The House of Castell is a German noble family of mediatised counts of the old

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

.Almanach de Gotha. 1910. Perthes, p. 107, 109, 120–1
Deuxième Partie
In 1901, the heads of the two family branches, ''Castell-Castell'' and ''Castell-Rüdenhausen'', were each granted the hereditary title of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria ''Leopold Charles Joseph William Louis'' , image_size = , image = Luitpold Wittelsbach cropped.jpg , succession = Prince Regent of Bavaria , reign = 10 June 1886 – 12 December 1912 , reign-type = Tenure , regent = Ludw ...

History

The family appears in 1057 with ''Robbrath de Castello''. The County of

Castell A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...

was created in 1200, in the modern region of

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...

in northern

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Rulership of Castell was shared between the brothers Louis and Rupert II in 1223, and later with the brothers Albert II, Frederick II and Henry I in 1235. The County was partitioned into Elder and Younger lines in 1254, which were reunited in 1347 with the extinction of the Elder branch. Castell was repartitioned in 1597 into Castell-Remlingen and

Castell-Rüdenhausen Castell-Rüdenhausen was a County in the region of Franconia in northern Bavaria 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 ...

. When Count Wolfgang Theodoric of

Castell-Castell Castell-Castell was a county in the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a branch of the Counts of Castell. It was established as a partition of Castell-Remlingen in 1668, and it was partitioned between itself and Castell in 1709. It annexed the County of ...

(itself a partition of Castell-Remlingen) died in 1709, the County of Castell was recreated as a partition. Castell was annexed to Castell-Castell in 1772.

Counts of Castell (1200–1254)

Castell Kirche und Schloßberg mit Turm 001

*Rupert I (1200–23) *Louis (1223–30) ''with...'' *Rupert II (1223–35) *Albert II (Count of Castell ''(Younger)'') (1235–54) ''with...'' *Frederick II (1235–51) ''and...'' *Henry I (1235–54) ''and...'' *Frederick III (1251–4) ''Partitioned between Elder and Younger lines''

Counts of the Elder Line of Castell (1254–1347)

*Henry II (1254–307) *Rupert II (1307–34) *Henry III (1334–47) ''Line extinct and inherited by the Younger line, which renamed itself to Castell''

Counts of the Younger Line of Castell (1254–1347)

*Albert II (Count of Castell) (1254–8) *Herman II (1258–85) *Frederick IV (Count of Castell) (1285–1347) ''Line inherited the Elder branch and was renamed to Castell''

Counts of Castell (1347–1597)

* Frederick IV, Count of Castell, from the Younger line (1347–49) *Herman IV (1349–63) ''with...'' *Frederick VII 1349–76) ''and...'' *John I (1363–84) ''and...'' *William I (1363–99) *Leonard (1399–426) *William II (1426–79) *Frederick IX (1479–98) *George I (1498–528) ''with...'' *John III (1498–500) ''and...'' *Wolfgang I (1498–546) *Conrad II (1546–77) ''with...'' *Frederick XI (1546–52) ''and...'' *Henry IV (1546–95) ''and...'' *George II (1546–97) ''Partitioned into Castell-Remlingen and

Counts of Castell (1709–1772)

*Louis Frederick (1709–72) ''with...'' *Christian Adolph Frederick (Count of Castell-Remlingen) (1743–62) ''Inherited by Count Christian Frederick Charles of

After 1806

The family was

mediatized Mediatization or mediatisation may refer to: * German mediatisation, German historical territorial restructuring * Mediatization (media) Mediatization (or medialization) is a process whereby the mass media influence other sectors of society, includ ...

in 1806 and 1815, however without the loss of its equal-to-royal rank, and the two states were incorporated into

. In 1901, both branches received the Bavarian rank of

(only in

primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

), with the title of Prince ( Serene Highness) for the heads of the branches and the title of Count/Countess (

Illustrious Highness His/Her Illustrious Highness ( abbreviation: H.Ill.H.) is the usual English-language translation for ''Erlaucht'', a style historically attributed to certain members of the European aristocracy. It is not a literal translation, as the German wor ...

