The House of Lüttichau is an old

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and Danish noble family that originated from

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

and belongs to the

High Nobility Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anothe ...

. The family has several separate noble branches, primarily from Saxony, Denmark,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

. The Lüttichau family are amongst the largest landowners in Denmark today. Males of the family carry the title

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

. The Lüttichau family played a prominent role in Danish politics throughout the 19th century. The family owns several estates in Denmark, including Tjele Estate which has been in the possession of the family for 10 generations. The former Tjele Municipality was named after the Lüttichau family's seat there.

Arms

The shield leads, on each side of three six-pointed gold stars accompanied by silver grain-seal in red field, on the helmet the same mark.

Property

The Lüttichau family have owned and own several large estates which include: Denmark *

Nivaagaard Nivaagaard is a historic property in Nivå in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is now home to an art gallery and the park is open to the public. History The estate was founded in 1767 by Adam von Lüttichau when he purchased Niv ...

Engestofte Engestofte is a Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical manor house located 6 km (4 mi) east of Maribo, Lolland Municipality, on the island of Lolland in southeastern Denmark. History and architecture Early history The estate was firs ...

*Rohden Estate *Ulriksdal Estate *Store Grundet Estate *Højgård Estate *Lerkenfeldt Estate *Vingegård Estate *Møllerup Estate *Tjele Estate * Søholt Germany *Levitzow Manor Estate *Wessin Manor Estate *Alt Schwerin Manor Estate *Poggelow Manor Estate *Jamitzow Manor Estate *Bärenstein Castle *Großkmehlen Castle

History

The Lüttichau noble family was originally from

and is named after the ancestral seat of

Lüttichau The House of Lüttichau is an old German nobility, German and Nobility of Denmark, Danish noble family that originated from Meissen, Saxony and belongs to the High nobility, High Nobility. The family has several separate noble branches, primarily ...

near Königsbruch, which the family held during the 15th and 16th centuries. The oldest known document to reference the Lüttichau family comes the 12th century, and refers to an Elisabeth "''ex antiqua et nobili familia Luttichorum''" (English: from the ancient and noble family of the Lüttichau). The document describes Bishop

Benno of Meissen Benno ( – 16 June 1106) was named Bishop of Dresden-Meissen, Bishop of Meissen in 1066. Venerated since the 13th century, he was Canonization, canonized in 1523. Benno did much for his diocese, both by ecclesiastical reforms on thHildebrandine ...

healing Elizabeth through

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

. The family line can be traced back to Heinrich von Lutchow (1330–1366). From Heinrich von Lutchow, the patriarchal family line is known to pass down to a Heinrich von Lüttichou (c. 1374), then Friedrich von Lüttichau (d. 1442), then his son Siegfried (Seyfert) von Lüttichau (d. 1496), then to Heinrich von Lüttichau (d. 1528), then Wolfgang von Lüttichau (1498–1568). Wolfgang was a chancellor and judge in Meissen. Through his second marriage he had two sons: Seyfert von Lüttichau (c. 1545—1605), a court master and magistrate in

Senftenberg Senftenberg ( German, ) or (Lower Sorbian, ) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. Geography Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at t ...

and Friedrich von Lüttichau (d. 1609). Seyfert's descendants continue to form the family's primary germanic line of descent, while Friedrich's establish the Danish line.

Germanic line

Through Seyfert von Lüttichau (c. 1545—1605), the germanic line (''Kmehlen'' and ''Ulbersdorf''), was established. Among his 12 children were: Wolff (1565–1639), an electoral magistrate and chancellor; Hannibal (c. 1570–1617); Nikolaus (1578–1632); and August (1585–1631). * Count Ludwig Gottlob Lüttichau (1739–1813) was a descendant of Nikolaus von Lüttichau (1578–1632). He was appointed as an electoral chamberlain of

in 1767, and in 1769 was granted the title of

. He then became

Landeshauptmann The Landeshauptmann (if male) or Landeshauptfrau (if female) (, "state captain", plural ''Landeshauptleute,'' ) is the chairman of a state government and the supreme official of an Austrian state and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Ty ...

Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (, ; , ; ; or ''Milsko''; ) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the north, it makes up the region of Lusatia, named after the Polabian Slavs, Slavic ''Lusici'' tribe. Both parts of Lusatia a ...

in 1787. Ludwig Gottlob was married twice and had no descendants. *

Rudolf Anton Karl Maximilian Lüttichau (1812–1876) was a chamberlain and colonel. He was a descendant of Nikolaus von Lüttichau (1578–1632). On 18 June 1865 he was granted status as a baron in Austria. His eldest son, Franz Rudolf (1846–1914), was chamberlain and council secretary of the District Court of

Wels Wels (; Central Bavarian: ''Wös'') is a city in Upper Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is the county seat of Wels-Land, and with a population of approximately 60,000, the List of cities and towns in Austria, eighth largest city in Aus ...

. * Baron Friedrich August Kurt Lüttichau (1815–1888), was a descendant of Hannibal von Lüttichau (c. 1570–1617). His wife, Marthe-Louise de la Frenaye (1832–1899), was

Chief Court Mistress Court Mistress (; ; ; ; ) or Chief Court Mistress (; ; ; ; ; ) is or was the title of the senior lady-in-waiting in the courts of Austria, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Imperial Russia, and the German princely and royal courts. Chief c ...

to the

Queen of Saxony This is a list of the Duchesses, Electresses and Queens of Saxony; the consorts of the Duke of Saxony and its successor states; including the Electorate of Saxony, the Kingdom of Saxony, the House of Ascania, Albertine, and the Ernestine duchies, ...

. On 7 March 1877 he was granted status as a baron in Dresden.

