborn,
Ditscheid, Freilingen (presently a part of Baar),
Hirten
Hirten is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...
,
Kolverath
Kolverath is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kelberg, whos ...
,
Lind
Lind is a surname of both Swedish and Estonian origin. In Swedish, it is the word for the linden tree. In Estonian, it is the word for bird.
Geographical distribution
As of 2014, 36.1% of all known bearers of the surname ''Lind'' were residen ...
,
Lirstal
Lirstal is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kelberg, whose se ...
,
Luxem,
Mannebach, Mimbach (presently a part of Anschau),
Münk, Niederelz (presently a part of Weiler),
Nitz Network Identity and Time Zone (NITZ) is a mechanism for provisioning local Time of day, time and date, time zone and daylight saving time (DST) offset, as well as wireless service provider, network provider identity information, to mobile devices v ...
,
Oberelz
Oberelz is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kelberg, whose se ...
,
Retterath
Retterath is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Kelberg, whose ...
, Wanderath (presently a part of Baar),
Weiler and
Welcherath.
Counts of Virneburg
Counts of Virneburg (ca 1052–1445)
The earliest Counts of Virneburg date back to the eleventh century.
* Bernhard, Count of Virneburg (died after 1052)
* Herman I, Count of Virneburg (died after 1112)
* Herman II, Count of Virneburg (died after 1157)
* Godfrey, Count of Virneburg (died after 1192)
* Frederik, Count of Virneburg (died after 1213), brother of Godfrey.
* Herman III, Count of Virneburg (died after 1238), probably the son of Godfrey, Count of Virneburg.
* Henry I, Count of Virneburg. Son of Hermann III and Lukardis of Nassau.
* Robert II, Count of Virneburg (died 1308). Son of Henry I and his wife Ponzetta.
* Robert III, Count of Virneburg (died 1352). Son of Robert II and Kunigunde von Neuenahr.
* Gerard, Count of Virneburg (died 1379), son of Robert III.
* Adolf, Count of Virneburg (died 1384), son of Robert III.
* Robert IV, Count of Virneburg (died 1445), son of Adolf of Virneburg and Jutta van Randerode.
Other notable members of the Virneburg family:
*
Heinrich II of Virneburg
Count Heinrich II of Virneburg (german: Graf Heinrich II. von Virneburg) (1244 or 1246 – 5 January 1332) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1304 to his death in 1332.
Life
Heinrich was the sixth son of Count Heinrich of Virneburg (??1238-1290) and ...
, the sixth son of Count Heinrich of Virneburg. Archbishop of Cologne from 1304 to his death in 1332.
*
Jan van Virneburg
Jan (or John) van Virneburg (died 23 June 1371) was a bishop of Münster from 1363 to 1364, and bishop of Utrecht from 1364 to 1371.
Jan van Virneburg was transferred from Münster to Utrecht by pope Urban V after the transfer of bishop Jan va ...
(died 23 June 1371) was a bishop of Münster from 1363 to 1364, and bishop of Utrecht from 1364 to 1371. Son of Robert III of Virneburg
Counts of Manderscheid and Virneburg
* Francis, Count of Manderscheid and Virneburg (b. 1514 – d. 1548)
* Joachim, Count of Manderscheid and Virneburg (d. 9 Sep. 1582).
[Johann Friedrich Schannat, Georg Baersch, Eiflia illustrata oder geographische und historische Beschreibung der Eifel, Volumes 1-2 , Mayer, 1825, p 1058]
Google Books
/ref>
** Anna Salome of Virneburg.
** Elisabeth of Virneburg. Inherited Virneburg from her sister Anna Salome.
Counts of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg (1611–1812)
* Christopher Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1611–1618. Eldest son of Louis III, co-heir with his brothers. Became ruler of Virneburg through marriage with its heiress Elisabeth of Virneburg.
* Frederick Louis , Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1618–1657. Eldest son of predecessor.
* Louis Ernest, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1657–1681. Eldest son of predecessor.
* Joachim Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1681–1689. Eldest son of predecessor.
* Eucharius Kasimir, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1689–1698. Younger brother of predecessor.
* Henry Frederick, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1698–1721. Paternal first cousin of predecessor.
* John Louis Vollrath, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1721–1790. Eldest son of predecessor.
* John Karl Louis, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg 1790–1812. Title changed to Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.
Literature
* Iwanski, Wilhelm. ''Geschichte der Grafen von Virneburg. Von ihren Anfängen bis auf Robert IV. (1383).'' Koblenz 1912
* Brommer, Peter. ''Kleinere Territorien, Herrschaften und Teile auswärtiger Territorien. Nordteil.'' In: Franz-Josef Heyen (Hrsg.): ''Geschichte des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz'' Freiburg/Würzburg 1981, S. 67–76, S. 67–70.
* Europäische Stammtafeln ''Europäische Stammtafeln'' - German for ''European Family Trees'' - is a series of twenty-nine books which contain sets of genealogical tables of the most influential families of Medieval European history. It is a standard reference work for thos ...
Band VII (1979) Tafel 143 (Genealogy of the Counts of Virneburg).
References
External links
*
Lacour, Eva. ''Die Geschichte der Grafschaft Virneburg in der frühen Neuzeit.''
Eifel-Kultur
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virneburg, County Of
Counties of the Holy Roman Empire
Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle
History of the Rhineland
Former states and territories of Rhineland-Palatinate
County of Virneburg