Gemen was an immediate,

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

lordship of the

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 ...

, in the

Lower Rhine region The Lower Rhine region or Niederrhein is a region around the Lower Rhine section of the river Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between approximately Oberhausen and Krefeld in the East and the Dutch border around Kleve in the West. As ...

. Since Gemen had a vote in the Imperial Diet it was also an

Imperial Estate An Imperial State or Imperial Estate ( la, Status Imperii; german: Reichsstand, plural: ') was a part of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise si ...

. It was centered on Gemen, a small town and castle in the present municipality of Borken, western

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 ...

. Gemen is first mentioned in 962. In 1282, Gemen became a fief of the

Counts of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (german: Herzogtum Kleve; nl, Hertogdom Kleef) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and ...

. The line of the Lords of Gemen became extinct in 1492, and Gemen passed to the

Counts of Schaumburg The County of Schaumburg (german: link=no, Grafschaft Schaumburg), until ca. 1485 known as Schauenburg, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of Lower Saxony. Its territory was more or less congruent with ...

and

Holstein-Pinneberg The County of Holstein-Pinneberg (), also known as the County of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg (), was a small territory which existed from 1290 until 1640, centred around Pinneberg in modern-day Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Rise and fall of ...

through the heiress Cordula of Gemen, to form the County of Schaumburg and Gemen. In 1640, the immediate lordship of Gemen passed for two centuries to the Counts of

Limburg Stirum The House of Limburg-Stirum (or Limburg-Styrum), which adopted its name in the 12th century from the immediate county of Limburg an der Lenne in what is now Germany, is one of the oldest families in Europe. It is the eldest and only surviving br ...

. In a partition in 1644, Gemen passed to the line of Limburg Stirum Gemen, then in 1782, with extinction of Gemen branch of the House of Limburg Stirum, Gemen was inherited by the line of Limburg Stirum Iller-Aichheim. When

Ferdinand IV of Limburg Stirum Ferdinand IV August Carl Joseph Johannes Nepomuk Thaddeus, Count of Limburg-Stirum zu Illereichen, (24 September 1785-5 December 1800) was sovereign lord of the immediate lordship of Gemen. He was born in 1785, the son of Count Johann of Limburg ...

died at the age of 15 in 1800, the line

Limburg-Styrum-Styrum Limburg-Styrum-Styrum was a County of medieval Germany, based in the Lordship of Styrum in modern North Rhine-Westphalia. Limburg-Styrum-Styrum was a partition of Limburg-Styrum in 1644. When the line of Limburg-Styrum-Iller-Aichheim became exti ...

failed to inherit Gemen, which then passed to the barons of Boyneburg-Bömelberg for 6 years, until the

mediatisation 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 ...

of 1806. * 1640-1644 - Herman Otto I, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen; * 1644-1657 - Adolf Ernst, count of Limburg Stirum, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, second son of the above; * 1657-1675 - (Maria) Isabella countess von Vehlen und Meggen zu Raesfeld, wife of

Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Stirum, sovereign lord zu Gemen, son of Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum. Adolf Ernst inherited the immediate lordship of Gemen at the death of his father in 1644, creating the Limburg-Styrum-Geme ...

above, is Regent of Gemen; * 1675-1704 - Hermann Otto II, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, son of the two above. On 15 September 1700 a decision by the Courts confirmed its succession right. * 1704-1743 - Otto Leopold, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen and Raesfeld, son of the above; * 1743-1771 - Friedrich Karl, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, son of the above; * 1771-1776 - August Philip, Prince-Bishop of

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...

, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, brother of the above. * 1776-1798 - Karl Josef, count of Limburg Stirum, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, cousin of the above; * 1798-1800 - Ferdinand IV, count of

zu Illereichen, grandson of the above, was the last Sovereign Lord zu Gemen before it passed to the Barons of Boyneburg-Bömelberg in 1800. In 1806, Gemen was mediatised to the Princes of

Salm-Kyrburg Salm-Kyrburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire located in present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, one of the various partitions of Salm. It was twice created: the first time as a Wild- and Rhinegraviate (partitioned from Upper Salm), and se ...

. It passed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1810, then 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 1814.

Sources

* Dr. A.J. Bonke: ''De takken Gemen en Styrum van het geslacht van Limburg Stirum'', Stichting van Limburg Stirum, The Hague, 2007 * A. Giraud, M. Huberty, F. and B. Magdelaine: ''L'Allemagne Dynastique'', volume VII {{Authority control Lordships of the Holy Roman Empire House of Limburg-Stirum Former states and territories of North Rhine-Westphalia