Hodenberg is the name of an old
Lower Saxon 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 ...
. The originally ''
hochfrei
The term ''edelfrei'' or ''hochfrei'' ("free noble" or "free knight") was originally used to designate and distinguish those Germanic noblemen from the Second Estate (see Estates of the realm social hierarchy), who were legally entitled to atonem ...
'' family line belonged to the fourth military feudal level or ''
Heerschild
The ''Heerschild'' (; lat, clipeus militarisStieber, Joachim. W. (1978). ''Pope Eugenius IV, the Council of Basel and the Secular and Ecclesiastical Authorities in the Empire'', E.J. Brill, Leiden, p. 124. ), also called the shield of knighthood, ...
''.
History
Since early times the von Hodenberg lords were protectors (''Schirmvögte'') of the monastery at Bücken founded by
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Rembert of Bremen. Their name was probably derived from this hereditary office, because in
Low German
:
:
:
:
:
(70,000)
(30,000)
(8,000)
, familycolor = Indo-European
, fam2 = Germanic
, fam3 = West Germanic
, fam4 = North Sea Germanic
, ancestor = Old Saxon
, ancestor2 = Middle L ...
the word ''Hode'' means ''Hut'' or ''Schirm'' (i.e. protection or shield). At one time
Hodenberg Castle on the
Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...
, the oldest ancestral seat of the family, was situated in the vicinity of this monastery.
The oldest known
progenitor
In genealogy, the progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; german: Stammvater or ''Ahnherr'') is the – sometimes legendary – founder of a family, line of descent, clan or tribe, noble house, or ethnic group..
Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines G ...
was ''Hermann Hode'', who was mentioned in 1149 in a deed by the Archbishop of Bremen, Hartwig I of Stade. Somewhat later another ''Hermann Hode'' appeared who, from 1168, was frequently named amongst the followers of
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180.
Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...
. The construction of Hoya Castle, not far from Hodenberg, built by the ambitious
counts of Hoya
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: ...
, caused the Hodenberg lords to build
Hodenhagen
Hodenhagen is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town was once the site of Hudemühlen Castle, which is now destroyed. The castle was famous as the home of the kobold Hinzelmann.Keightley, Thomas (1850). ''T ...
Castle near
Hodenhagen
Hodenhagen is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town was once the site of Hudemühlen Castle, which is now destroyed. The castle was famous as the home of the kobold Hinzelmann.Keightley, Thomas (1850). ''T ...
east of the Weser in the first half of the 13th century. A descendant was named after it in 1244 ''dei gratia nobilis de Hodenhagen'' ("by the grace of God, nobleman of Hodenhagen"). In 1291 this son, Heinrich, Edelherr von Hodenhagen (Henry, Baron of Hodenhagen), sold Hodenberg Castle with all its estate west of the Weser and all its inhabitants to the counts of Hoya, who shortly afterwards also captured the estate of the
Vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
ei of
Bücken
Bücken is a municipality in the district of Nienburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Quarters
* Altenbücken
* Bücken
* Calle
* Dedendorf
* Duddenhausen
History
An Abbey was established here in Bücken in the year 882 by Rimbert, Archbishop of B ...
. In 1313 Heinrich's sons, Hermann and Heinrich, also sold their own land east of the Weser, so that the counts of Hoya took possession of the entire Hodenberg estate.
Both brothers continued to call themselves ''Edelherren'' (barons), but married wives of lower noble status, so that their descendants lost their status as peers. From the 16th century two main family lines arose whose last common ancestor was Marquard III von Hodenberg (died 1538). In 1622 Emperor
Ferdinand II gave the Marquard von Hodenberg and his family leave to be called the ''
Edler
Edler () was until 1919 the lowest rank of nobility in Austria-Hungary and Germany, just beneath a ''Ritter'' (hereditary knight), but above untitled nobles, who used only the nobiliary particle ''von'' before their surname. It was mostly given to ...
'' (lord) von Hodenberg, a title which the line made no use of however. In 1859
George V of Hanover
en, George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus
, house = Hanover
, religion = Protestant
, father = Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover
, mother = Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, birth_date = 27 May 1819
, ...
recognised the family as a
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
.
Coat of arms
The
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
displays a red wing on a silver shield, whose wing feathers curve downwards, and which is decorated with a golden stalked trefoil. The helmet is surmounted by a wing whose wing feathers curve round to the left. The
mantling
In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the Helmet (heraldry), helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmet ...
is red and silver.
Bearers of the name
*
Bodo von Hodenberg Bodo von Hodenberg (3 April 1604 – 20 September 1650) was a German regional administrator and poet.
Leben
Born in Hudemühlen, Hodenberg was the son of Marquard von Hodenberg and Margarethe Münnich. At age 24, he was legitimised on 1 August 1 ...
(1604–1650), German poet
* Bodo von Hodenberg (1826–1907), German politician
* Hodo Freiherr von Hodenberg (1887–1962), German lawyer and politician
* Wilhelm Freiherr von Hodenberg (1786–1861), German civil servant and politician
* Wilken Freiherr von Hodenberg (born 1954), director of
Deutsche Beteiligungs AG Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG) is a publicly listed German investment company based in Frankfurt am Main. It manages private equity funds and invests in well-positioned medium-sized companies (Mittelstand) with growth potential. One focus is on ind ...
* Eberhard Freiherr von Hodenberg (born 1955), German doctor
Literature
*
Otto Hupp
Hermann Joseph Otto Hubert August Constantin Hupp (May 21, 1859 – January 31, 1949) was a German graphical artist. His main working area was heraldry, yet he also worked as a typeface designer, creating commercial symbols and metal works.
Life a ...
: ''Münchener Kalender 1908.'' Verlagsanstalt München / Regensburg 1908.
*
External links
Entry about Hodenbergin the
Neues allgemeines deutsches Adels-Lexicon
Neues allgemeines Deutsches Adels-Lexicon or New General German Aristocracy Lexicon is the title of a series of historical reference books written by Professor Dr. Ernst Heinrich Kneschke about the German aristocracy, including royalty and nobilit ...
{{Authority control
German noble families