House of Limburg-Stirum - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The house of Limburg-Stirum, which adopted its name in the 12th century from the castle of Limburg an der Lenne in what is now Germany, descends from the Ezzonen

Ezzonen

The Ezzonids were a dynasty of Lotharingian stock dating back as far as the ninth century. They attained prominence only in the eleventh century, through marriage with the Ottonian dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors. Named after Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia from 1015 to 1034, they dominated the...

dynasty in the 9th century, making it one of the oldest families in Europe.

The Limburg-Stirum were sovereign monarchs in the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

. They were mediatised

German Mediatisation

The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....

in 1806 by the Confederation of the Rhine

Confederation of the Rhine

The Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the...

. They mistakenly often don't appear in the section of sovereign houses of the Almanach of Gotha, because the two youngest branches of the family became extinct in the beginning of the 19th century.

Since the 9th century, the family counted five Counts Palatine

Ezzonen

of Lotharingia

Lotharingia

Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...

, several Dukes of Westphalia

Duchy of Westphalia

The Duchy of Westphalia was a historic territory in the greater region of Westphalia, located in the east of modern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Originally, Westphalia formed with Angria and Eastphalia one of the three main regions of Saxony...

, Bavaria

Conrad I, Duke of Bavaria

Conrad I , also known as Cuno or Kuno, was the duke of Bavaria from 1049 to 1053. He was of the Ezzonen family, his parents being Liudolf, Count of Zütphen and eldest son of Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lorraine, and Matilda...

, Carinthia

Conrad III, Duke of Carinthia

Conrad III, count of the Zulpichgau, was Duke of Carinthia from 1056 until his death in 1061. He was son of Hezzelin I, brother of count palatine of Lotharingia, Ezzo....

and Swabia

Otto II, Duke of Swabia

Otto II was Count Palatine of Lotharingia , then Duke of Swabia , and all the while Count in Deutz and Auelgau . He was the son of Ezzo and Matilda , and a member of the Ezzonian dynasty...

, seven Archbishops of Cologne

Archbishopric of Cologne

The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...

, one Prince-Bishop of Speyer

August Philip of Limburg Stirum

August Philipp Karl of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, was born in 1721, son of Otto Leopold Count von Limburg Styrum und Bronckhorst, Lord of Gemen and Raesfeld and Anna Elisabeth countess of Schönborn .August Philipp was Prince-Bishop of Speyer and sovereign Lord zu...

, more than ten Bishops in the Holy Roman Empire, and at least two Saints of the Catholic Church (Saint Richenza

Richensa of Lotharingia

Richeza of Lotharingia , was a German noblewoman by birth a member of the Ezzonen dynasty and by marriage Queen of Poland. Married to Mieszko II Lambert, King of Poland, commonly referred to as Mieszko II in Poland...

, celebrated on 21 March, and Saint Engelbert of Cologne

Engelbert II of Berg

Count Engelbert II of Berg, also known as Saint Engelbert, Engelbert of Cologne, Engelbert I, Archbishop of Cologne or Engelbert I of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne was Archbishop of Cologne and a saint; he was the victim of a notorious murder by a member of his own family.-Early life:Engelbert was...

, celebrated on 7 November).

The territorial authority of the family, counts of Berg

Berg (state)

Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...

since 1077, then counts of Limburg

Duke of Limburg

The counts of Limburg rose to prominence when one of their house was appointed Duke of Lower Lorraine.Though Lorraine was soon confiscated, the ducal title was kept within the family, transferred it to the county of Limburg, which was eventually ratified by the Holy Roman Emperor...

since 1246, was significantly reduced following the opposition of Frederick II, Count of Isenberg

Frederick of Isenberg

Count Frederick of Isenberg was a German noble, the younger son of Count Arnold of Altena...

to the aggressive power politics of his cousin, the Archbishop of Cologne

Archbishopric of Cologne

, Engelbert II of Berg

Engelbert II of Berg

, leading to the murder of the latter. A junior line, the Counts von der Marck

Marck

Marck may refer to:* Erard de la Marck, prince-bishop of Liège* John T. Marck, Beatles biographer who suggested that Real Love may have its origins in The Ballad of John and Yoko* Robert Fleuranges III de la Marck, marshal of France and historian...

, later rose in importance as dukes of Cleves

Duchy of Cleves

The Duchy of Cleves was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and the town of Wesel, bordering the lands of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the east and the Duchy of Brabant in the west...

, Jülich

Jülich

Jülich is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Jülich is well known as location of a world-famous research centre, the Forschungszentrum Jülich and as shortwave transmission site of Deutsche Welle...

and Berg

Berg (state)

Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...

, dukes of Nevers

Nevers

Nevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...

and Bouillon

Bouillon

Bouillon is a municipality in Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Luxembourg Province.The municipality, which covers 149.09 km², had 5,477 inhabitants, giving a population density of 36.7 inhabitants per km².- History :...

, counts von Schleiden, etc.

Today's members are mostly found in Belgium and The Netherlands.

The Ezzonian Dynasty

The Ezzonen appear in the chronicles with Erenfried I

Erenfried I

Erenfried I of Maasgau, count of Bliesgau, Keldachgau and Bonngau and count of Charmois . He married Adelgunde of Burgundy , a daughter of Conrad II, Duke of Transjurane Burgundy, Count of Auxerre, and Judith de Frioul.They left issue:...

(866-904), count of the Bliesgau

Bliesgau

The Bliesgau is a district of the Saarland in Germany. It is named for the River Blies, a tributary of the Saar River, and lies near the border with France....

, Keldachgau and Bonngau (maybe also count of Charmois

Charmois

Charmois may refer to:*Charmois, Meurthe-et-Moselle, a commune of the Lorraine region of France*Charmois, Territoire de Belfort, a commune of the Franche-Comté region of France*Charmois-devant-Bruyères, a commune in the Vosges department in France...

