The Ezzonian dynasty (center-right). Between them is Count Palatine
Hermann II.
Chronicle of Otto von Freising, Codex Jenensis Bose q.6 (1157). The Ezzonen appear in the chronicles with
Erenfried I (866–904), count of the
Bliesgau, Keldachgau and Bonngau (maybe also count of
Charmois). Probably he had
Carolingian ancestors, although some historians prefer to link him to former
Thuringian kings. The Ezzonian dynasty (named after Count Palatine
Ezzo) were the
Counts Palatine of Lotharingia during the 10th and 11th centuries. They were important in governance of 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. During a limited period, they were, however, assigned the duchies of
Swabia,
Bavaria and
Carinthia. 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 (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 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 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,
Count Palatine of Lotharingia (1035–1045) and
Duke of Swabia (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 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, 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 of Lotharingia, Queen of Poland. Her marriage to
Mieszko II 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 revered as
Blessed Richeza of Lotharingia, celebrated on 21 March. •
Conrad I,
Duke of Bavaria, heir of
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. 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, was installed as
Duke of Carinthia in 1057. The Annales of Berthold record the death in 1061 of
Chounradus... Carantanis ducis. •
Hermann I,
Archbishop of Cologne, Chancellor of King
Zwentibold of Lotharingia. •
Hermann II,
Archbishop of Cologne. He became
Archchancellor of Italy and protector of
Brauweiler Abbey (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 (in a duel with Albert III of Namur, nearby his castle of Dalhem on 20 September 1085) the
Palatinate of Lotharingia was suspended. His widow remarried with the first count palatine of the Rhine, Henry of Laach. The surviving line of the
Ezzonen descends from
Adolf I of Lotharingia, son of
Hermann I "Pusillus", Count palatine of
Lotharingia.
Counts of Berg purchased
Schloss Mark near Hamm from the Edelherren of Rüdenberg and made it the residence of the new
Counts of the Mark.
Adolf I of Lotharingia grandson,
Adolf I of Berg, Vogt of Werden Abbey, became the first Count of
Berg in 1050. The Counts of Berg became the most powerful dynasty in the Rhine region. Early rulers of Berg were: •
Adolf I of Lotharingia, count in Keldachgau,
Vogt of Deutz from 1008 until 1018. •
Adolf II of Lotharingia, count in Keldachgau and
Vogt of Deutz. •
Adolf I of Berg, 1st Count of Berg from 1077 till 1082,
Vogt of Werden, Deutz, Berg and Gerresheim. •
Adolf II of Berg-Hövel (Huvili), Count of Berg from 1082 till 1093. He married in 1035 Adelheid von Laufen, heiress of
Hövel, Unna, Telgte, Warendorf, etc. He founded the
Altenberg monastery. •
Adolf III, Count of Berg from 1093 till 1132. His son, Eberhard of Berg, 1st Abbot of
Georgenthal, convinced his brother
Adolf IV to donate the
Altenberg monastery to the Cistercian Order. His youngest son,
Bruno II,
Archbishop of Cologne, died in 1137 in Apulia on campaign with King Lothair of Germany against
Roger II of Sicily. •
Adolf IV, Count of Berg from 1132 until 1160 and Count of Altena. He built the
Schloss Altena, and built the
Altenberg monastery, whose cloister he joined 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. •
Engelbert I, 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 with the
Third Crusade. •
Adolf VI, Count of Berg from 1189 till 1218. In 1212 he took part to the
Albigensian Crusade against the
Cathars. He died in 1218 in combat as commander of the troops in
Damiette, in the delta of the
Nile, with the
Fifth Crusade. He left no son, and
Berg passed under the regency of his brother
Engelbert II, then to his daughter
Irmgard. •
Engelbert II of Berg,
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 (see below). •
Irmgard, heiress of Berg until 1248, married to
Henry IV Duke of Limburg, and future Count of Berg.
Counts of Altena and Isenberg Eberhard IV of Berg, son of
Adolf IV 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 (on the Lenne, Westphalia). Eberhard's territorium was later divided between his two sons. His first son,
Arnold of Altena, inherited the north-western territorium of Altena (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 second son, inherited the south-eastern territory of Altena, and founded of the line of the
Counts von der Marck, from which descend the dukes of
Cleves,
Jülich and
Berg, the dukes of
Nevers and
Bouillon, the counts of Schleiden, etc.