) for all other members of the House.

Castell-Castell line

* Friedrich Carl, Count 1886-1901, 1st Prince 1901-1923 (1864-1923), m. Gertrud, countess of

Stolberg-Wernigerode The County of Stolberg-Wernigerode (german: Grafschaft Stolberg-Wernigerode) was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz region around Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg. ...

** Carl, 2nd Prince 1923-1945 (1897-1945), m. Anna-Agnes, princess of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich *** Albrecht, 3rd Prince 1945-2016 (1925-2016), m. Marie Luise, princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont **** Ferdinand, 4th Prince 2016–present (born 1965), m. Marie-Gabrielle, countess of Degenfeld-Schonburg ***** Count Carl of Castell-Castell (born 2001)

Castell-Rüdenhausen line

* Wolfgang, Count 1850-1901, 1st Prince 1901-1913 (1830-1913), m. Emma, princess of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Büdingen ** Casimir, 2nd Prince 1913-1933 (1861-1933), m. Mechtild, countess of Bentinck *** Rupert, 3rd Prince 1933-1944/1951 (1910-missing 1944, declared dead 1951) ***

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

, 4th Prince 1944/1951-2007 (1916-2007), m. Irene, countess of Solms-Laubach **** Johann Friedrich, 5th Prince 2007-2014 (1948-2014), m. Maria, countess of Schönborn-Wiesentheid ***** Otto Friedrich, 6th Prince 2014–present (born 1985) ***** Count Anton of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1992) **** Count Manto Friedrich (b. 1949) *****Countess Marie Karoline Johanna Mechtild (b. 1985) **** Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen (1950-2015), m. I) Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1944–1977), m. II)

Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg (11 January 19369 July 2017) was a member of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. He is a son of Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Family and early life Frederich ...

(b. 1936) **** Count Christian (1952-2010), owner of Twickel castle near Hof van Twente, Netherlands, m. Carolina Hintzen ***** Count Juriaan Georg Frederik (b. 1978) ***** Count Roderik Frederik (b. 1980) m. Elisabeth Lotgering ****** Count Alexander (b. 2015) ***** Countess Clara Marie (b. 1983) **** Count Rupert Friedrich of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1954), m. Alexandra, baroness of Werthern-Beichlingen ***** Count Philipp of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1979) ***** Count Leopold of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1981) **** Count Karl Friedrich of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1957) **** Count Hermann Friedrich of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1963), m. Henriette, princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont ***** Count Casimir of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1994) ** ''Alexander, Count of Faber-Castell 1898-1927 (1866-1928), children by 1st marriage Faber-Castell (see below)'' ** ''Count Hugo of Castell-Rüdenhausen (1871-1936), m. Clementine, countess of Solms-Sonnenwalde'' *** ''Count Friedrich-Wolfgang of Castell-Rüdenhausen (1906-1940), m. Karoline-Mathilde, princess of

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-d ...

'' **** Count Bertram Friedrich of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1932), m. Felizitas, countess of Auersperg ***** Count Dominik of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1965) ***** Count Michael of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born 1967)

Faber-Castell

This is a collateral line of Castell-Rüdenhausen. Through the marriage of Count Alexander von Castell-Rüdenhausen (1866–1928) with Baroness Ottilie von Faber (1877–1944), from a well-known family of industrialists, the branch of Faber-Castell was created in 1898. The current

Faber-Castell Faber-Castell AG is a manufacturer of pens, pencils, other office supplies (e.g., staplers, slide rules, erasers, rulers)Faber-Castell InternationalOffice Products and art supplies,Faber-Castell InternationalProducts for FineArts and FineWriting ...