). Probably he had Carolingian

Carolingian

The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...

ancestors, although same historians prefer to link him to former Thuringia

Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....

n kings.

The Ezzonian dynasty (named after count palatine Ezzo) were the Counts Palatine of Lotharingia during the 10th and 11th century. They are considered to be the most important royal representatives in the region of the Middle and Lower Rhine. In spite of their military accomplishments in favour of the German emperors, the Ezzonians did not succeed in building a territorial entity in Lotharingia

Lotharingia

. During a limited period, they were assigned however the duchies of Swabia

Otto II, Duke of Swabia

Otto II was Count Palatine of Lotharingia , then Duke of Swabia , and all the while Count in Deutz and Auelgau . He was the son of Ezzo and Matilda , and a member of the Ezzonian dynasty...

, Bavaria

Conrad I, Duke of Bavaria

and Carinthia

Conrad III, Duke of Carinthia

Conrad III, count of the Zulpichgau, was Duke of Carinthia from 1056 until his death in 1061. He was son of Hezzelin I, brother of count palatine of Lotharingia, Ezzo....

.

Famous members of the dynasty are:

Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia (1015–1034). According to the Brauweiler chronicle, he failed to succeed in the monarchy after the death of emperor Otto III (983–1002) in a rivalry with duke Heinrich II of Bavaria
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...

(1002–1024). The succession war between Ezzo and Heinrich II continued for over ten years. Both parties came to an agreement after a battle in Odernheim (1011). Kaiserswerth, Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...

and the surrounding imperial territories were granted as a fief to Ezzo for renouncing the throne (after 1016). When the German crown passed from the Ottonian
Ottonian
The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...

to the Salian (1024), the Ezzonen remained neutral, apparently after an agreement between Ezzo and Konrad II (1024–1039). The Annales Hildesheimenses record that "Hezo Palatinus comes" died after catching pox from his concubine.
Otto I
Otto II, Duke of Swabia
Otto II was Count Palatine of Lotharingia , then Duke of Swabia , and all the while Count in Deutz and Auelgau . He was the son of Ezzo and Matilda , and a member of the Ezzonian dynasty...

, Count Palatine of Lotharingia (1035–1045) and Duke of Swabia
Duke of Swabia
The following is a list of Dukes of Swabia in southwest Germany.Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most notable family to hold Swabia were the Hohenstaufen, who held it, with a brief...

(1045–1047). After a successful campaign against the rebelling count of Flanders (margrave of Valenciennes and Ename) Otto received the duchy of Swabia in 1045, in exchange however for the cities of Kaiserswerth and Duisburg, which went back to the crown. At the same time, the palatinate of Lotharingia was passed to his nephew.
Heinrich I Furiosus, Count Palatine of Lotharingia from 1045 until 1060. He was elected as successor for the German kingdom during Emperor Heinrich III's illness. Hearing that his wife Mathilde (daughter of Duke Gozelo of Lotharingia
Gothelo I, Duke of Lorraine
Gothelo , called the Great, was the duke of Lower Lorraine from 1023 and of Upper Lorraine from 1033. He was also the margrave of Antwerp from 1005 and count of Verdun. Gothelo was the youngest son of Godfrey I, Count of Verdun, and Matilda Billung, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony...

, and sister of pope Stephen IX) had a love-affair with one of his relatives, he killed her with an axe. Heinrich then was enclosed into the abbey of Echternach, where he died in 1061.
Richeza
Richensa of Lotharingia
Richeza of Lotharingia , was a German noblewoman by birth a member of the Ezzonen dynasty and by marriage Queen of Poland. Married to Mieszko II Lambert, King of Poland, commonly referred to as Mieszko II in Poland...

of Lotharingia, Queen of Poland. Her marriage to Mieszko II
Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert was King of Poland during 1025–1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emmilda, daughter of Dobromir, possible ruler of Lusatia. He was probably named after his paternal grandfather, Mieszko I...

was decided as part of peace an agreement between King Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III. After she returned to Germany after the deposition of her husband in 1031, she became later a nun and today is reverencied as Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...

Richeza of Lotharingia, celebrated on March 21.
Conrad I
Conrad I, Duke of Bavaria
Conrad I , also known as Cuno or Kuno, was the duke of Bavaria from 1049 to 1053. He was of the Ezzonen family, his parents being Liudolf, Count of Zütphen and eldest son of Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lorraine, and Matilda...

, Duke of Bavaria, heir of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...

. He was deprived of the dukedom in 1053 when the Emperor installed his son as Duke. He died in exile after an attempt to assassinate the Emperor and seize the throne.
Conrad III
Conrad III, Duke of Carinthia
Conrad III, count of the Zulpichgau, was Duke of Carinthia from 1056 until his death in 1061. He was son of Hezzelin I, brother of count palatine of Lotharingia, Ezzo....

, was installed as Duke of Carinthia in 1057. The Annales of Berthold record the death in 1061 of Chounradus... Carantanis ducis.
Hermann I
Hermann I, Archbishop of Cologne
Herman I was Archbishop of Cologne from 890 to 924. He was the son of Erenfried I of Maasgau, of the Ezzonian dynasty.As chancellor of Zwentibold, King of Lotharingia, he helped to execute in 911 his kingdom's annexation to West Francia...

, Archbishop of Cologne, Chancellor of King Zwentibold
Zwentibold
Zwentibold was the illegitimate son of the Carolingian Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. In 895 his father, then king of East Francia, granted him the Kingdom of Lotharingia, which he ruled until his death.After his death he was declared a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church.- Life :Zwentibold...

of Lotharingia.
Hermann II
Hermann II, Archbishop of Cologne
Herman II , of the Ezzonian dynasty, a son of Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia, was the Archbishop of Cologne from 1036 until his death.He became archchancellor of the Regnum Italicum and protector of Brauweiler...

