The County of Calvelage existed at the end of the 11th century and in the first half of the 12th century in the region of Vechta

Vechta

Vechta with a population of nearly 32,000 is the biggest city and also the capital of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany.It's well known all around Europe for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which occurs every summer and has a history dating back to 1298....

 in Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

The Court of Kalvelage in the farming community of Brockdorf in Lohne

Lohne, Germany

Lohne is a town in the district of Vechta, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 8 km south-west of Vechta. The town lies on the A1 freeway between Bremen and Osnabrück.-Economy:...

 provided the name for the county. The name disappeared in the 17th century, when it was changed to "Brockdorf" by the lords of the manor from the von Galen

Von Galen

The Von Galen family is an old, noble, Westphalian family, historically Roman Catholic, from the County of Mark.The earliest von Galens appeared in the twelfth century. Some branches of the family spread to East Prussia through the crusades and military expeditions of the Teutonic Order during the...

family, who were responsible for the area.

The counts of Calvelage, who had property in Vechta

Vechta

Vechta with a population of nearly 32,000 is the biggest city and also the capital of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany.It's well known all around Europe for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which occurs every summer and has a history dating back to 1298....

 and Bersenbrück

Bersenbrück

Bersenbrück is a town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hase, approx. 30 km north of Osnabrück.Bersenbrück is the seat of the Samtgemeinde Bersenbrück...

, acquired areas in Teutoburg Forest

Teutoburg Forest

The Teutoburg Forest is a range of low, forested mountains in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia which used to be believed to be the scene of a decisive battle in AD 9...

 northwest of Halle

Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia

Halle is a town in the German Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the district of Gütersloh....

 around 1100 and erected Ravensberg Castle. They moved their main residence to the new castle around 1140 and called themselves Counts of Ravensberg from then on.

Counts of Calvelage:

• Hermann I, died probably in 1082, Count of Calvelage; after 1070 he married Ethelinde von Northeim, daughter of Otto of Northeim, 1061-1070 Duke of Bavaria, after he had been deposed and his daughter had been repudiated by his son-in-law and successor, Welf I, Duke of Bavaria
  Welf I, Duke of Bavaria
  Welf I was duke of Bavaria from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf branch of the House of Este. In the Welf genealogy he is counted as Welf IV.-Life and reign:...
  
   1070-1101 (Welf).
• Hermann von Calvelage, documented to have lived 1115-1134, their son, count in 1120, Count of Calvelage in 1125.
• Otto I, documented to have lived 1140-1170, probably his first son, first Count of Ravensberg; married to Oda, documented to have lived in 1166.