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 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 ...

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 ministeri ...

, 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 Francis I (Francis Stephen; french: François Étienne; german: Franz Stefan; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He became the ruler of the Holy ...

. 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 mem ...

(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 Philipp Franz Wilderich Nepomuk (2 March 1739 – 21 April 1810) was count of Walderdorf and the last prince-bishop of Speyer. Biography His reign was short, from 1797 until the secularization in 1803. It was unusual that during the seculari ...

(1739–1810), Prince-Bishop of Speyer *

Rudolf Graf Walderdorff Count Rudolf von Walderdorff (died 1866) was an Austrian malacologist and entomologist. He was a member of the Walderdorff family, a noble German family. He was a captain in the Austrian Imperial Army. He was killed in the Battle of Königgrätz ...

(d.1866), Austrian malacologist and entomologist *

Tessa Gräfin von Walderdorff Countess Tessa June von Walderdorff (german: Tessa June Gräfin von Walderdorff; born 20 February 1994), also known by her married name Tessa Hilton, is an American socialite, model, and real estate broker. She previously worked as an actress in ...

(b.1994), American socialite

References

{{reflist German noble families Walderdorff family