, Archbishop of Cologne. He became Archchancellor
Archchancellor
An archchancellor or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the work of chancellors or notaries....

of Italy and protector of Brauweiler
Brauweiler
Brauweiler is a part of Pulheim, west of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.The former Benedictine abbey, Brauweiler Abbey, founded 1024, is used today by the Rhein Department for the Care of Historic Monuments....

(1053). He baptised and crowned the German king Henry IV.
Hermann II, Count Palatine of Lotharingia (1064–1085), count of the Ruhrgau, Zulpichgau and Brabant. Hermann is assumed to be last of the Ezzonians. After his death (he was killed in a duel with Albert III of Namur, nearby his castle of Dalhem on September 20, 1085) the Palatinate
Count palatine
Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...

of Lotharingia was suspended. His widow remarried with the first count palatine of the Rhine, Henry of Laach.

The surviving line of the Ezzonen

Ezzonen

descends from Adolf I of Lotharingia

Adolf I of Lotharingia

Adolf I of Lotharingia, count of Keldachgau, Vogt of Deutz from 1008 until 1018, was the son of Hermann I "Pusillus" , count palatine of Lotharingia. He left three sons:*Hermann III, Vogt of Deutz in St...

, son of Hermann I "Pusillus", Count palatine of Lotharingia

Lotharingia

Counts of Berg

Adolf I of Lotharingia

grandson, Adolf I of Berg

Adolf I of Berg

Adolf I of Berg, count of Berg from 1077 until 1082, Vogt of Werden, Deutz, Berg and Gerresheim , son of Adolf II of Lotharingia count of Keldachgau, Vogt of Deutz...

, Vogt of Werden Abbey, became the first Count of Berg

Berg (state)

Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...

in 1050. The Counts of Berg became the most powerful dynasty in the Rhine region. Early rulers of Berg were:

Adolf I of Lotharingia
Adolf I of Lotharingia
Adolf I of Lotharingia, count of Keldachgau, Vogt of Deutz from 1008 until 1018, was the son of Hermann I "Pusillus" , count palatine of Lotharingia. He left three sons:*Hermann III, Vogt of Deutz in St...

, count in Keldachgau, Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...

of Deutz from 1008 until 1018.
Adolf II of Lotharingia
Adolf II of Lotharingia
Adolf II of Lotharingia count in Keldachgau, Vogt of Deutz , son of Adolf I of Lotharingia, count in Keldachgau, Vogt of Deutz. He left two sons:...

, count in Keldachgau and Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...

of Deutz.
Adolf I of Berg
Adolf I of Berg
Adolf I of Berg, count of Berg from 1077 until 1082, Vogt of Werden, Deutz, Berg and Gerresheim , son of Adolf II of Lotharingia count of Keldachgau, Vogt of Deutz...

, 1st Count of Berg from 1077 till 1082, Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...

of Werden, Deutz, Berg and Gerresheim.
Adolf II of Berg
Adolf II of Berg
Adolf II of Berg-Hövel , count of Berg, count in Auelgau and Siegburg, Vogt of Werden , was the son of Adolf I of Berg. He married in 1035 Adelheid von Laufen, a daughter of Heinrich II count von Laufen and Ida von Werl-Hövel , and heiress of Hövel/Huvili, Unna, Telgte, Warendorf, etc...

-Hövel (Huvili), Count of Berg from 1082 till 1093. He married in 1035 Adelheid von Laufen, heiress of Hövel
Hovel
Hovel can mean:*A small poor-quality house: see wikt:hovel*Hövels is a municipality in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....

, Unna, Telgte, Warendorf, etc. He founded the Altenberg
Altenberg
Altenberg is a German language place name and may refer to:Places in Germany:*Altenberg, Germany, a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany...

monastery.
Adolf III
Adolf III
Adolf III of Berg was count of Berg from 1093 until 1132, and count of Hövel from 1090 until 1106, Vogt of Werden , son of Adolf II of Berg-Hövel, count of Berg, and Adelheid von Laufen....

, Count of Berg from 1093 till 1132. His son, Eberhard of Berg, 1st Abbot of Georgenthal
Georgenthal
Georgenthal is a municipality in the district of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany....

, convinced his brother Adolf IV
Adolf IV
Adolf IV of Berg count of Berg from 1132 until 1160 and of Altena , son of Adolf III of Berg count of Berg and Hövel. He married Adelheid von Arnsberg, a daughter of Heinrich count von Rietberg; then Irmgard von Schwartzenberg, a daughter of Engelbert von Schwarzenberg.He built the Schloss...

to donate the Altenberg
Altenberg
Altenberg is a German language place name and may refer to:Places in Germany:*Altenberg, Germany, a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany...

monastery to the Cistercian Order. His youngest son, Bruno II
Bruno II von Berg
Bruno II of Berg was the Archbishop of Cologne from 1131 until 1137.Bruno II of Berg was a son of Count Adolf III of Berg. In 1119 he was mentioned as a Provost in Cologne, and he became the Provost of St. Gereon in Cologne in 1127...

, Archbishop of Cologne, died in 1137 in Apulia on campaign with King Lothair of Germany against Roger II of Sicily
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...

.
Adolf IV
Adolf IV
Adolf IV of Berg count of Berg from 1132 until 1160 and of Altena , son of Adolf III of Berg count of Berg and Hövel. He married Adelheid von Arnsberg, a daughter of Heinrich count von Rietberg; then Irmgard von Schwartzenberg, a daughter of Engelbert von Schwarzenberg.He built the Schloss...

, Count of Berg from 1132 till 1160 and Count of Altena. He built the Schloss Altena
Altena
Altena is a town in the district of Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town's castle is the origin for the later Dukes of Berg. Altena is situated on the Lenne river valley, in the northern streches of the Sauerland.-History:...

