The von Zimmern family (''
Herren von Zimmern''), after 1538 counts (''
Graf
(feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...
en'') of Zimmern, was a
Swabian noble family.
The family is first mentioned in 1080, and its male line was extinct in 1594.
Their name is now mostly known from the
Zimmern Chronicle
The Zimmern Chronicle (German: ''Zimmerische Chronik'' or ''Chronik der Grafen von Zimmern'') is a family chronicle describing the lineage and history of the noble family of Zimmern, based in Meßkirch, Germany. It was written in a Swabian variety ...
, written in the mid 16th century by count
Froben Christoph von Zimmern.
Their original domain was in the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
, in part of the modern
Rottweil district. Their original castle was Herrenzimmern near
Bösingen (ruined since the 17th century). In 1415, the von Zimmern acquired
Wildenstein Castle.
In 1488, the escalation of the
Werdenberg feud, Johannes Werner the elder fell under
imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
and most of the von Zimmern possessions was given to the Werdenberger lords of
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district.
Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle, Schloss Sigmaringen ...
; the possessions were eventually regained, by Johannes Werners's son, Johannes Werner the younger, in 1503.
In 1508, the von Zimmern possessions were divided into three parts.
The family reached the peak of its influence in 1538, when they were elevated to the rank of count (Graf). It was extinct in 1594 with the death of Wilhelm von Zimmern, only son of Froben Christoph von Zimmern.
Known family members
*
Katharina von Zimmern
Katharina von Zimmern (1478 – 17 August 1547), also known as the imperial abbess of Zürich and Katharina von Reischach, was the last abbess of the Fraumünster Abbey in Zürich.
Early life
Katharina von Zimmern was born in 1478 in the ...
(1478-1547), last abbess of the
Fraumünster Abbey
The Fraumünster (; lit. in en, Women's Minster, but often wrongly translated to urLady Minster) is a church in Zürich which was built on the remains of a former abbey for aristocratic women which was founded in 853 by Louis the German for h ...
References
* Erica Bastress-Dukehart: ''The Zimmern chronicle. Nobility, memory, and self-representation in sixteenth-century Germany''. Ashgate, Aldershot 2002,
review
* Casimir Bumiller, Bernhard Rüth, Edwin Ernst Weber (ed.): ''Mäzene, Sammler, Chronisten. Die Grafen von Zimmern und die Kultur des schwäbischen Adels''. Belser, Stuttgart 2012,
table of contents, PDF
* Otto Franklin: ''Die freien Herren und Grafen von Zimmern. Beiträge zur Rechtsgeschichte nach der Zimmerischen Chronik''. Mohr, Freiburg 1884.
*Holger Kruse: "Zimmern". In:
Lexikon des Mittelalters
The ''Lexikon des Mittelalters'' ("Lexicon of the Middle Ages", LMA, LexMA) is a German encyclopedia on the history and culture of the Middle Ages. Written by authors from all over the world, it comprises more than 36,000 articles in 9 volumes. ...
vol. 9, LexMA-Verlag, München 1998, , 616–618.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmern, von
Swabian nobility