The House of Schönburg (also ''Schumburg''; Czech: ''ze Šumburka'') is a

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

ly and historically

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

rank. It formerly owned large properties in present-day

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 ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. As a former ruling and mediatized family, it belongs to the ''

Hochadel The German nobility () and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the beginning of the 20th ...

'' (high nobility). The family today includes two princely and a comital branch.

History

For several hundred years, the lords of Schönburg (Saale) have appeared in the history of southwestern Saxony, beginning in 1130, with the mention of ''Ulricus de Schunenberg'' (also Sconenberg).

Expansion of the house

The lords of Schönburg acquired several possessions over the centuries:

Glauchau Glauchau (; , ) is a town in the German federal state of Saxony, on the right bank of the Mulde, 7 miles north of Zwickau and 17 miles west of Chemnitz by rail ( its train station is on the Dresden–Werdau line). It is part of the Zwickau dist ...

, where they had built a castle as an imperial fief around 1170, came into their ownership in 1256. They owned Lichtenstein since 1286, Waldenburg since 1378, the county of Hartenstein since 1406 and the lordships of Penig and

Wechselburg Wechselburg () is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is well known for its twelfth century Benedictine monastery, the Wechselburg Priory. The lordship and the castle were owned by the House of Schönburg fro ...

since 1543. They received the lordship of Rochsburg Castle in 1548 in trade for Lohmen, Wehlen, Hohnstein and Kriebstein.

Jurisdiction and privileges

The territory of Schönburg overlapped into Saxony, Bohemia, and eventually Thuringia and all of it fell under the legal jurisdiction of the

Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation 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 ...

. Consequently, the lords of Schönburg had different status in different areas under their possession, depending on whether there was over-lordship, and to whom. They were counted among the noble estates of the

, and to the landed estates in the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...

. For their estates in the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

, the counts of Schönburg were members of the Imperial College. On 7 August 1700, the collective house was raised to the status of '' Reichsgrafstand,'' or imperial county: its branches were consequently raised in status one and all . With this, members of the house received the predicate ''

Illustrious Highness His/Her Illustrious Highness (abbreviation: H.Ill.H.) is the usual English-language translation of the German word , a style historically attributed to certain members of the European nobility. It is not a literal translation, as the German word ...

.'' The honor carried an important implication: the lordship was

allodial Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property (land, buildings, and fixtures) that is independent of any superior landlord. Allodial title is related to the concept of land held "in allodium", or land ownership by occupancy and defense ...

, not a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

, thus the title, to the property ''and'' to the status, was inalienable (it could not be taken away). An allodial territory was a territory for which no feudal contract existed. It was subject to the emperor as sovereign but not to the emperor as overlord. Finally, at his coronation 9 October 1790, Leopold II raised the Waldenburg-Hartenstein branch of the family to the status of a princely house.

Mediatization in 1803 and 1806

After the

Reichsdeputationshauptschluss The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...

in 1803, with many others of the nobility, the members of the house were named as ''Standesherren'', and the family with once sovereign ''territorial'' lordship had to forfeit its judicial and legal rights, but retained its social and cultural standing as a sovereign ''family'' mediatized to Saxony. In 1818, the House petitioned the

German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved ...

to recognize the family; in 1828 the Parliament vouchsafed the personal and family rights that had been abrogated in 1806. The House was granted two seats in the Upper House of the

in 1831. In 1878 they lost their last rights of partial sovereignty, however the King of Saxony decreed that all members of the comital branch of the family were to be known as

, while members of the princely lines were a

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style (manner of address), style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Until 1918, it was also associated with the p ...