, and built the Altenberg
Altenberg
Altenberg is a German language place name and may refer to:Places in Germany:*Altenberg, Germany, a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany...

monastery where he enters in 1160. He is father of one crusader (Adolf V, killed in Damascus in 1108), two Archbishops of Cologne and Duke of Westfalia and one Prince Bishop of Osnabrück
Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück
The Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück was a prince-bishopric centred on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück. The diocese was erected in 772 and is the oldest see founded by Charlemagne, in order to Christianize the conquered stem-duchy of Saxony....

.
Engelbert I
Engelbert I of Berg (count)
Count Engelbert I of Berg ruled the County of Berg from 1160 to 1189. He was the son of Adolf IV of Berg.Through his loyalty to the German Emperor and the Archbishops of Cologne he succeeded in stabilising the county and increasing its revenues...

, Count of Berg from 1160 till 1189. He brought stability and prosperity to the county. In July 1189 he was killed on his way to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...

with the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...

.
Adolf VI
Adolf VI
Count Adolf VI of Berg ruled the County of Berg from 1197 until 1218.-Life:...

, Count of Berg from 1189 till 1218. In 1212 he took part to the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...

against the Cathars. He died in 1218 in combat as commander of the troops in Damiette, in the delta of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...

, with the Fifth Crusade
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....

. He left no son, and Berg
Berg (state)
Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...

passed under the regency of his brother Engelbert II
Engelbert II of Berg
Count Engelbert II of Berg, also known as Saint Engelbert, Engelbert of Cologne, Engelbert I, Archbishop of Cologne or Engelbert I of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne was Archbishop of Cologne and a saint; he was the victim of a notorious murder by a member of his own family.-Early life:Engelbert was...

, then to his daughter Irmgard
Irmgard of Berg
Irmgard of Berg, heiress of Berg , was the child of Adolf VI count of Berg and Berta von Sayn.She married in 1217 Henry IV, Duke of Limburg , who became count of Berg in 1225. Henry IV of Limburg-Berg died on 25 Feb 1246; their descendants were counts of Berg, the county of Berg leaving the...

.
Engelbert II of Berg
Engelbert II of Berg
Count Engelbert II of Berg, also known as Saint Engelbert, Engelbert of Cologne, Engelbert I, Archbishop of Cologne or Engelbert I of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne was Archbishop of Cologne and a saint; he was the victim of a notorious murder by a member of his own family.-Early life:Engelbert was...

, Archbishop of Cologne, Regent of Berg from 1218 till 1225, better known as Saint Engelbert of Cologne. He was killed by his cousin Frederick of Isenberg
Frederick of Isenberg
Count Frederick of Isenberg was a German noble, the younger son of Count Arnold of Altena...

(see below).
Irmgard
Irmgard of Berg
Irmgard of Berg, heiress of Berg , was the child of Adolf VI count of Berg and Berta von Sayn.She married in 1217 Henry IV, Duke of Limburg , who became count of Berg in 1225. Henry IV of Limburg-Berg died on 25 Feb 1246; their descendants were counts of Berg, the county of Berg leaving the...

, heiress of Berg until 1248, married to Henry IV
Henry IV of Limburg
Henry IV was the duke of Limburg and count of Berg from 1226 to his death. He was the son of Waleran III, count of Luxembourg and duke of Limburg, and Cunigunda, daughter of Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine....

Duke of Limburg, and future Count of Berg.

Counts of Altena and Isenberg

Eberhard IV of Berg, son of Adolf IV

Adolf IV

Adolf IV of Berg count of Berg from 1132 until 1160 and of Altena , son of Adolf III of Berg count of Berg and Hövel. He married Adelheid von Arnsberg, a daughter of Heinrich count von Rietberg; then Irmgard von Schwartzenberg, a daughter of Engelbert von Schwarzenberg.He built the Schloss...

of Berg and Altena, inherited the eastern territorium of County of Berg. With him, the oldest line of the Counts of Berg takes from 1166 the name and title of Counts of Altena

Altena

Altena is a town in the district of Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town's castle is the origin for the later Dukes of Berg. Altena is situated on the Lenne river valley, in the northern streches of the Sauerland.-History:...

(on the Lenne, Westphalia). Eberhard's territorium was later divided between his two sons:

Arnold of Altena
Arnold of Altena
Arnold of Altena, count of Altena, count of Isenberg and Hövel, Vogt of Werden was son of Eberhard IV of Berg. He inherited the north-western territorium of Altena, and became 1st count of Isenberg in 1200....

, the eldest, inherited the north-western territorium of Altena, and became 1st count of Isenberg
Isenberg
Isenberg was a County of medieval Germany. It was a partition of the County of Altena, and was annexed to Limburg-Isenberg in 1242.-Counts of Isenberg :* Eberhard II of Altena, count of Altena and Isenberg...

(on the Ruhr, Hattingen) in 1200. He founded the line of the Counts of Isenberg and later Counts of Limburg (see below).
Frederick I, the youngest, inherited the south-eastern territory of Altena, and founded of the line of the Counts von der Marck
Marck
Marck may refer to:* Erard de la Marck, prince-bishop of Liège* John T. Marck, Beatles biographer who suggested that Real Love may have its origins in The Ballad of John and Yoko* Robert Fleuranges III de la Marck, marshal of France and historian...

, from which descend the dukes of Cleves
Duchy of Cleves
The Duchy of Cleves was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and the town of Wesel, bordering the lands of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the east and the Duchy of Brabant in the west...

, Jülich
Jülich
Jülich is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Jülich is well known as location of a world-famous research centre, the Forschungszentrum Jülich and as shortwave transmission site of Deutsche Welle...

and Berg
Berg (state)
Berg was a state – originally a county, later a duchy – in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.-Ascent:...

