The House of Pálffy, also known as Pálffy von Erdőd, Pálffy de Erdőd, or Pálffy of Erdőd, is the name of an old Hungarian noble family, later incorporated into

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility () is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. Austria's system of nobility was very similar to that of Germany (see German nobility), as both countries were previously part of ...

. Members of the family held significant positions in the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

History

The Hungarian name ''Pálffy'' derives from the Latin term ''Pauli filius'' (son of Paul), after the first known ancestor of the family.Entr
''Pálffy von Erdöd''
in 'Pierer's Universal-Lexikon von 1857', at zeno.org (in German) ''Erdőd'' is the Hungarian name for

Ardud Ardud (, Hungarian pronunciation: ; ) is a town situated in Satu Mare County, Transylvania, Romania. It administers five villages: Ardud-Vii (), Baba Novac (), Gerăușa (), Mădăras (), and Sărătura (). History The town has a complex history ...

, a town situated in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

. The Pálffy ab Erdőd family members bore as well the title of Baron or Baroness of Újezd, of the name of their

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

barony of Újezd. The family crest is of a deer above a wooden wheel which was created supposedly after an incident in the forest. The legend says that members of the Pálffy family were travelling in a horse-drawn carriage in the forest at night and in the mist when a deer shot out from the forest and hit the side of the carriage, breaking a wheel and killing the deer. The entourage decided to stay there until morning to fix the wheel. When morning arrived and the mist had cleared, they had stopped just before a cliff edge so the family realised that deer had saved their lives. In its honour, the family crest was created. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the family owned many castles and large residences. It's said that they owned up to 99 castles.

Notable members

Paul Pálffy ab Erdöd Count Franz Paul Rudolf Maria Josef Pálffy ab Erdöd (12 February 1890 – 11 October 1968) was a Hungarian aristocrat, landowner, and author best known for his eight marriages. Early life Franz Paul Rudolf Maria Josef was born on 12 February ...

(1580/1589–1653),

Palatine of Hungary The Palatine of Hungary ( or , , ) was the highest-ranking office in the Kingdom of Hungary from the beginning of the 11th century to 1848. Initially, Palatines were representatives of the monarchs, later (from 1723) the vice-regent (vi ...

, Knight of the Golden Fleece *

Nikolaus VI Graf Pálffy ab Erdöd Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In turn, the name ...

(1657/67–1732),

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

and

, Knight of the Golden Fleece * Johann Bernhard Stephan, Graf Pálffy ab Erdöd (1664–1751), field marshal, Knight of the Golden Fleece * Countess Maria Augustina Pálffy ab Erdöd (1714–1759), mother of Joseph, Count Kinsky and

Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (6 December 1739 – 9 June 1805) was a Habsburg Austrian general in the War of the Bavarian Succession and the French Revolutionary Wars. A nobleman from the House of Kinsky, he began his militar ...

* Leopold, Count Pálffy-Daun von Erdöd (1716–1773), field marshal * Karl, Count Palffy ab Erdöd (1735–1816),

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...

* Count Ferdinand Pálffy von Erdöd (1774–1840), mining engineer and civil servant of the Austrian Empire * Count Fidelius Pálffy ab Erdöd (1788–1864), Knight of the Golden Fleece * Count Moritz Pálffy ab Erdöd (1812–1897), Knight of the Golden Fleece * Count

(1890–1968), Hungarian sportsman * Count Fidél Pálffy ab Erdőd (1895–1946), Hungarian politician * Ferdinand Leopold Graf Pálffy-Daun ab Erdöd, honorary citizen of Vienna * Count Geza Pálffy ab Erdőd, Member of parliament and resistance fighter, highlighted in the Terror Museum

Possessions

Palaces in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

that bear the family name: *

Palais Pálffy Palais Pálffy () is a palace located on Josefsplatz in the Innere Stadt (inner city) district of Vienna, Austria. It was once owned by the noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Gl ...

Innere Stadt The Innere Stadt (; ; "Inner City") is the 1st municipal Districts of Vienna, district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the I ...

Josefsplatz Josefsplatz () is a public square located at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Named after Emperor Joseph II, Josefsplatz is considered one of the finest courtyards in Vienna.Schulte-Peevers 2007, p. 359. Description Josefsplatz is centred o ...