company was founded in 1761 at Stein near

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

by cabinet maker Kaspar Faber (1730–84), and it has remained in the family for nine generations.Faber-Castell International
The History of the Faber-Castell Company
/ref> The company opened branches in New York (1849), London (1851) and Paris (1855), and then expanded to Vienna (1872) and St. Petersburg (1874). It opened a factory in Geroldsgrün and expanded internationally, and it launched new products under Kaspar Faber's ambitious great-grandson, Lothar von Faber (1817–96). In 1900, after the marriage of Lothar's granddaughter with a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

of the Counts of Castell, the A.W. Faber enterprise took the name of ''Faber-Castell'' and a new

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

, combining the Faber motto ("Since 1761") with the " jousting knights" of the Castells'

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

.Faber-Castell International
The Company Logo
FCSchloss

A descendant of the first Prince of Castell-Rüdenhausen, Count Alexander von Castell-Rüdenhausen (1866–1928), married Baroness Ottilie von Faber (1877–1944), heiress of the Faber pencil "dynasty", in 1898. Although the immensely wealthy Lothar von Faber had been

ennobled 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 ...

in 1861 and titled as ''

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 ...

'' (Baron) von Faber in the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...

in 1881, in the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, a mediatised nobleman's marriage to Lothar's granddaughter would have been deemed morganatic, and the count's trafficking in commerce considered an act of social

derogation Derogation, in civil law and common law, is the partial suppression of a law. In contrast, annulment is the total abolition of a law by explicit repeal, and obrogation is the partial or total modification or repeal of a law by the imposition of a ...

for a member of the '' Hochadel'', so Alexander renounced his birth rank prior to the marriage. He was granted the new

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...

of ''

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 ...

'' (Count) von Faber-Castell by

, for the descendants of his marriage to the Faber heiress. Although Alexander and Ottilie divorced in 1918, the Faber business trust had conferred headship of the company on Alexander, who even kept the Fabers' renovated palace at Stein (which would be

commandeer Commandeering is an act of appropriation by the military or police whereby they take possession of the property of a member of the public. In the United States In United States law, it also refers to federal government actions which would force ...

ed to billet journalists during the

Nuremberg trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

, including

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

and

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

).Faber-Castell International
The Faber-Castell Castle
In 1927, Alexander resumed his original name for himself, his second wife (born a countess, Margit Zedtwitz von Moravan und Duppau, 1886–1973), and their son, Count Radulf (1922–2004). Alexander's issue by his first marriage had never been considered dynasts of the House of Castell, but they inherited the vast Faber fortune and continue to include 'Castell' in their surname with the comital title. Alexander and Ottilie's only son, Count Roland Lothar Wolfgang Christian Ernst Wilhelm von Faber-Castell (1905–78), inherited the headship of the Faber-Castell companies from his parents.

Family

The immensely wealthy Lothar Faber was

in 1861 and made

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 ...

von Faber in the

in 1881."History"
Faber-Castell International. Retrieved February 18, 2019. The sons of his only son Wilhelm (1851–1893) (by his wife Bertha Faber , daughter of Lothar's younger brother, Eberhard , who had founded the New York branch of the company) having died young, a marriage for his granddaughter and heiress Ottilie was arranged with a scion of one of Germany's formerly ruling comital dynasties. Yet in the conservative

of '' fin-de-siècle'' Europe, the marriage of a Faber into a family of the high nobility was regarded as too bold a leap upward socially. A morganatic marriage would have been required, and the Faber pencil works could not have remained in the hands of their descendants because trafficking in commerce was still considered an act of social

among members of the '' Hochadel''. To resolve this dilemma, the chosen groom, Count Alexander von

(1866–1928) renounced his birth rank prior to the marriage. The Castell family had been

Imperial counts (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 ...