, the dukes of Nevers
Nevers
Nevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...

and Bouillon
Bouillon
Bouillon is a municipality in Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Luxembourg Province.The municipality, which covers 149.09 km², had 5,477 inhabitants, giving a population density of 36.7 inhabitants per km².- History :...

, the counts von Schleiden, etc.

The murder: from Isenberg to Limburg

Frederick II, Count of Isenberg

Frederick of Isenberg

Count Frederick of Isenberg was a German noble, the younger son of Count Arnold of Altena...

was a leading figure in the opposition of Westphalia

Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...

n nobles to the aggressive power politics of his cousin, the Archbishop of Cologne

Archbishopric of Cologne

, Engelbert II of Berg

Engelbert II of Berg

. In 1225 at the Nobles' Assembly in Soest

Soest, Germany

Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...

, Frederick met his cousin Engelbert von Berg in order to bring about a peaceful agreement concerning the stewardship (Vogtei) of the Abbey of Essen, which Frederick, according to contemporary complaints, was abusing to his own benefit and to the detriment of the Abbey. No conclusion was reached. During their return together from Soest to Cologne, Count Frederick arranged an ambush on his cousin, in a defile

Defile (geography)

Defile is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front...

at the foot of the Gevelsberg

Gevelsberg

Gevelsberg is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, .- Geography :The city extends from the wooded mountainous south up, into the narrow valley of the Ennepe with Route 7 up to the hilly northern part...

between Hagen

Hagen

Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...

and Schwelm

Schwelm

Schwelm is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis in the administrative region of Arnsberg within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.It's a town that's noted for the famed basketball player Virgil Matthews.-Geography:...

in the late afternoon of 7 November 1225: the Archbishop was killed.

There is no consensus as to whether it was a deliberately planned murder, or whether the Archbishop was killed in the heat of combat. Current research assumes the latter: Engelbert was intended to have been taken into "knightly detention" so that the political demands of the opposing nobility could be pushed through. This was in accordance with the customs of the medieval feuding ethos.

Frederick of Isenberg was outlawed and excommunicated. He was stripped of all offices and stewardships and his entire personal wealth was confiscated. In the winter of 1225/1226 the new Archbishop of Cologne, Heinrich von Müllenark

Archbishopric of Cologne

, besieged and destroyed his castle. His cousin, Adolf von der Mark, was attributed large portions of Frederick's possessions and as such re-united the former territory of Altena.

Frederick travelled with his brothers Dietrich and Engelbert, bishops of Münster

Bishopric of Münster

The Bishopric of Münster was an ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the northern part of today's North Rhine-Westphalia and western Lower Saxony...

and Osnabrück

Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück

The Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück was a prince-bishopric centred on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück. The diocese was erected in 772 and is the oldest see founded by Charlemagne, in order to Christianize the conquered stem-duchy of Saxony....

(both also implicated in the death of the Archbishop), and the notary of Isenberg with the necessary documents to the Curia

Curia

A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...

in Rome, in order to have the excommunication lifted. On the return journey Frederick was taken prisoner at Liège and sold for 2,100 silver marks

Mark (money)

Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...

to the chapter of Cologne cathedral. On 14 November 1226 he was executed in front of the Severin Gate. His arms and legs were smashed and he was broken on the wheel

Breaking wheel

The breaking wheel, also known as the Catherine wheel or simply the wheel, was a torture device used for capital punishment in the Middle Ages and early modern times for public execution by bludgeoning to death...

, after which he was displayed on a stone pillar. He did not die until the next day.

His son Count Dietrich I of Isenberg

Dietrich I of Isenberg

Dietrich I, last count of Isenberg and Altena, first count of Limburg , son of Friedrich II of Isenberg, count of Isenberg and Altena....

, disinherited of all his territories in the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

following the execution of his father, later fought with the military support of his uncle the Duke of Limburg

Duke of Limburg

, to retrieve his paternal inheritance. On 1 May 1243 a peace agreement was signed between Dietrich and Count Adolf von der Mark. He built the castles of Limburg (Hohenlimburg

Hohenlimburg

Hohenlimburg may refer to either:*Hagen-Hohenlimburg, formerly known as Limburg an der Lenne, a present day borough of the city of Hagen, Germany, or*Limburg-Hohenlimburg, a county in medieval Germany....

) and Neu Isenberg (soon lost in favour of the Counts von der Mark) and from 1246 took the title of Count of Limburg. Later, Dietrich's second son Johann

Johann of Isenberg-Limburg

Johann of Isenberg-Limburg, count of Limburg , son of Dietrich I of Isenberg. He married Agnes von Wildenberg; they had three children:* Dietrich II, count of Isenberg-Limburg Johann of Isenberg-Limburg, count of Limburg (born before 1246, died before 1277), son of Dietrich I of Isenberg. He...

gained ownership of Mülheim an der Ruhr and thereby of the castle of Styrum

Styrum

Styrum was an immediate lordship in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Mülheim an der Ruhr in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It held no seat in the Diet, and was totally circumvened by the lordship of Broich....

and took up residence there.

16th to 18th century

Count Georg of Limburg-Styrum married in 1539 Irmgarde of Wisch, Lady of Wisch op Oud-Wisch, Wildenborch, Overhagen and Lichtenvoorde, hereditary countess von Bronckhorst

Bronckhorst

Bronckhorst is the name of a municipality in Gelderland, the Netherlands. The municipality is the result of a merger of the former municipalities Hengelo, Hummelo en Keppel, Steenderen, Vorden and Zelhem, on 1 January 2005...

. Finally she inherited the possessions of her uncle, the last count of Bronckhorst

Bronckhorst

and Borculo

Borculo

Borculo is a former municipality and a village in the eastern Netherlands, in the Province of Gelderland.On January first 2005 the municipality Borculo merged with the municipalities of Eibergen, Neede and Ruurlo into the municipality of Berkelland....

