The Schoenaich family descends from the ancient nobility of Lower Lusatia and is first documented in 1329 with
Tytzko (Dietrich) von Schoenaich. A village of the same name, known since 1945 as
Piękne Kąty, is now part of
Carolath. Another village of the same name is located near
Sorau in the Neumark region, today's
Sieciejów. Around 1550,
Fabian von Schoenaich (1509–1591) from the
Sprottau line of Franz von
Rechenberg acquired the Lower Silesian Lordships of Carolath and
Beuthen an der Oder, which belonged to the
Duchy of Glogau, a fiefdom since 1344 and reversionary to the
Bohemian Crown in 1490. The sovereign confirmation of the entail took place in 1601 with the title "Baron of Beuthen" (
Freiherr von Beuthen). On 28 June 1616, the hereditary Austrian baronial status was confirmed. Fabian appointed the son of a cousin, Georg von Schönaich, as his heir. In 1595, he married Fabian's widow, Elisabeth von Landskron (d. 1614), and in 1597, he had
Carolath Castle built. In 1613, he acquired the
Amtitz estate in Lower Lusatia, and in 1614, he founded the university-like educational institution known as the Schönaichianum in Beuthen an der Oder, where both Lutherans and Calvinists taught. His nephew, Johannes (1589–1639), paid homage to the Bohemian King
Frederick V ("Winter King") during the
Bohemian Revolt in 1618. As a result, he was fined in 1637, his lands confiscated, and the
Schönaichianum handed over to the
Jesuits during the
Counter-Reformation. In 1697, the Bohemian ruler,
Emperor Joseph I, granted the two estates legal status as
Free Estates. Baron Hans Georg von Schoenaich-Beuthen was elevated to the rank of
Imperial Count in 1700. His son,
Hans Carl zu Carolath-Beuthen (1688–1763), swore an oath of homage to the sovereign,
Emperor Joseph I, in
Breslau in 1710 and purchased the position of
Privy Councilor in 1730. He also acquired the estates of
Padligar and Ostreritz. After the conquest of Silesia by
Frederick II in 1742, the Reformed Count was one of the first important Silesian magnates to pay homage to the Prussian king. In gratitude, he was elevated to the Prussian princely rank in 1741, receiving the title "
Prince of Carolath-Schönaich" (
Fürst zu Carolath-Schönaich), and from 1753 "
Prince of Carolath-Beuthen" (
Fürst zu Carolath-Beuthen), as well as the unlimited title of "Prince/ess of Schoenaich-Carolath" for his descendants—a unique honor from
Frederick the Great. Hans Carl zu Carolath also rose to become the first President of the Higher Administrative Government (
Oberamtsregierung) and President of the Constituent Assembly in Breslau. His son, Johann Carl Friedrich (1716–1791), served the king as a General and Envoy. The brothers Karl (1785–1820) and Friedrich (1790–1859) founded the two lines of the house: the elder inherited the three Lordships of Carolath, Beuthen and
Amtitz, the younger
Saabor Castle and the Lordship of
Saabor. A further division of the inheritance took place when the 5th Prince, Karl (1845–1912), received Carolath and Beuthen, and his younger brother Prince Heinrich (1852–1920) received the Lordship of
Amtitz. The
primogeniture title "Prince of Carolath-Beuthen" was confirmed to Prince Heinrich of Carolath-Beuthen in 1861 when the Prussian title of
Serene Highness was awarded. The later-born members bear the name Prince or Princess of Schoenaich-Carolath. In 1854, the family achieved hereditary membership in the
Prussian House of Lords. In 1896, the estate and manor of
Haseldorf (with
Haselau and
Hetlingen) in
Schleswig-Holstein, as well as Palsgaard Castle (
Schloss Palsgård) in
Denmark, passed to Prince Emil von Schoenaich-Carolath-Schilden (1852–1908), son of Emilie von Oppen-Schilden. Haseldorf remains in the family to this day. The widow of Prince Johann Georg (1873–1920) of
Saabor, Princess
Hermine Reuss of Greiz (1887–1947), became the second wife of the former German Emperor and Prussian King
Wilhelm II in 1922. With the flight and expulsion in 1945, the Silesian possessions were expropriated. ==Properties==