The murder: from Isenberg to Limburg Frederick II, Count of Isenberg was a leading figure in the opposition of
Westphalian nobles to the aggressive power politics of his cousin, the
Archbishop of Cologne,
Engelbert II of Berg. In 1225 at the Nobles' Assembly in
Soest, 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 of his cousin, in a
sunken lane of the early medieval
historic road from
Dortmund to Cologne near
Gevelsberg late in the 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 personal wealth was confiscated. In the winter of 1225/1226 the new Archbishop of Cologne,
Heinrich von Müllenark, 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 and
Osnabrück (both also implicated in the death of the Archbishop), and the notary of Isenberg with the necessary documents to the
Curia 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 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, after which he was displayed on a stone pillar. He did not die until the next day. His son Count
Dietrich I of Isenberg, disinherited of all his territories in the
Holy Roman Empire following the execution of his father, later fought with the military support of his uncle the
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) and Neu Isenberg (soon lost in favour of the Counts von der
Mark) and from 1246 took the title of Count of Limburg. Two of his son's, Johan and Eberhard founded two separate familylines. Johan the eldest died a few years after his marriage. Eberhard inherited after his father's death, the title of count of Limburg, (later on Limburg Broich) taking up residence at the castle Hohenlimburg an der Lenne.
Johann acquired Mülheim an der Ruhr and thereby the castle of
Styrum, taking up residence there.
16th to 18th century Count Georg of Limburg-Styrum married in 1539 Irmgarde van Wisch, Lady of Wisch op Oud-Wisch, Wildenborch, Overhagen and Lichtenvoorde, hereditary Countess of
Bronckhorst. She inherited the possessions of her uncle, the last count of Bronckhorst and
Borculo. Her considerable possessions passed to her son
Hermann Georg of Limburg, and the family settled in
Gelderland. His grandson,
Jobst of Limburg-Styrum, married Maria of
Holstein-Pinneberg, heiress of the
immediate lordship of
Gemen and of
Illereichen. Gemen remained for two centuries in the possession of the Counts of Limburg Stirum. His son
Herman Otto I, Count of Limburg and Bronckhorst, lord of Gemen, served in the armies of the
Dutch Republic. He commanded
Christian of Brunswick's rearguard at the
Battle of Stadtlohn (1623) and the Dutch cavalry at the
Siege of Groenlo (1627). In 1644, the three sons of Hermann Otto I divided the family possessions among themselves:
Limburg Bronckhorst Otto of Limburg obtained the territories of Bronckhorst and Borculo, founding the older line, still flourishing. 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 Münster over ownership of Borculo, the Court of Gelderland ruled on 20 December 1615 in favour of Count Joost. The ruling was imposed by troops from
Zutphen, taking over the castle and city of
Lichtenvoorde in December 1615, and the castle and city of Borculo in February 1616 after short combat. Prince Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen, tried twice more to keep Borculo under Münster's authority, but without success. The lordship of Bronckhorst was sold in 1721 by Maria of Limburg Styrum and in 1726 the lordship of Borculo was sold by Count Leopold to the count of Flodorf.
Limburg Stirum Gemen Adolf Ernst of Limburg Stirum obtained the
immediate lordship of Gemen and Illereichen in the 1644 partition and ruled it until his death in 1657, founding the line of Limburg Stirum Gemen. In 1782, with the extinction of the Gemen branch, Gemen was inherited by the line of Limburg Stirum Iller-Aicheheim • 1657–1675 - Countess Maria Isabella von Vehlen und Meggen zu Raesfeld, wife of Adolf Ernst, was regent of Gemen after the death of her husband. The reason for the long regency is not known. • 1675–1704 -
Hermann Otto II of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, lord of Gemen, son of the above. He fought in the
War of the Spanish Succession in the service of the
Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I against France and Bavaria. In 1703, he lost the
Battle of Höchstädt against the French-Bavarian forces. In 1704, he led the second assault on enemy positions in the
Battle of Schellenberg and was mortally wounded, dying a few days later; • 1704–1743 -
Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, lord of Gemen and Raesfeld, inherited Gemen at the death of his father. He also inherited from his grandfather Alexander IV, Count von Velen zu Raesfeld the lordship of
Raesfeld; • 1743–1771 -
Friedrich Karl of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, lord of Gemen, son of Otto Leopold. He died in 1771 without descendants and both Gemen and Raesfeld passed to his brother, August Philip; • 1771–1776 -
August Philip,
Prince-Bishop of Speyer, Count of Limburg Stirum and Bronckhorst, lord of Gemen, brother of the above; • 1776–1798 -
Karl Josef, Count of Limburg Stirum, lord of Gemen, cousin of the above; • 1798–1800 -
Ferdinand IV, Count of Limburg Stirum zu Illereichen, grandson of the above, was the last lord of Gemen before it passed to the barons von 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 in 1801
Moritz of Limburg-Styrum obtained the ownership of Mülheim an der Ruhr and thereby of the
immediate lordship of Styrum, and later Oberstein. Here he founded the line of counts of
Limburg-Styrum-Styrum, extinct in 1809. Moritz later also became hereditary
banneret of the Principality of
Guelders and of the
County of Zutphen. He married his cousin Maria Bernhardine of Limburg-Bronckhorst. In the mediatisation of 1806, Styrum came under control of the
Grand Duchy of Berg. The last count of
Limburg-Styrum-Styrum, Ernst (deceased on 23 March 1809) left Styrum to the sister of his wife, Maria Margaretha von Humbracht, who sold it in 1825. Oberstein was mediatized at the
Treaty of Lunéville in 1801, however Ernst was never compensated by the
Final Recess of the Empire in 1803.