. Her possessions passed to her son Hermann Georg of Limburg

Hermann Georg of Limburg

Hermann Georg of Limburg, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst , son of Georg of Limburg, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst.He married in 1554 Maria countess von Hoya und Bruchhausen and they had issue:...

, and the family settled in Gelderland

Gelderland

Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...

. His grandson, Jobst of Limburg-Styrum

Jobst of Limburg

Jobst of Limburg was count of Limburg and Bronckhorst, Lord of Styrum, Wisch and Borculo , and the son of Hermann Georg of Limburg, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst....

, married Maria of Holstein-Pinneberg, heir of the immediate lordship of Gemen

Gemen

Gemen was an immediate, sovereign lordship of the Holy Roman Empire, in the Lower Rhine region. Since Gemen had a vote in the Imperial Diet it was also an Imperial Estate. It was centered on Gemen, a small town and castle in the present municipality of Borken, western North Rhine-Westphalia.Gemen...

and Illereichen. Gemen

Gemen

stayed for two centuries to the Counts of Limburg Stirum.

His son Herman Otto I

Hermann Otto I of Limburg

Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst, lord of Styrum, Gemen, Wisch and Borculo, and from 1640 to 1644 advocate of the imperial abbey of Vreden, was born in 1592, and died on 17 October 1644...

, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst

Bronckhorst

, sovereign lord zu Gemen

Gemen

, served in the armies of the Dutch Republic

Dutch Republic

The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...

. He commanded Christian of Brunswick's rearguard at the Battle of Stadtlohn

Battle of Stadtlohn

The Battle of Stadtlohn was fought on August 6, 1623 between the armies of Christian of Brunswick and of the Catholic League during the Thirty Years' War...

(1623) and the Dutch cavalry at the Siege of Groenlo

Siege of Groenlo

Siege of Grol may refer to:* The capture of Grol in 1580 by Count Rennenberg * The Siege of Grol in 1595 by Maurice of Orange * The Siege of Grol in 1597 by Maurice of Orange...

(1627). In 1644, the three sons of Herman Otto I

Hermann Otto I of Limburg

divided the family possessions between themselves:

Limburg Bronckhorst

Otto of Limburg

Otto of Limburg, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst, was the son of Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum.He married in 1643 Elisabeth Charlotte countess von Dohna and they had eight children:* Otto Christoffel, who was killed in 1673;...

obtained the territories of Bronckhorst

Bronckhorst

and Borculo

Borculo

. He founded the older line, still alive today.

In the long conflict (known as the "Borculo question") between the heirs of the last count of Limburg-Bronckhorst, Joost (deceased in 1553 without children), and the Prince-Bishop of Munster over ownership of Borculo, the Court of Gelderland ruled on 20 December 1615 in favour of count Joost van Limburg and Bronkhorst. The ruling was imposed by troops from Zutphen, taking over the castle and city of Lichtenvoorde

Lichtenvoorde

Lichtenvoorde is a town in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Oost Gelre.Until 1 January 2005, Lichtenvoorde was an independent municipality. It includes also four small villages: Lievelde, Zieuwent, Vragender and Harreveld. The number of inhabitants in this municipality is about 20,000.The...

in December 1615, and the castle and city of Borculo

Borculo

in February 1616 after short combat. Prince Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen, tried again twice to keep Borculo under Munster's authority, but without success.

The lordship of Bronckhorst

Bronckhorst

was sold in 1721 by Maria of Limburg Styrum. In 1726 was the lordship of Borculo

Borculo

sold by count Leopold to the count of Flodorf.

Limburg Stirum Gemen

Adolf Ernst

Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum

Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Stirum, sovereign lord zu Gemen, son of Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum.Adolf Ernst inherited the immediate lordship of Gemen at the death of his father in 1644, creating the Limburg-Styrum-Gemen branch of the family...

of Limburg Stirum obtained the immediate lordship of Gemen

Gemen

and Illereichen in the partition in 1644 and ruled it until his death in 1657. He founded the line of Limburg Stirum Gemen. In 1782, with extinction of Gemen branch of the House of Limburg Stirum, Gemen was inherited by the line of Limburg Stirum Iller-Aicheheim.

- 1657-1675 - (Maria) Isabella countess von Vehlen und Meggen zu Raesfeld, wife of Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum
  Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum
  Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Stirum, sovereign lord zu Gemen, son of Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum.Adolf Ernst inherited the immediate lordship of Gemen at the death of his father in 1644, creating the Limburg-Styrum-Gemen branch of the family...
  
  , was Regent of Gemen after the death of her husband. The reason for the long regency is not known.
- 1675-1704 - Hermann Otto II
  Hermann Otto II of Limburg Stirum
  General Hermann Otto II of Limburg Stirum , count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, sovereign lord zu Gemen, was the son of Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum and an imperial army commander....
  
  of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, son of the two above. He fought in the War of the Spanish Succession
  War of the Spanish Succession
  The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
  
  in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor
  Holy Roman Emperor
  The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
  
  Leopold I against France and Bavaria. In 1703, he lost the Battle of Höchstädt
  Battle of Höchstädt
  The first Battle of Höchstädt was fought on 20 September 1703, near Höchstädt in Bavaria, and resulted in a French-Bavarian victory under Marshal Villars against the Austrians under General Limburg Styrum.-Prelude:...
  
  against the French-Bavarian forces. In 1704, he led the second assault on enemy positions in the Battle of Schellenberg
  Battle of Schellenberg
  The Battle of Schellenberg, also known as the Battle of Donauwörth, was fought on 2 July 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement was part of the Duke of Marlborough's campaign to save the Habsburg capital of Vienna from a threatened advance by King Louis XIV's Franco-Bavarian...
  