. The branches still today existing are the princes of Schönburg-Waldenburg (divided into the side branches Droyßig, Guteborn/ Gusow and Gauernitz), the princes of Schönburg-Hartenstein (at Hartenstein, Stein and Lichtenstein) and the counts of Schönburg-Glauchau (formerly owning Glauchau, Penig, Wechselburg and Rochsburg). All family properties were confiscated in 1945 during the communist

Land reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. After the

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, however, Prince Alfred of Schönburg-Hartenstein (b. 1953) bought back Stein Castle and Prince Alexander of Schönburg-Hartenstein acquired Lichtenstein Castle. In 2008, he was elected chairman of the head organization of German nobility associations.

List of Princes and Counts of Schönburg

* Otto Karl Friedrich, Prince of Schönburg 1790-1800 (1758-1800), was Count of Schönburg before being created a prince in 1790 ** Princess Jenny of Schönburg-Waldenburg (1780-1809) ** Otto Victor, 1st Prince of Schönburg-Waldenburg (see below) ** Friedrich Alfred, 1st Prince of Schönburg-Hartenstein (see below) ** Heinrich Eduard, 2nd Prince of Schönburg-Hartenstein (see below)

Princes of Schönburg-Waldenburg

* Otto Victor, 1st Prince 1800-1859 (1785-1859) ** Otto Friedrich, 2nd Prince 1859-1893 (1819-1893) *** ''Victor, Hereditary Prince of Schönburg'' (1856-1888) **** Victor, 3rd Prince 1893-1914 (1882-1914) **** Princess Sophie (1885-1936) **** Günther, 4th Prince 1914-1960 (1887-1960) ** ''Prince Georg (1828-1900)'' *** ''Prince Ulrich Georg (1869-1939)'' **** Wolf, 5th Prince 1960-1983 (1902-1983) ***** Princess Anna Luisa (1952) **** Prince William ***** Ulrich, 6th Prince 1983–present (b.1940) ***** Prince Wolf Christoph (b.1943) ****** Prince Kai-Philipp Wolf (b.1969) *** '' Princess Anna Louise (1871-1951)''

Princes of Schönburg-Hartenstein (1822)

* Friedrich Alfred, 1st Prince 1822-1840 (1786-1840) * Heinrich Eduard, 2nd Prince 1840-1872 (1787-1872) ** Alexander, 3rd Prince 1872-1896 (1826-1896) *** Alois, 4th Prince 1896-1944 (1858-1944) **** Alexander, 5th Prince 1944-1956 (1888-1956) ***** ''Prince Aloys, Hereditary Prince of Schönburg-Hartenstein'' (1916-1945) ****** Aloys, 6th Prince 1956-1972 (1945-1972) ***** Hieronymus, 7th Prince 1972-1992 (1920-1992) ***** Alexander, 8th Prince 1992-2018 (1930-2018) ****** Johannes, 9th Prince 2018–present (b. 1951) ******* Hereditary Prince Aloys (b.1982) ******** Prince Alexander (b.2012) ****** Prince Alfred (b.1953) ******* Prince Alexander (b.1979) ******* Prince Ferdinand (b.1984) ***** Prince Constantin (b.1933) ****** Prince Alexander (b.1959) ******* Prince Constantin (b.1983) ******* Prince Mathias (b.1995) ****** Prince Michael (b.1960) ****** Prince Eduard (b.1966) *** ''Prince Johannes (1864-1937)'' **** ''Princess Aloysia Louise Alexandra (1906-1976)'' **** ''Prince Aloys (1906-1998)'' ***** Prince Johannes (b.1938) ***** Prince Nikolaus (b.1940) ****** Prince Johannes (b.1972) ***** Prince Alexander (b.1955) **** ''Prince Peter (1915-2003)'' ***** Princess Alexandra (b.1946) ***** Princess Victoria (b.1955) ***** Prince Peter (b.1953) ****** Prince Hans (b.1987-2020) ****** Prince Benjamin (b.1989)

Counts of Schönburg-Glauchau (1700)