, known since the 11th century. When the

was dissolved under pressure from

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1806, the Castell lands were annexed by the

. Although deprived of sovereignty, in 1815 the Castells were

, their rank with the reigning dynasties of Europe being formally recognized, and family would be granted the hereditary title of

. Count Alexander, a younger son of the first prince, married the pencil heiress, Baroness Ottilie von Faber (1877–1944), in 1898. He was granted the new hereditary title of Count von Faber-Castell in Bavaria for the descendants of their marriage. Although Alexander and Ottilie divorced in 1918, the Faber business trust had transferred headship of the company to Alexander, who even kept the Fabers' renovated palace at Stein (which would be

ed to billet journalists during the

, including

and

). In 1927 Alexander resumed his original name for himself, his second wife (born a countess, Margit Zedtwitz von Moravan und Duppau, 1886–1973), and their son, Count Radulf (1922–2004). His issue by the first marriage had never been considered dynasts of the House of Castell, but they inherited the vast Faber fortune and continue to include ''Castell'' in their name with the comital title. Various branches of the family continued to flourish, but the Faber and Faber-Castell corporate holdings usually passed to the eldest male of the

patrilineage Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...

. Alexander and Ottilie's only son, Count Roland von Faber-Castell (1905–78), inherited headship of the Faber-Castell companies from his parents. His eldest son, Hubertus von Faber-Castell left the family business after a dispute with his father and was succeeded by his younger brother, Anton-Wolfgang (1941-2016). As the first born, Count Hubertus inherited the majority of the family's assets, yet sold most of his company shares to his successor, after leaving the company. Count Hubertus joined his maternal family business Sal Oppenheim. The company stakes, made Count Hubertus von Faber-Castell, a billionaire. Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell who left a son, Charles Alexander von Faber-Castell (born in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

20 June 1980) of his 1986 marriage to Carla Mathilde Lamesch. His widow, Mary Hogan (born 1951), continues as managing director of Faber-Castell's cosmetics division. His three daughters, Countess Katharina Elizabeth (born 5 May 1988), and twins Countess Sarah Angela and Countess Victoria Maria (born 1 August 1996) succeed him.Faber-Castell International
The company facts & figures
Hubertus's daughter, Countess Floria-Franziska von Faber-Castell (b. 1974) was married at

Kronberg Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was absorbed into Prussia. Kronberg lies at th ...

on 17 May 2003 in a much-publicised wedding attended by members of Europe's reigning families, to Donatus, Hereditary Prince of Hesse, a great-grandson of King

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and K ...

and a grand-nephew of Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, sister of Britain's prince consort Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His second daughter is German-Swiss philanthropist Caroline von Faber-Castell, who is married to Düsseldorf-based entrepreneur Michael Gotzens. Patrick von Faber-Castell publicly married German actress

Mariella Ahrens Mariella Ahrens (born 2 April 1969) is a Russian-born German actress. Early life Ahrens was born in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) as the daughter of a German computer specialist and a Bulgarian ophthalmologist. She grew up to the age of three ...

in Faber-Castell Castle, near Nuremberg. The siblings own one of the most important collections of silver and jewelry in Germany. Most of the pieces are available to the public in various German museums. The private collection has been recorded by the Kunstmuseum Köln and has been published under the name "Ein Rheinischer Silber Schatz – Schmuck und Geraet aus Privatbesitz".

Other items

Castell, Texas Castell ( ) is a small unincorporated, rural town in Llano County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Texas German belt region, and most residents are still ethnic German-Texan. Its population was 104 at the 2010 census. Located in the heart ...

in the USA is named after Count Carl Frederick Christian of Castell-Castell (1801–1850), who was the Vice President and Business Manager at the beginning of the Adelsverein, a German settlement organization. The present heads of the existing two branches are Prince Albrecht of Castell-Castell and Prince Otto Friedrich of Castell-Rüdenhausen.

Literature

*''

Almanach de Gotha The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published ...

'', Gotha 1901 and 1930.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Counts Of Castell

1200s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1200 establishments in Europe 1597 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1709 establishments in Europe 1772 disestablishments in Europe