  and was mortally wounded. He died a few days later;
- 1704-1743 - Otto Leopold
  Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum
  Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Styrum and Bronckhorst, sovereign lord zu Gemen and Raesfeld, was born in 1688 the son of Hermann Otto II of Limburg Stirum....
  
  of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign lord zu Gemen and Raesfeld, inherited Gemen
  Gemen
  Gemen was an immediate, sovereign lordship of the Holy Roman Empire, in the Lower Rhine region. Since Gemen had a vote in the Imperial Diet it was also an Imperial Estate. It was centered on Gemen, a small town and castle in the present municipality of Borken, western North Rhine-Westphalia.Gemen...
  
  at the death of his father. He also inherited from his grandfather Alexander IV count von Velen zu Raesfeld
  Raesfeld
  Raesfeld is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south of Borken and 30 km east of the Dutch border. Raesfeld's landmark is the water castle at the edge of town, built in the 13th century.-External links:* ...
  
  the Lordship of Raesfeld
  Raesfeld
  Raesfeld is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south of Borken and 30 km east of the Dutch border. Raesfeld's landmark is the water castle at the edge of town, built in the 13th century.-External links:* ...
  
  ;
- 1743-1771 - Friedrich Karl
  Friedrich Karl of Limburg Stirum
  Friedrich Karl of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Styrum and Bronckhorst, sovereign lord of Gemen, son of Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum, was born in 1710....
  
  of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign lord zu Gemen, son of Otto Leopold
  Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum
  Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Styrum and Bronckhorst, sovereign lord zu Gemen and Raesfeld, was born in 1688 the son of Hermann Otto II of Limburg Stirum....
  
  . He died in 1771 without descendants and both Gemen
  Gemen
  Gemen was an immediate, sovereign lordship of the Holy Roman Empire, in the Lower Rhine region. Since Gemen had a vote in the Imperial Diet it was also an Imperial Estate. It was centered on Gemen, a small town and castle in the present municipality of Borken, western North Rhine-Westphalia.Gemen...
  
  and Raesfeld
  Raesfeld
  Raesfeld is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south of Borken and 30 km east of the Dutch border. Raesfeld's landmark is the water castle at the edge of town, built in the 13th century.-External links:* ...
  
  passed to his brother August Philip
  August Philip of Limburg Stirum
  August Philipp Karl of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, was born in 1721, son of Otto Leopold Count von Limburg Styrum und Bronckhorst, Lord of Gemen and Raesfeld and Anna Elisabeth countess of Schönborn .August Philipp was Prince-Bishop of Speyer and sovereign Lord zu...
  
  , Prince-Bishop of Speyer;
- 1771-1776 - August Philip
  August Philip of Limburg Stirum
  August Philipp Karl of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, was born in 1721, son of Otto Leopold Count von Limburg Styrum und Bronckhorst, Lord of Gemen and Raesfeld and Anna Elisabeth countess of Schönborn .August Philipp was Prince-Bishop of Speyer and sovereign Lord zu...
  
  , Prince-Bishop of Speyer, count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, brother of the above;
- 1776-1798 - Karl Josef
  Karl Josef of Limburg Stirum
  Karl Josef Maximilian of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Styrum, sovereign lord zu Gemen, was the son of Alois of Limburg Stirum.He inherited the immediate lordship of Gemen from his uncle Ferdinand I of Limburg Stirum in 1791 and remained until his death in 1798...
  
  , count of Limburg Stirum, Sovereign Lord zu Gemen, cousin of the above;
- 1798-1800 - Ferdinand IV
  Ferdinand IV of Limburg Stirum
  Ferdinand IV of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Styrum zu Illereichen, sovereign lord zu Gemen. He was born in 1785, son of Johann of Limburg Stirum, and died at the age of 15 in 1800....
  
  , count of Limburg Stirum zu Illereichen, grandson of the above, was the last Sovereign Lord zu Gemen before it passed to the Barons of Bomelberg in 1800.

In 1806, Gemen was mediatized to the Princes of Salm-Kyrburg. It passed to France in 1810, then to Prussia in 1814.

Limburg Styrum

Moritz of Limburg-Styrum

Moritz of Limburg

Moritz of Limburg Stirum was the son of Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum.He was count of Limburg and Bronkhorst, Lord zu Styrum, Wisch, Borculo and Gemen. He became hereditary banneret of the Principality of Guelders and of the County of Zütphen...

obtained the ownership of Mülheim an der Ruhr and thereby of the immediate lordship of Styrum

Styrum

, and later Oberstein. Here he founded the line of counts of Limburg-Styrum-Styrum

Limburg-Styrum-Styrum

Limburg-Styrum-Styrum was a County of medieval Germany, based in the Lordship of Styrum in modern North Rhine-Westphalia. Limburg-Styrum-Styrum was a partition of Limburg-Styrum in 1644...

, extinct in 1809. Moritz later also became hereditary banneret of the Principality of Guelders and of the County of Zütphen. He married his cousin Maria Bernhardine of Limburg and Bronckhorst.

In the mediatisation

German Mediatisation

of 1806, Styrum came under control of the Grand Duchy of Berg

Grand Duchy of Berg

The Grand Duchy of Berg was established by Napoleon Bonaparte after his victory at the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz on territories between the French Empire at the Rhine river and the Kingdom of Westphalia.-History:...

. The last count of Limburg-Styrum-Styrum

Limburg-Styrum-Styrum

Limburg-Styrum-Styrum was a County of medieval Germany, based in the Lordship of Styrum in modern North Rhine-Westphalia. Limburg-Styrum-Styrum was a partition of Limburg-Styrum in 1644...

, Ernst (deceased on 23 March 1809) in his will donated Styrum to the sister of his wife: Maria Margaretha von Humbracht, who sold it in 1825. Oberstein was mediatized at the Treaty of Lunéville

Treaty of Lunéville

The Treaty of Lunéville was signed on 9 February 1801 between the French Republic and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, negotiating both on behalf of his own domains and of the Holy Roman Empire...

in 1801, however Ernst was never compensated by the Final Recess in 1803.