* Samuel Heinrich, Count of Schönburg-Wechselburg 1700-1706 (d.1706) ** Franz Heinrich, Count of Schönburg-Wechselburg 1706-1746 (d.1746) *** Karl Heinrich, Count of Schönburg-Penig/Forderglauchau 1746-1800 (1729–1800) **** Wilhelm Albrecht Heinrich, Count of Schönburg-Forderglauchau 1800-1815 (1762–1815) ***** Karl Heinrich Alban, Count of Schönburg-Forderglauchau 1815-1864 (1804–1864) ****** Karl, Count of Schönburg-Forderglauchau 1864-1898 (1832–1898) ******* Joachim, Count of Schönburg-Glauchau 1898-1943 (1873–1943) ******** Carl, Count of Schönburg-Glauchau 1943-1945 (1899–1945) ********* Joachim, Count of Schönburg-Glauchau 1945-1998 (1929–1998) **********

Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau Countess Maria Felicitas von Schönburg-Glauchau (; 15 August 1958 – 27 January 2019), also known as Maya von Schönburg, was a German socialite. Early life and family Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau was born on 15 August 1958 to Joac ...

(1958-2019) ********** Princess Gloria (b.1960) ********** Count Carl Alban (b.1966) - renounced his succession rights in 1995 *********** Hubertus von Schönburg-Glauchau (b.1996) *********** Benedict von Schönburg-Glauchau (b.1999) ********** Alexander, Count of Schönburg-Glauchau 1998–present (b.1966) *********** Maximus, Hereditary Count of Schönburg-Glauchau (b.2003) *********** Count Valentin (b.2005) ********** Countess Anabel Maya Felicitas (b. 1980) ********* Count Rudolf (b.1932) ********** Count Friedrich (b.1985) ********* Count Johannes (b.1938) ********* Count Carl Georg (1940-2024) ********** Count Friedrich-Christian (b.1971) *********** Count Constantin (b.2001) *********** Count Ludwig (b.2003) *********** Count Philipp (b.2006) ********** Count Johannes-Joachim (b.1976) *********** Count Carl Georg (b.2008) *********** Count Albert (b.2010)

Former properties of the Princes of Schönburg-Waldenburg

File:Schloss Waldenburg (Sachsen).jpg, Waldenburg Castle File:DroyßigSchloß2.JPG, Droyßig Castle File:Fotothek-df ge 0000065-Schloss Gusow im Oderbruch.jpg, Gusow Castle File:Schloss Gauernitz 7.JPG, Gauernitz Castle at Klipphausen File:Schloss Hermsdorf - Tor.JPG, Hermsdorf Castle at

Ottendorf-Okrilla Ottendorf-Okrilla is a municipality in the Bautzen district, Saxony, Germany. It is located 20 km northeast of Dresden. Geography The area of the municipality is 25.88 km², of which 1.58 km² are commercially used. The length from ...

File:Fledermausschloss_Weißig_Lohsa.JPG, Castle Weißig Lohsa File:Schloss_Guteborn,_Nordostansicht,_alte_Postkarte,_01.jpg, Guteborn Castle

Properties of the Princes of Schönburg-Hartenstein

File:Schloss hartenstein aussentor.jpg, Hartenstein Castle File:Burg Stein2.jpg, Stein Castle in Hartenstein Schloss Lichtenstein Schlossbergaufgang.JPG, Lichtenstein Castle File:Castle_Červená_Lhota.JPG, Červená Lhota Castle File:Palais_Schönburg_Parkseite_03.JPG, Palais Schönburg,

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. ...

Properties of the Counts of Schönburg-Glauchau

Schloss Forderglauchau.JPG, Forderglauchau Castle,

Schloss Hinterglauchau.jpg, Hinterglauchau Castle Glauchau File:Wechselburg-Barockschloss.jpg,

Castle File:Rochsburg01.jpg, Rochsburg Castle File:Alten Schloss Penig.jpg, The Old Castle at Penig File:Neues Schloss Penig Parkansicht.jpg, The New Castle at Penig File:Netzschkau_castle.JPG, Castle

Netzschkau Netzschkau () is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea ...

