Origins According to notes compiled by Ludwig von Hohenfeld between 1625 and 1631, the Hohenfeld family would indirectly descend from "
Adolsgerium Kuniboldi ex sanguine Herculis Alemani postremi germaniae regis filius filius" anno 493 (Adolsgerius, son of
Chunibold, son of the last king of Germany
Alemanus Hercules de]). This Alemanus Hercules was a mythical king of Germany (besides an alleged founder of
Bavaria and associated with
Regensburg), whose popularity increased by the works of
Johannes Aventinus that were published in the late 16th century. At around the same time, in 1639, Conrad Kempff produced a genealogical tree of the family, where he traces back the roots of the family to a progenitor in the 11th century,
Babo of Hochfeld (Hochenfeld), as one of the 32 legendary sons of Count Babo of Abensperg. The
Babonids, Count Babo's direct ancestors and successors as Burggraves of Regensburg and surrounding possessions, were closely related and affiliated with the
Babenberger and both descended from the
Popponids (all named after the leading name
Babo). The line of the Babonids were extinguished in 1196, after which their goods were appropriated by the
Counts of Wittelsbach in the early 13th century. According to Kempff, the descendants of Babo of Hochfeld stayed in Bavaria until about 1200 after which they migrated from Bavaria to Austria; this migration may have been caused by the loss of their Babonid protectors. No evidence of the supposed descent from the Babonids exists, let alone of Adolsgerius. The Babenberger (being possibly related to the Hohenfelder) could have provided a refuge, after the appropriation of the Babonid goods by the Wittelsbach. From the early 13th century onwards, the main branch of the Hohenfeld family – Heinrich's elder brother Georg and his son
Otto I von Hohenfeld (about 1245–1328) – settled in
St Georgen im Attergau in Upper Austria, also under control of the Babenberger dukes. This is the main branch from whom the uninterrupted line of the Hohenfeld family can be traced back. A record referring to an
Ulreich von Hohenfeld, as noted in the
Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, is dated to 1 May 1291, but this Ulreich can as of yet not be linked. Strnad (1868) theorized that the brothers or cousins
Ulreich and
Otto de Hohenwelden were in fact of local origin and descended from the Lords of Wasen (also known as Counts of
Attersee or the Chamer/Kamer) in the
Attergau region; they would simply have changed their names. However, this theory seems to have been based mostly on the names Ulreich and Otto, while no castle or toponym relating to Hohenfeld or Hochfeld can be attributed that would explain the change of name. The family belonged to the ranks of the lower nobility at first. But over the centuries, they acquired many lands and held important offices in Austria and in the German lands. The family intermarried among the twelve so-called "Apostle Houses", such as the
Traun, Polheim
de],
Jörger, and
Zinzendorf. They were known as
ministeriales of the
Counts of Schaunberg, from whom they acquired Castle Edramsberg in 1472.
Christoph von Hohenfeld (died 1496) joined the
Mailberger Bund de] in 1451, alongside Ulrich von Eyczing
de] and
Ulrich of Celje, against
Frederick III. but his title fell into disuse and the diploma itself was lost in 1620. Achaz Hohenfelder even forbade his sons to aspire to the lordship, ‘for arrogance would avert the blessing of God and the propagation of the family.’ Wolfgang was head of the only extant branch of the Hohenfeld family by that time. He was befriended with some of the most influential Protestant nobles such as Jörg von Perkheim (~1485-1559) and Christoph II Jörger von Tollet (~1502-~1578). The former of these happened to be Wolfgang's closest aristocratic neighbor, and the latter was an early Protestant convert who had studied under
Martin Luther and returned to Austria as a propagator of Protestantism. Wolfgang's only surviving son,
Achaz von Hohenfeld (~1535-1603), studied in
Wittenberg in 1557 and in
Tübingen under
Philip Melanchthon in 1561. Returning to Austria, he became an inspector of a collegiate school in 1571 He became involved, among others, with
Jakob Andreae. After Achaz' death in 1603, the Hohenfeld titles, goods, and Protestant legacy were passed on to his sons Otto, Wolfgang, Ludwig, Christoph, Michael, and Rudolph – born between 1575 and 1585. The Hohenfeld did not sign the League of Horn
de] in 1608, but continued to be related and affiliated to many of its signers, consisting of influential Protestant nobles. (grandson of aforementioned Jakob Andreae). In 1625, Ludwig was forced to flee to Andreae's home in Württemberg, and, in 1635, to sell his possessions at Weidenholz (near Waizenkirchen). • His daughter
Katharina (1608-1665) describes the family's mood while in exile in
Esslingen "''Our dear father should have experienced it more blessedly; [God] has brought him into the ditches. [...] My brother [Achaz] can't believe how he feels, he can't even cry about it.''" • His son
Achaz (1610-1672)
de] rose to a prominent position at the court in Nassau-Diez, but eventually converted to Catholicism 1669 after his marriage to the catholic Anna-Ursula
von Metternich-Winneburg, and his offspring remained catholic. His descendants held many positions throughout Germany, but his known male line died out in the 18th century. • Another son,
Wolfgang (1616-1679), ended up with the lordship of Binningen in Switzerland, through an inheritance of his wife, a Polheim-Wartemburg, but his line ended with his son Carl Ludwig. •
Markus (1577-1618), lord of Almegg, Eitzing and Wildenberg, and his offspring converted to Catholicism and remained in Upper Austria. • His eldest surviving son,
Ferdinand (1612–1675), took over the family possessions in Upper Austria and was elevated to
Imperial Count in 1669. This line became the main line until the family's patrilineal extinction in 1824. •
Christoph (1580-1631), lord of Aistersheim, Almegg, and Peuerbach; so therefore in charge of the most important ancestral titles. He was married to Sidonia von
Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (~1584-1640), a granddaughter of Sigismund von Polheim
de], another important Protestant leader (1531–1598), and Potentiane von Hohenfeld, a distant cousin of Sidonia's husband. About 1620, the family flees Austria as an
Exulant de], first to
Sulzbach and later (on the enemy's approach of that town) to
Wunsiedel. The family castle at Aistersheim is plundered by
Tilly's troops in 1620 while on their way to Bohemia to fight in the Battle of White Mountain, and the castle's commander is beheaded and the garrison hanged. In 1625, Christoph gives up his claims on Peuerbach and he dies indebted in 1631. His wife Sidonia moves to
Regensburg and dies there as well in 1640. • Their twelve or more children are mostly unaccounted for. One son, Sigmund von Hohenfeld, still lives in Wunsiedel in 1686 when he writes a letter to Markgrave
Christian Ernst von Brandenburg-Bayreuth. Another son, August von Hohenfeld (1620-1642), dies in military service in 1642. His descendants supposedly survived into the 20th century in
Elbing. Furthermore, 19th century
Victor Hohlfeld in Dresden as well as the 18th century Danish-Norwegian
von Hoelfdeldt family claimed descent from Christoph von Hohenfeld. • Nothing is known about the last two sons,
Michael (born 1683) and
Rudolph (born around 1685), and they could have died at a young age.
Later history Only one branch of the family had remained in Austria after around 1620, namely the branch of Markus von Hohenfeld (1577-1618) and his branch would endure the longest. After his and his siblings' conversion to Catholicism, Markus' eldest son Ferdinand (1612-1675) was confirmed in his knighthood on 28 July 1652 with the title of Austrian Freiherr. This was followed, on 7 March 1669, by an elevation to the rank of
Imperial Count, which was later enhanced by a further ennoblement of his son
Otto Heinrich (1650-1719) to the rank of Austrian Count on 24 December 1714. Ferdinand's younger brother
Wolf Ludwig (1615-...) would produce a younger line next to Ferdinand's comital line, which would survive for another three generations into the 18th century. , was one of the last members of the family Ferdinand's comital line was continued with his son Otto Heinrich, then by
Otto Ferdinand Felix (1674-1741) and afterwards by his son
Otto Karl Maximilian (1704-1772). The latter, Otto Karl Maximilian von Hohenfeld, had two sons and a daughter: •
Otto Franz (1731-1776), married to Maria Anna Franziska von Stain zu Jettingen: •
Lieutenant field marshal Otto Adolph Karl Johann (1764-1824), who fought
Napoleon at
Aspern-Essling and commanded a division at
Wagram, and who would be the last male line descendant •
Maria Anna Theresia (1767-1848, married to Antal Pál
Esterházy and later to
Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg) •
Maria Franziska (1771-1831, married to Georg Joseph
von Waldstein-Wartenberg) •
Maria Karolina (1774-1858, married to József Ferenc
Pálffy ab Erdöd), who would finally be the last living descendant of the family. •
Feldzeugmeister Otto Philipp von Hohenfeld (1733-1799)
de], married to Maria Therese
Kinsky: •
Otto Franz Joseph (1766-1796) without progeny •
Maria Antonia (1770-1804), married to Joseph von Bolza (1764-1834) •
Maria Josepha (1775-...), married to Anton Franz Engl von Wagrain (1768-1827) •
Maria Anna Theresia (1742-1814), married to Johann Emmerich
von Keyserling The
Napoleonic Wars caused the last major developments around the family. In July 1809, Otto Adolph Karl Johann von Hohenfeld was promoted to lieutenant field marshal after he had distinguished himself in the victorious
Battle of Aspern, together with
Radetzky. Also in 1809, Aistersheim and the Innviertel region came to Bavaria until 1814. On 7 October 1813, the remaining members of the extant line were registered as
bavarian knights (
Ritter), in addition to its comital titles in Austria. The male family line was finally extinguished in 1824 with the death of Otto Adolph Karl Johann on 14 May 1824 in
Linz. His four sisters sold the lordship and domain to Johann Karl Dworzak in 1830, whose descendants would continue to own Castle Aistersheim until the second half of the 20th century. The last sister and therefore the final
Hohenfeld, Maria Karolina, would die in 28 July 1858. == Coat of Arms ==