Origin The first documented member of the family was in 1169, when the
Ministerialis Henricus de Merevelde appeared in documents. The reliable line of descent began with 1227, the date mentioned in documents with “
ministerialis beati Pauli” [Latin, “Ministrialis of St. Paul’s”], the office of Hermannus de Mervelde, Ministerial of the
Prince-Bishops of Munster. Bernd and Hermann von Merveldt mentioned in documents from 1251, were
Burgmannen [castle defenders] of
Dülmen for the Prince-Bishops of Münster.
Development The grandson of the progenitor Hermann founded three lines. The first of them was derived from Johannes, the
Ritter [knight] and
Schenk [butler] of the Bishop of Münster and who later called himself only
Schenk, and was established until 1400 in Dülmen. Hermann, the
Burgmann of
Stromberg, the second line, which became extinct in 1691 (based on the eponymous family seat, Merfeld). The third and still flourishing line began with Heinrich, the knight and, like his brother,
Burgmann of Stromberg (later a resident at Schloss Westerwinkel). A branch of this line was later also established in
Courland (now western
Latvia). Numerous members of the family remained in the service of the Prince-Bishops of Münster and were
canons in the
Münster Cathedral. Later, they also appeared in the cathedral chapters of
Hildesheim,
Osnabrück and
Paderborn. In
St. Mauritz (now in the east side of Münster) and
Xanten they were canons. Female members of the family performed as
canonesses in
Kanonissenstift (secular nunnery) Überwasser in
Münster,
Borghorst and the St. Boniface
Frauenstift (secular nunnery) in
Freckenhorst. Bishop Heidenreich of Münster granted Marshal Heinrich von Merveldt in 1389 the manor of
Wolbeck (now in the southeastern part of Münster). There, the
Herrn von Merveldt held the office of
Drosten (bailiffs) until the
Secularization. The goal of an independent Imperial estate was not achieved because of the disputes within the family and of the encroachments of the episcopal lords. With his efforts as the moderator, Hermann von Merveldt Hermann participated in the completion of the Treaty of
Kranenburg (23 October 1457) to end the
Münster Bishops Feud (1450-1457). During the
Anabaptist Rebellion (1534–1535) in Münster, the
Herrn von Merveldt went to the side of the Prince-Bishop of Münster. Dietrich von Merveldt (died 1564),
Drost of Wolbeck, undertook in 1532 an unsuccessful attempt to restore the order of a levy on the farmers in the city. While the Westerwinkel Line therefore always stayed in contact with the sovereign of the Prince-Bishopric, the Merfeld Line looked in late 16th and early 17th Centuries to defend its domains against all sovereign influences. Claiming its own jurisdiction, including the place of execution and the development of a Reformed church system in Merfeld was for Adolf III von Merveldt (1546–1604) and Johann Adolf von Merveldt (1580–1619) the appropriate tools for the defense of their local domination. The religious opposition against the Prince-Bishop - typical of many families of the Westphalian nobility at this time - after the Thirty Years' War and the inheritance of the House of Merfeld by the
Herrn von Merode (1693) cost the family its importance, but the jurisdiction claimed by the House of Merfeld was kept for it until the end of the Prince-Bishopric (1803). From the Westerwinkel Line was Dietrich Hermann von Merveldt (1598–1658) the
Lord Chamberlain of the
Electorate of Cologne and minister at the
Imperial Diets of
Regensburg. Beginning with his son Dietrich Hermann II von Merveldt (1624–1688), all the hereditary heads of the family were
(Obrist-)Hofmarschälle [(Colonel-) Court Marshals], members of the (Secret) Councils and
Drosten of Wolbeck, all for the Prince-Bishops of Münster.
Maximilian Friedrich von Merveldt (1764–1815), Austrian
Feldmarschall-Leutnant [Lieutenant Field Marshal] and regimental commander, participated in the 1813
Battle of Leipzig and later became an
ambassador in
London.
Possessions During the 19th century the family owned the manors of
Lembeck, Ostendorf and Hagenbeck in the
District of Recklinghausen, Steinhaus in
Werne, the
Burg Geinegge (a castle in
Bockum-Hovel) and the Schloss Westerwinkel (in
Ascheberg-Herbern) in the District of Ludinghausen (after 1975, District of Coesfeld), Wolbeck bei Muenster, Huxdiek and Seppenhagen in the District of
Beckum (after 1975, District of Warendorf), Feckenhorst in the
District of Warendorf, Empte in the District of Coesfeld and - because of the marriage into the family of the Barons
Droste zu Hülshoff (most famous family member was
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff) - the manor of
Füchtel in
Vechta (
Lower Saxony). From 1717 to 1923 the family also had a
Familienfideikommiss [a legal way to keep its lands and finances together in its single head for generations].
Achievements Dietrich Hermann von Merveldt (1624–1688), Privy Chamberlain of the Prince-Bishop of Münster and the
Drost of Wolbeck, was raised on 17 February 1668 by
Emperor Leopold I to the rank of
Reichsfreiherr [Imperial Baron]. (1661–1727) was, between 1721 and 1727, the
Grand Prior of the
Order of St. John “in the German lands” and, in this position, also the
Reichsfürst [Imperial Prince] of
Heitersheim. On 20 December 1726 was Dietrich Burchard
Reichsfreiherr von Merveldt, Councilor and Lord Chamberlain for the Elector of Cologne and the Prince-Bishop of Münster, and all his descendants were raised by
Emperor Charles VI to the rank of
Reichsgraf [Imperial Count] with the title of
Hoch- und Wohlgeboren [“High and Well-Born”] and an upgrade for his coat-of-arms. Furthermore, the Lords von Merveldt were awarded the diploma of the Hereditary Marshals of the District of Merveldt in the Principality of Münster by
Prussian ceremony in
Berlin on 28 December 1846 in
primogeniture (for the first-born of the either gender). The Bohemian
Inkolat [the rights and privileges of the nobility] in the peerage was received by Maximilian von Merveldt, Imperial and Royal Chamberlain and Privy Councillor as well as Major General and Lord Chamberlain of Archduke Franz Karl, on 26 February 1848 to Vienna. ==
Coat of arms==