The County of Schönborn is a former

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

(i.e. ''

Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...

'') of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

that held

imperial immediacy In the Holy Roman Empire, imperial immediacy ( or ) was the status of an individual or a territory which was defined as 'immediate' () to Emperor and Empire () and not to any other intermediate authorities, while one that did not possess that stat ...

and that was ruled by the

House of Schönborn The House of Schönborn () is the name of an ancient noble and formerly sovereign family of the Holy Roman Empire. As a former ruling and mediatized family, it belongs to the ''Hochadel'' (high nobility). Various members of the family have held ...

. The state of Schönborn was located to the south of

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

and to the southeast of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

. The Schönborn family, originally from

Schönborn, Rhein-Lahn Schönborn is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. It belongs to the association community of Aar-Einrich. Schönborn is the origin of the Counts of Schönborn. Between 1100 and 1479, the l ...

, owned several fiefs in Southern Hesse. In 1661,

Philipp Erwein, Baron von Schönborn Philipp is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: "Philipp" has also been a shortened version of Philippson, a German surname especially prevalent amongst German Jews and Dutch Jews. Surname * Adolf Philipp (1864� ...

(1607–1668), of Freienfels Castle near

Weinbach Weinbach is a municipality in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Weinbach lies on the Lahn and the Weil between Wetzlar and Limburg an der Lahn. Neighbouring communities Weinbach borders in the north on the to ...

, since 1654 also owner of Geisenheim, purchased the

Herrschaft (territory) The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...

Heusenstamm Heusenstamm () is a town of over 19,000 people in the Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Heusenstamm is one of 13 towns and communities in the Offenbach district. The town li ...

and built the new castle. In 1671 his son Melchior Friedrich (1644–1717) acquired the fief of Reichelsburg and in 1701 inherited the Herrschaft

Wiesentheid Wiesentheid is a municipality in the district of Kitzingen in Bavaria in Germany. History It was first mentioned in 918 as "Wisenheida". Mediatization in 1806 brought the former county of Schönborn into the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, along with w ...

which was a small

Imperial State An Imperial Estate (; , plural: ') was an entity or an individual of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise signi ...

and raised to a County in 1701. In 1717, his estate was partitioned into the state of Schönborn-Wiesentheid and the territory of Schönborn-Heusenstamm. The state of Schönborn-Wiesentheid was mediatised in 1806; the House of Schönborn thus retained a partial sovereignty as well as sovereign rank.Gerhard Köbler: Historisches Lexikon der deutschen Länder. 7 Auflage. Verlag C. H. Beck, München 2007, p. 637 The Counts of Schönborn-Wiesentheid are still today residing at Wiesentheid Castle.

References

External links

Official site
of the

{{coord missing, Germany Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire