The House of Walderdorff is the name of an old and distinguished German noble family, whose members occupied many important ecclesiastical positions within 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 continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

History

First mentioned in 1198, the Walderdorff family belongs to the

Uradel (, German: "ancient nobility"; adjective or ) is a genealogical term introduced in late 18th-century Germany to distinguish those families whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century or earlier. The word stands opposed to '' Briefadel'', ...

of the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

and has strong historic ties to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Members of the family originally held the rank of

Imperial Knight The Free Imperial knights (german: link=no, Reichsritter la, Eques imperii) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility ('' edelfrei'') and the minister ...

, and were later elevated to

baronial 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 knigh ...

rank on 1 September 1663 and to

comital 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: ...

rank on 12 August 1754 by Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. Since 1657 the family's seat has been Molsberg Castle in

Westerwaldkreis The Westerwaldkreis ("District of Westerwald") is a district (''Kreis'') in the north-east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Altenkirchen, Lahn-Dill, Limburg-Weilburg, Rhein-Lahn, the district-free ...

Notable family members

Wilderich von Walderdorff Wilderich von Walderdorff (14 January 1617, Würzburg – 4 September 1680, Vienna) from the Walderdorff family was Prince-Bishop of Vienna and ''Reichsvizekanzler'' (Vice-Chancellor) of the Holy Roman Empire (1660-1669). Biography He was a me ...

(1617–1680), Prince-Bishop of Vienna *

Johann IX Philipp von Walderdorff Johann Philipp von Walderdorff (24 May 1701 – 12 January 1768) was the Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1756 until 1768, and the Prince-Bishop of Worms from 1763 until 1768. Biography John Philip was born in Molsberg into the noble Wa ...

(1701–1768), Archbishop-Elector of Trier and Prince-Bishop of Worms * Wilderich of Walderdorf (1739–1810), Prince-Bishop of Speyer * Rudolf Graf Walderdorff (d.1866), Austrian malacologist and entomologist * Tessa Gräfin von Walderdorff (b.1994), American socialite

References

{{reflist German noble families Walderdorff family