File:Schloss-Westerhaus-Ingelheim1.JPG, Castle Westerhaus

Territory

The territory over time expanded to . The same space today has 14 communities and 61,000 residents. The largest portion was a Saxon fiefdom.

Changes in status

In 1569, the lordship was partitioned into Upper and Lower Schönburg. In 1700, Upper Schönburg was raised to the status of a county. At a meeting of the Saxon estates in 1740, Saxony assumed legal and military guardianship of the Schönburg lordship and over the next decade the estate was integrated into the Saxon legal and judicial structure. The old Upper Schönburg was partitioned to Schönburg-Hartenstein and Schönburg-Waldenburg in 1700. The Soviet-directed agrarian land reform of September 1945 limited the size of any property, generally, to . The Schönburg estates were confiscated, along with nearly of other land and property. After the

, prince Alfred of Schönburg-Hartenstein (b. 1953) bought back Stein Castle in Hartenstein and Prince Alexander of Schönburg-Hartenstein Lichtenstein Castle.

Bohemian possessions

The Bohemian possessions included Údlice (Eidlitz), Ahníkov (Hagensdorf), Hasištejn (Hassenstein),

Perštejn Perštejn () is a municipality and village in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. Perštejn lies approximately south-west of Chomutov, south-west of Ústí nad Labem, and west ...

(Pürstein),

Kadaň Kadaň (; ) is a town in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the banks of the Ohře river. Kadaň is a tourist centre with highlights being the Franciscan Monastery in ...

(Kaaden),

Žacléř Žacléř (; ) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Ža ...

(Schatzlar),

Trutnov Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Trutnov consists of 21 ...

(Trautenau) and Šumburk (Schönburg).

Saga of the coat of arms

The origins of the family arms are not documented. According to "legend,"

...in the last battle, Charlemagne was hard-pressed against the Saxon Duke Wettekind. Most of his followers had already fallen, only he alone resisted the onslaught of the enemy. Suddenly, one of them struck his shield with a stone-like fist and it splintered into pieces. Charlemagne had only his sword for his defense. One of his fallen companions lifted his shield for Charlemagne’s defense. Immediately after the battle was won, Charlemagne discovered that the man who saved him had survived, and recognized him as a Schönburg. Charlemagne took a simple silver shield without markings. Using three finger--his ring, middle and pointing finger of his right hand--which was wounded and bloody, he stroked twice over the silver shield, so that there were two red stripes, and said, “Schönburg, this is from now forward your Mark, blood on the Coat of arms of your house.(vgl. dazu u.a. Müller, Konrad: Schönburg. Die Geschichte des Hauses bis zur Reformation, Leipzig 1931, S.66–74. sowie Götze, Robby Joachim: Glauchau in drei Jahrhunderten Bd.1, Glauchau 2001.)

Partial list of notable family members

* Friedrich von Schönburg (died 1312), Count of Kaaden * Adelheid von

Dohna Dohna is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, Saxony, Germany. It is located south of Heidenau, in the Müglitz (river), Müglitz valley and lies at the northeastern foot of the Eastern Ore Mountains. It is accessed by the P ...

(died 15 June 1342/52), born von Schönburg-Glauchau, Countess, Wife of Otto (Heide) * Alois Fürst von Schönburg-Hartenstein (1858–1944), Austrian lieutenant general * Princess Anna Louise of Schönburg-Waldenburg (1871-1951), last Princess of Schhwarzburg * Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg and

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

(1885–1936), born Princess von Schönburg-Waldenburg and after Princess of

. * Joachim, Count von Schönburg-Glauchau (1929–1998), writer, CDU member of the Bundestag 1990–1994 *

Beatrix, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau Beatrix, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau ('' née '' Countess Beatrix Maria Valeria Thérèse Emerica Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék; 30 January 1930 – 30 September 2021) was a Hungarian-German aristocrat and socialite. By birth a member of ...