, Wallnerstraße Street * Pálffy Palace in

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

, Hviezdoslavovo námestie * Pálffy Palace in

, Ventúrska Street * Pálffy Palace in

, Panská Street * Pálffy Palace in

, Podhradie, Zámocká Street * Pálffy Palace in

, Laurinská Street * Pálffy Palace in

, Gorkého Street (demolished) * Pálffy Palace in

Malá Strana Malá Strana ( Czech for "Little Side (of the River)", ) or historically Menší Město pražské () is a district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic, and one of its most historic neighbourhoods. In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant center o ...

* Pálffy Palace (Pálffy-kastély) in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

The Pálffy family tomb: * Franciscan Monastery in

Malacky Malacky ( German: ''Malatzka'', Hungarian: ''Malacka'') is a town and municipality in western Slovakia around north of Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. ...

The castles and manors owned by the Pálffy family were: *

Devín Castle Devín Castle ( or , , ) is a castle in Devín, which is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Description The site has been settled since the Neolithic Age and fortified since the Bronze and Iron Age and later by Celts and Roman ...

(Thebes) at the confluence of the

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

and

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

rivers, Slovakia (from 1635) * Burg Ballenstein and Schloss Stampfen in Stupava (Stampfen), Slovakia *

Červený Kameň Castle Červený Kameň Castle (, , ) is a 13th-century castle in southwestern Slovakia in the Little Carpathians near the village of Častá. History A stone castle was built by Tiburtius Rosd or his descendants in the 13th century as part of the chai ...

(Beaver Castle), Slovakia (1583 to 1945) * Burg Blasenstein (''Plavecký hrad'') and the castle in Plasenstein, Slovakia (from 1641) * Schloss Marchegg, Lower Austria (1623 to 1957) * Schloss Krumbach, Lower Austria (1629 to 1875) * Burg Neulengbach, Lower Austria (1646 to 1696) * Schloss Bojnice, Slovakia (1646 to 1939) * Schloss Stübing, Styria * Schloss Malacky (Malatzka), Slovakia (17th to 20th centuries) * Schloss Pezinok, Slovakia (17th to 20th century) * Burg Heidenreichstein, Lower Austria (1679 to 1947) * Smolenice Castle, Slovakia (1777 to 1945) * Hunting lodge Kráľová pri Senci, Slovakia * Hunting lodge Chtelnica, Slovakia * Landsitz Pálffy, Pölöskefő, Zala County, Hungary * Schloss Březnice, Bohemia (1872–1945) * Schloss Slavkov (Austerlitz) Castle, Moravia (1919–1948) Burgruine Devin-Theben - panoramio.jpg, Burg Devín (Theben), Slowakei Borostyankocivertanlegi3.jpg, Burg Ballenstein, Slowakei Stupava, kaštieľ 02.jpg, Schloss Stupava (Stampfen), Slowakei Vöröskőcivertanlegi3.jpg,

(Bibersburg), Slowakei Plavecky Hrad.jpg, Burg Blasenstein, Slowakei Plavecke podhradie kastiel 04.jpg, Schloss Plasenstein, Slowakei Marchegg Schloss.jpg, Schloss Marchegg, Niederösterreich Krumbach (NÖ) - Schloss, Ostansicht.JPG, Schloss Krumbach, Niederösterreich Slovakia Bojnice Castle 2004 hires.jpg, Schloss Bojnice (Weinitz), Slowakei Malacky, kaštieľ 01.jpg, Schloss

, Slowakei Bazini-kastelycivertanlegi2.jpg, Schloss

Pezinok Pezinok (; in the local dialect ''Pezinek''; ; ; ) is a town in southwestern Slovakia. It is roughly northeast of Bratislava and, as of December 2023, had a population of 24,443. Pezinok lies near the Little Carpathians and thrives mainly on vi ...

(Bösing), Slowakei Wasserburg Heidenreichstein Ostansicht1.jpg, Burg Heidenreichstein, Niederösterreich Smolenice - panoramio.jpg, Schloss Smolenice, Slowakei Pölöskefő légifotó1.jpg, Landsitz Pálffy, Pölöskefő, Ungarn Schloss Březnice.jpg, Schloss Březnice, Böhmen Schloss Slavkov u Brna (Austerlitz) (37968771645).jpg, Schloss Slavkov (Austerlitz), Mähren Budmerický kaštieľ 2.jpg, Budmerice Castle

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palffy ab Erdod Austrian noble families Counts of the Holy Roman Empire Hungarian noble families

History

Notable members

Possessions

See also

Notes