The Schmitt family or von Schmitt is a Bavarian noble family with Franconian origin. Introduced to nobility as ''Ritter'' von Schmitt by

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 ...

and

Otto, King of Bavaria Otto (german: Otto Wilhelm Luitpold Adalbert Waldemar; 27 April 1848 – 11 October 1916) was King of Bavaria from 1886 until 1913. However, he never actively ruled because of alleged severe mental illness. His uncle, Luitpold, and his cousin, ...

, the family has been prominent in business, law and politics. Members have included the 14th President of Upper Franconia, the President of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

of the

Reichsgericht The Reichsgericht (, ''Reich Court'') was the supreme criminal and civil court in the German Reich from 1879 to 1945. It was based in Leipzig, Germany. The Supreme Court was established when the Reichsjustizgesetze (Imperial Justice Laws) came in ...

History

The first known ancestor was Johannes Kaspar I. Schmitt (d. 1721–72) who was from

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

in Bavaria, Germany. His descendants Josef (1838–1908) and

Gottfried Gottfried is a masculine German given name. It is derived from the Old High German name , recorded since the 7th century. The name is composed of the elements (conflated from the etyma for 'God' and 'good', and possibly further conflated with ) a ...

(1827–1908) were later elevated to nobility. Josef ''Ritter'' von Schmitt and Gottfried ''Ritter'' von Schmitt (1827–1908), were elevated to the hereditary title of ''

Ritter Ritter (German for "knight") is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above "Edler" and below "Freiherr" (Baron). As with most titles an ...

'' in 1889 and 1896 respectively before the Weimar Republic's abolition of nobility in 1919. Josef v. Schmitt's son

Josef II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...

was a prominent businessman and

privy councilor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, co-chairing

SKF AB SKF (Swedish: ''Svenska Kullagerfabriken''; 'Swedish Ball Bearing Factory') is a Swedish bearing and seal manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication and l ...

and others. His cousin, Gottfried II (1865–1919) was a German politician, and member of the Reichsgerichtsrat.

Notable family members

* Josef ''Ritter'' von Schmitt (1838—1908), President of

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) is a ''Regierungsbezirk'' (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle F ...

. * Josef Schmitt (1875–1945), German businessman and privy councillor. * Gottfried ''Ritter'' von Schmitt (1827–1908), President of the Bavarian Supreme Court. * Gottfried Schmitt (1865–1919), German politician * Gottfried E. Schmitt (1940 –), German winemaker File:Ritter Josef von Schmitt 2.png, Josef Ritter von Schmitt File:Josefvonschmittfamilyphoto.png, Gottfried Ritter von Schmitt File:Josef Schmitt.png, Ritter Josef Schmitt

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitt Family German noble families Bavarian noble families