(1920–2021), socialite, wife of Joachim *

(born 1958), German socialite * Gloria, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau, Princess of Thurn and Taxis (born 1960), German socialite, painter, and Catholic activist * Alexander, Count von Schönburg-Glauchau (born 1969), German journalist and writer * Christoph, Count von Schönburg-Glauchau (born 1962), Federal prize winner (films) 2005, sound designer of the Oscar-winning film "

The Lives of Others ''The Lives of Others'' (, ) is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film directorial debut. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berlin residents by agents of the Stasi, Ea ...

" (2007) * Anna Luisa, Princess of Schönburg-Waldenburg, married to Don Fabrizo Pignatelli della Leonessa dei Principi di Monteroduni, Italian Ambassador to Guatemala and Honduras, born 1952, novelist

References

Bibliography

* * Konrad Müller: ''Schönburg. Die Geschichte des Hauses bis zur Reformation'', Leipzig 1931. * Matthias Frickert: ''Die Nachkommen des 1. Fürsten von Schönburg''. Klaus Adam, Glauchau 1992. * Heinrich Graesse: ''Deutsche Adelsgeschichte.'' Reprint-Verlag, Leipzig 1999 (Reprint d. Ausg. von 1876), . *

Hermann Grote Hermann Grote (7 July 1882 – 12 August 1951) was a German ornithologist known for his studies of African avifauna. While serving as a director of a sisal plantation in German East Africa, he published papers on the local avifauna (from 1909 to ...

: ''Herren, Grafen und Fürsten von Schönburg'', in: ''Stammtafeln mit Anhang, Calendarium medii aevi'', S. 252 f., Leipzig 1877, Nachdruck: . * Adolph Grützner: ''Monographie über das fürstliche und gräfliche Haus Schönburg.'' Leipzig 1847. * Otto Posse: ''Die Urahnen des Fürstlichen und Gräflichen Hauses Schönburg.'' Dresden 1914. * Walter Schlesinger: ''Die Schönburgischen Lande bis zum Ausgang des Mittelalters.'' Schriften für Heimatforschung 2, Dresden 1935. * Walter Schlesinger: ''Die Landesherrschaft der Herren von Schönburg. Eine Studie zur Geschichte des Staates in Deutschland.'' Quellen und Studien zur Verfassungsgeschichte des Deutschen Reiches in Mittelalter und Neuzeit IX/1, Böhlau, Münster/Köln 1954. * Theodor Schön: ''Geschichte des Fürstlichen und Gräflichen Gesamthauses Schönburg. Urkundenbuch Bd. 1-8, Nachtragsband.'' Stuttgart/Waldenburg, 1901ff. * Michael Wetzel: ''Schönburgische Herrschaften.'' Beiheft zur Karte C III 6 des Atlas zur Geschichte und Landeskunde von Sachsen. Leipzig/Dresden 2007, . * Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, ''Adelslexikon'' Band XIII, Band 128 der Gesamtreihe, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 2002, * Joachim Bahlcke u. a.: Handbuch der historischen Stätten ''Böhmen und Mähren'', Kröner-Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, , S. 864. *

Johann Georg Theodor Grässe Johann Georg Theodor Grässe (also Graesse; 31 January 1814 – 27 August 1885) was a German bibliographer and literary historian. He worked in Dresden at the Münzkabinett The Münzkabinett (English: Numismatic Cabinet) is part of the Staatlich ...

: ''Geschlechts-, Namen- und Wappensagen des Adels deutscher Nation'', Verlag Schönfeld, 1876, S. 142–143.

External links

Website of Stein Castle and Prince Alfred of Schönburg-Hartenstein

Fürsten, Grafen und Herren von Schönburg in der Sächsischen Biografie

Augsburg, 1515–1650

in

Meyers Konversationslexikon or was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the . Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing house in 1826, intended to i ...

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