Mediatisation 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 possessions, and Gemen passed to the barons von Boyneburg-Bömelberg. In 1806 the
Confederation of the Rhine occurred and Gemen was
mediatised to the
Principality of Salm-Kyrburg. At the same moment Styrum was mediatised to the
Grand Duchy of Berg. This branch became extinct three years later, in 1809. Since the Limburg Stirum held no imperial estate when the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806 (Gemen had been lost in 1800 and it is unclear if the Styrum branch did inherit the dynastic rights associated with Gemen), nor were any Limburg Stirum living in the
German Confederation when the Congress of Vienna finalised the distinctions between the sovereign and non-sovereign dynasties of the former Empire (at that time all members were living in the newly created
Kingdom of the Netherlands), the House of Limburg Stirum's centuries of previous status as immediate
Reichsgrafen was not internationally recognised, nor was their head granted the style of
Erlaucht (Illustrious Highness) and they were omitted from Section II of the
Almanach de Gotha, which listed therein the other princely and countly families of mediatised dynastic rank. The house of Limburg Stirum is nevertheless considered part of the
Standesherren by most authors on the subject.
19th century until today '' by
Jan Willem Pieneman (1828). On Sunday 21 November 1813,
Leopold of Limburg Stirum assuming power as part of the triumvirate, in order to re-establish the monarchy in the Netherlands. Painting by Jan Willem Pieneman (1779–1853). The titles of the House of Limburg Stirum were confirmed in 1812 by
Napoleon I and in 1814 the family was recognised in the nobility of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands (name:
van Limburg Stirum). Notable figures in recent history are: •
Leopold, Count of Limburg Stirum (1758–1840), Lieutenant General of Dutch Infantry, and member of the
Driemanschap, the triumvirate that took power in 1813 in the name of the
Prince of Orange-Nassau in order to establish the monarchy in the Netherlands. The three statesmen invited the exiled Prince of Orange, later
King William I of the Netherlands, to
The Hague to avoid anarchy following the retreat of France's troops, and to avoid possible absorption of the Netherlands by Prussia or England. • Menno David, Count of Limburg Stirum (1807–1891) was a Dutch general and government minister. He lost his right leg during the
Siege of Antwerp (1832). After serving as Dutch minister of war he became aide-de-camp and advisor to King
William III of the Netherlands. •
Friedrich zu Limburg-Stirum was a German diplomat and politician who served as
foreign minister of Germany in 1880–1881. • Mathilde van Limburg Stirum (1854–1932), secret fiancée of
William, Prince of Orange, son and heir of
King William III of the Netherlands, and great-grandmother of
Cara Delevingne. •
Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum (1873–1948), Dutch diplomat and reformist
Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. He worked for the economic development, decentralisation and the autonomy of the colony. He would later become ambassador to Berlin where he was known for his critical views on
National Socialism, even refusing Nazi officials entry to the Dutch embassy. After leaving Berlin he would serve as Dutch envoy to London. •
Otto Ernst Gelder van Limburg Stirum was a Dutch magistrate and maternal uncle to
Audrey Hepburn. As a prominent Dutchman he was taken hostage by the German occupiers and was one of five Dutchmen to be executed in retaliation for resistance activities on 17 April 1942. These five were the first Dutch hostages to suffer this fate. •
Charles de Limburg Stirum (15 September 1906 – 14 June 1989), a
Belgian senator, member of the armed
resistance during
World War II, was later Grand Master of the
Royal Households of King
Leopold III of Belgium. He became a
Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Austrian branch). • Franz von Limburg Stirum, a claimant to the headship of the House, lives in Finland. ==Others==