Mediatization

The Limburg Stirum held seats in the Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Diet until 1800, through their possessions of immediate lordships in Gemen, Oberstein, Styrum, etc.
When the branch of Gemen became extinct in 1800, the branch of Styrum failed to inherit their rights and possessions, and the sovereignty of Gemen passed to the barons of Boyneburg-Bömelberg.

In 1806 the Confederation of the Rhine occurred and Gemen was mediatized (hence making the barons of Boyneburg-Bömelberg the only barons together with the Bentincks to be mediatized).
At the same moment Limburg-Styrum-Styrum was mediatized to the Grand Duchy of Berg

Grand Duchy of Berg

. This branch became extinct three years later in 1809. Since the German Confederation officially confirmed the mediatized status in 1829, the Limburg Stirum are often left away from the section of sovereign houses of the Almanach de Gotha

Almanach de Gotha

The Almanach de Gotha was a respected directory of Europe's highest nobility and royalty. First published in 1763 by C.W. Ettinger in Gotha at the ducal court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, it was regarded as an authority in the classification of monarchies, princely and ducal...

. Nevertheless, the family should be considered a mediatized family of sovereign monarchs and should carry the title of Erlaucht.

19th century until today

The titles of the House of Limburg Stirum were confirmed in 1812 by Napoleon and in 1814 the family was recognised in the nobility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...

(name: van Limburg Stirum). Members of the House of Limburg Stirum are recognized as sovereign Counts of the Holy Roman Empire.

Notable figures in recent history are:

Leopold of Limburg Stirum
Leopold Karel, Count of Limburg Stirum
Leopold Count van Limburg Stirum was a politician who was part of the Dutch triumvirate that took power in 1813 in order to re-establish the monarchy in the Netherlands.- Career :...

(1758–1840), member of the Driemanschap, the General Government that took power in 1813 in the name of the Prince of Oranje-Nassau, in order to re-establish the monarchy in the Netherlands.
Friedrich zu Limburg-Stirum served as Foreign Minister of Germany
Foreign Minister of Germany
The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs is the head of the Federal Foreign Office and a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The current office holder is Guido Westerwelle...

in 1880-1881.
Johan Paul of Limburg Stirum
Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum
Johan Paul, Count of Limburg Stirum was a reformist in the time of World War I.He made a rapid career as a diplomat of the Netherlands and was, among others, envoy in China and Sweden. Thanks to his knowledge of Asia, the government Cort van der Linden named him in 1916 Gouverneur General of the...

(1873–1948), Dutch diplomat and reformist Governor General of the Dutch Indies. He worked for the economic development and the autonomy of the colony.
Charles of Limburg Stirum
Charles, Count of Limburg Stirum
Count Charles Gaëtan Corneille Marie François-Xavier Ghislain of Limburg Stirum, GCVO, GCSG , a Count of the Holy Roman Empire and Knight of the Golden Fleece , was a member of the House of Limburg-Stirum...

(1906–1989), Belgian Senator, member of the armed resistant during World War II, was later Grand Master of the House of H.M. King Leopold III of Belgium. He is Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Franz von Limburg Stirum, the current head of the House, lives in Finland.

Others

The Counts of Limburg Stirum created two orders of knighthood: the Order of the Four Emperors

Order of the Four Emperors

The Order of the Old Nobility, also called Order of the Four Emperors , is an old family order of knighthood, established on 6 December 1768, of the Counts of Limburg Stirum, sovereign rulers of the counties of the same name in Westfalia.With this Order were honoured the four Emperors of the Holy...

and the Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg

Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg

The Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg , is an old order of knighthood established in 1700 by the Counts of Limburg Stirum, sovereign rulers of the counties of the same name in Westfalia...

. In 1806 the Counts of Limburg Stirum were mediatized and lost their rights on their territories. However the Order Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg

Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg

The Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg , is an old order of knighthood established in 1700 by the Counts of Limburg Stirum, sovereign rulers of the counties of the same name in Westfalia...

was still in use till 1838.

Limburg Stirum is also the name of a mountain, 2350 meters high, standing in the Belgica Mountains

Belgica Mountains

Belgica Mountains is an isolated chain of mountains about long, standing east-southeast of the Sor Rondane Mountains in Queen Maud Land, in the Antarctic. The chain was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Gaston de Gerlache, and named after the ship Belgica, commanded by his...

in Antarctic. It was discovered by the Belgian expedition (1957–58) under G. de Gerlache, who named it for Count Charles de Limburg Stirum

Charles, Count of Limburg Stirum

Count Charles Gaëtan Corneille Marie François-Xavier Ghislain of Limburg Stirum, GCVO, GCSG , a Count of the Holy Roman Empire and Knight of the Golden Fleece , was a member of the House of Limburg-Stirum...

, a patron of the expedition.

Count Rodolphe de Limburg Stirum, son of Count Christian de Limburg Stirum, married on Dec. 6, 2008 in Mechelen, Belgium, Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, a niece of current reigning Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. She is the great-granddaughter of King Leopold III of Belgium

Leopold III of Belgium

Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...

on her mother's side and Emperor Charles I of Austria on her father's side.

Literature

Genealogische Handbuch des Adels, Gräfliche Häuser A Band II, 1955;
W. Gf v. Limburg Stirum, "Stamtafel der Graven van Limburg Stirum", 's Gravenhage 1878;
A.M.H.J. Stokvis, "Manuel d'Histoire, de Genealogie et de Chronologie de tous les États du Globe", Tome III, Leiden 1890-93;
W. K. Prins v. Isenburg, "Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europaischen Staaten", 2. Aufl., Marburg/Lahn, 1953.

External links

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