Regenstein, also ''Reinstein'', was a Lower Saxon noble family, which was named after the eponymous

Regenstein Castle Regenstein Castle (german: Burg Regenstein) is a ruined castle that lies three kilometres north of Blankenburg in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is a popular tourist destination where, each year, a knight's tournament and a garrison festiva ...

near

Blankenburg Blankenburg may refer to: Places * Blankenburg am Harz, a German town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt * Blankenburg Castle (Harz), the castle in Blankenburg am Harz (see above) * Bad Blankenburg, a German town in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt dis ...

on the edge of the

Harz Mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

of central

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 ...

History

In 1162 ''Cunradus Comes de Regenstein'' (Conrad, Count of Regenstein), the son of Count

Poppo I of Blankenburg Poppo I of Blankenburg (c. 1095–1161 or 1164) probably came from the House of Reginbodonen and was Count of Regenstein-Blankenburg in the Harz in central Germany. His father was Conrad, Count of Blankenburg. His uncle, Reinhard of Blankenburg ...

from the House of Reginbodonen, was documented for the first time by name, thus establishing the line of Reinstein-

Heimburg Heimburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Blankenburg am Harz. On a hilltop above the village are the ruins of the old Heimburg Castle which, ...

came into their possession in the 14th century as a

fief 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 Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

and founded the Younger Line of Reinstein(-

). Regenstein Castle (the line of Reinstein-Reinstein) was abandoned in the mid-15th century in favour of Blankenburg and

Derenburg Derenburg is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the Blankenburg am Harz municipality. Geography The settlement is situated in the northern foothills of the Harz mountain range ...

. The last male descendant of the noble family, John Ernest, Count of Regenstein, died in 1599. Parts of the county evolved into the Principality of Blankenburg.

Seats

* Westerburg Castle *

Heimburg Castle Heimburg Castle (german: Burg Heimburg), also called the ''Altenburg'' or ''Alteburg'', is a ruined castle on an oval hilltop about 330 metres above sea level (NN) which is located just north of the Harz Mountains in central Germany. The ruins of ...

* Roseburg Castle *

Calvörde Castle Calvörde Castle (german: Burg Calvörde) is located in Calvörde in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its existence was first recorded in the late 13th century. In the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period it was frequently fought over due t ...

* Oschersleben Castle *

Blankenburg Castle (Harz) Great Blankenburg Castle (german: Schloss Blankenburg) was built on the limestone hill of ''Blankenstein'' () in the town of Blankenburg in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Nearby is the Little Castle with its Baroque ga ...

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the comital line displays in silver a (black) red, six-tined

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on male ...

. The later quartered shield shows also in silver (1:4) a black and in (2:3) a red six-tined antler. Helmet: crowned, right a black six-tined antler, left a red one of the same. The mantle is black and silver on the right and red and silver on the left. Taler Regenstein.JPG, Reverse of a Regenstein taler

Personalities

* Poppo I of Regenstein-Blankenburg, father of the line * Richenza of Regenstein-Blankenburg (born around 1100; died before 1145), wife of Poppo I * Reinhard of Blankenburg († 1123), Bishop of Halberstadt from 1107 to 1123 * Burchard II of Blankenburg († 1305), Archbishop of Magdeburg * Albert II of Regenstein († 1349), Count of

Regenstein The County of Regenstein was a mediaeval State of the Holy Roman Empire, statelet of the Holy Roman Empire. It was ruled by the Duchy of Saxony, Saxon comital House of Regenstein, named after their residence at Regenstein Castle near Blankenburg (H ...

* Ulrich X of Regenstein-Blankenburg (1499–1551), count * Elisabeth of Regenstein-Blankenburg (1542–1584), Abbess of Quedlinburg

Sources

*Rudolf Steinhoff: ''Geschichte der Grafschaft bzw. des Fürstentums Blankenburg, Die Grafschaft Regenstein und des Klosters Michaelstein''. Vieweg, 1891. *Rudolf Steinhoff: ''Stammtafel Die Grafen von Regenstein und Blankenburg von ungefähr 1400 bis 1599''. In: ''Zeitschrift des Harz-Vereins für Geschichte und Alterthumskunde'', Bd. 25, Quedlinburg 1892, p. 146-167. *Detlev Schwennicke: ''

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 ...

: Hessen und das Stammesherzogtum Sachsen, Vol. 17 Stammtafeln zur Geschichte The europäischen Staaten''. Verlag Vittorio Klostermann, 1998. *Heinz A. Behrens; Hartmut Wegner: ''Das Ende einer Dynastie. Sonderausstellung aus Anlaß des 400. Todestages des Grafen Johann Ernst von Regenstein''. Bussert, Jena, Quedlinburg 1999. *Christof Römer: ''Die Grafen von Regenstein-Blankenburg als Stand des Reiches und des Niedersächsischen Reichskreises''. In: Heinz A. Behrens (Hrsg.): ''Zwischen Herrschaftsanspruch und Schuldendienst. Beiträge zur Geschichte der Grafschaft Regenstein''. Jena 2004, S. 73–90.

External links

* {{Authority control