Danish line

The Danish Line stems from Wolfgang von Lüttichau's (1498–1568) second son, Friedrich von Lüttichau (d. 1609). Friedrich's son, Wolff Caspar von Lüttichau Sr., was then followed by Wolff Caspar von Lüttichau Jr. (d. 1677). Wolff Caspar Jr. served as the Upper Hofmeister in

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

and had two children through his second marriage, both of whom relocated to Denmark: Eleonore Marie von Lüttichau (b. 1669) and Hans Helmuth von Lüttichau (1670–1732). Eleonore Marie was Maid of the Bedchamber to Queen Louise,

to Princess Charlotte Amalie, and a member of the

Ordre de l'Union Parfaite The Ordre de l'Union Parfaite was created by Queen consort Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Sophie Magdalene of Denmark and Norway on 7 August 1732 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her happy marriage with King Christian VI of Denma ...

. Lieutenant-general Hans Helmuth von Lüttichau (1670–1732) established the Danish line of the family. All of Hans Helmuth's sons became officers within the Danish military. He and his wife, Cathérine Agnès de Lézenne (b. 1671) had no fewer than six children: Major-general Christian Ditlev (1695–1767), Eleonore Elegarde (1690–1714), Eva Marie (1699–1750), Catharine Gottliebe (d. 1727), Major-general Wolff Caspar (1704–1765), and Lieutenant-general Cæsar Læsar (1709–1787). Hans Helmuth's eldest son, Christian Ditlev von Lüttichau (1695–1767), established the estates of Tjele and Vingegård in 1759, the former of which remains in the family's possession today. On 25 January 1887, Christian Ditlev Lüttichau (1832–1915) secured a

patent of nobility The patent of nobility, also letters of nobility (always ), or diploma of nobility documented the legal act of ennoblement (granting rights of a nobleman to a "new man" and his family). The ennoblement was an event of ultimate importance in a feuda ...

for he and his brothers which officially recognised them and their descendants as belonging to the Danish nobility. As such, he and his brother's descendants officially qualified as Danish nobles. Christian Ditlev served as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

, Hofjægermester, Chamberlain, and Chairman of the Board of Hedeselskabet, an independent foundation. He married his wife, Margrethe Theresia Petrine Malvina Jessen (1835–1927) in 1860. The couple had seven children: Hans Helmuth Lüttichau (1868–1921), Christian Ditlev Lüttichau Jr. (1870–1951), Carl Vilhelm Lüttichau (b. 1871), Ida Malvina Margrethe Elenora (1872–1916), Selma Anna Sophie Elisabeth (1874–1911), Max Bernhard and Edvin Arnold (b. 1876, both died after birth). Christian Ditlev's eldest brother, Hans Helmuth Lüttichau (1834–1889) was the owner of Viskum estate and a Hofjægermester. He was unmarried and had no descendants. His younger brother, Ulysses Constant Arnold Lüttichau (1847–1906) was a civil engineer employed on various works in France and also a Hofjægermester. He and his wife, Ellen Christine Elisabeth Ibsen (1861–1948) resided at the Vingegård estate and had four children: Max Bernhard (1892–1972), Kai Siegfried (1893–1921), Preben Mogens (b. 1895), and Curt Ulysses (1897–1991), an architect.

Imperial line

Count Christian Frederik Tønne von Lüttichau (1744–1805), was one of Major-general Christian Ditlev's (1695–1767) eleven children with his wife Helle Trolle Urne. As a young man, Christian Frederik Tønne had a military career. In 1768, he matriculated at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

and was granted a doctorate in law from

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

the same year. In 1791 he was granted the title of

. As such, his descendants inherited his title as part of the imperial nobility. Through both of his marriages, Christian Frederik Tønne had a total of eighteen children. Of note are: Countess Helene Catherine Betty (1790–1841), Prioress of

Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral (), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is one of the most important churches in D ...

; Count Carl August Wilhelm Ferdinand (1792–1848), Prussian Colonel; Count Johann Baptist Heinrich Albrecht Wilhelm (1793–1858), Prussian Colonel; and Count Philipp Theodor (1795–1867), Prussian Lieutenant General.

Norwegian line

Descendant of the Danish line, Wolff Caspar von Lüttichau (1705–1765) had a son: Major Christian Cæsar (1745–1797), who possessed two estates: Lerkenfeldt and Ørndrup. Christian Cæsar's son, Wulff Caspar Frederik Lüttichau (1788–1831), was born near

Farsø Farsø is a town with a population of 3,352 (1 January 2025) in Region Nordjylland in Denmark in the Vesthimmerland Municipality. Farsø was the birthplace of Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944. The village ...

on the Lerkenfeldt Estate. He married Christine Jørgensen Vesterbye in 1811 and they settled in Norway together. Their descendants form the Norwegian line of the family. Of their eleven children, eight are known: Georgine Cæsarine Hortensia Lovisa (b. 1812), Emilie Marie (b. 1814), Caroline Marie (b. 1816), Marthe Christine Amalie (b. 1818), Ingeborg Marie Frederiche (b. 1818), Chrisitan Cæsar (1822–1850), Natalie (b. 1825), and Carl Ludvig Wilhelm (1829–1856). An earlier ancestor, Hans Siegrfried von Lüttichau (d. 1644) was a mining official in Norway, and settled there. He was a great-grandson of the family patriarch, Heinrich von Lüttchau (1330—1366), and a son of Siegfried (Seyfert) von Lüttichau (d. 1496). Hans Siegrfried, however, left no known descendants in Norway.

Notable descendants

* Mathias Lüttichau * Hannibal von Lüttichau

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luttichau German noble families Danish noble families