Leyen
Encyclopedia
The House of Leyen is an ancient German
family of high nobility, the origin of which can be traced to the middle of the 12th century, which had estates at the Moselle River. Originally the family was named by its castle in Gondorf
(Cunthereve). Since the 14th century it has called itself von der Leyen. Its members have the hereditary office of sénéchal in the bishopric of Trier. They also have Adendorf
near Bonn, Leiningen on the Hunsrück
, the Lordship of Arenfels and St. Ingbert.
Since 1653 the family was an Imperial Barony (Reichsfreiherrn) and acquired until 1660 as an addition to its scattered territories the Lordships of Burresheim and Blieskastell, where it built a residence around 1760. In 1697 the family received the county of Hohengeroldseck
as a fiefdom
from Austria
. In 1711 the family's members became imperial counts and in 1806 imperial princes with sovereignty over Hohengeroldseck. In 1819 the principality was mediatized under Baden
.
Two members of the family became Archbishop of Trier:
and one Archbishop of Mainz:
The family also includes physician Heiko von der Leyen
, and by marriage, politician Ursula von der Leyen
.
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...
family of high nobility, the origin of which can be traced to the middle of the 12th century, which had estates at the Moselle River. Originally the family was named by its castle in Gondorf
Kobern-Gondorf
Kobern-Gondorf is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
(Cunthereve). Since the 14th century it has called itself von der Leyen. Its members have the hereditary office of sénéchal in the bishopric of Trier. They also have Adendorf
Adendorf
Adendorf is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
near Bonn, Leiningen on the Hunsrück
Hunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
, the Lordship of Arenfels and St. Ingbert.
Since 1653 the family was an Imperial Barony (Reichsfreiherrn) and acquired until 1660 as an addition to its scattered territories the Lordships of Burresheim and Blieskastell, where it built a residence around 1760. In 1697 the family received the county of Hohengeroldseck
Hohengeroldseck
The Hohengeroldseck family or House of Geroldseck was a German noble family which arrived in Baden-Baden about 948 AD and ended on the male line in 1636 with the death of Kurfürsten Jacob von und zu Geroldseck. They were heavily involved in mining of ores, especially silver. The Hohengeroldseck...
as a fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. In 1711 the family's members became imperial counts and in 1806 imperial princes with sovereignty over Hohengeroldseck. In 1819 the principality was mediatized under Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
.
Two members of the family became Archbishop of Trier:
- 1556-1567 Johann von der LeyenJohann von der LeyenJohann von der Leyen was the Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1556 to 1567.-Biography:Johann von der Leyen was born in Saffig in 1510, the son of Bartholomäus von der Leyen, chancellor of the Archbishopric of Cologne, and his wife Katharina von Pallandt. He became Domizellar of the Cathedral of...
- 1652-1676 Karl Kaspar von der Leyen-HohengeroldseckKarl Kaspar von der Leyen-HohengeroldseckKarl Kaspar von der Leyen was Archbishop-Elector of Trier and a Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 1652 to 1676.- Life :A member of the noble Leyen family, Charles Kaspar was made a coadjutor bishop on 11 June 1650...
and one Archbishop of Mainz:
- 1675–1678 Damian Hartard von der Leyen-HohengeroldseckDamian Hartard von der Leyen-HohengeroldseckDamian Hartard Reichsfreiherr von der Leyen-Hohengeroldseck was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz and the Bishop of Worms from 1675 to 1678.-Biography:...
The family also includes physician Heiko von der Leyen
Heiko von der Leyen
Heiko Echter von der Leyen is a German professor of medicine and the husband of politician Ursula von der Leyen. He is a member of the ancient noble Leyen family....
, and by marriage, politician Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician of the conservative Christian Democratic Union.Since 30 November 2009, she has served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Second Cabinet Merkel. In the First Cabinet Merkel , she served as Federal Minister of Family...
.