The House of Alvensleben [1] is an ancient, Low German (niederdeutsch) noble family from the Altmark region, whose earliest known member, Wichard de Alvensleve, is first mentioned in 1163 as a ministerialis of the Bishopric of Halberstadt. The family name derives from Alvensleben Castle (today Bebertal, district of Börde in Saxony-Anhalt). They are one of the oldest extant German aristocratic families.
The family line begins with Gebhard von Alvensleben, probably Wichard's son, mentioned between 1190 and 1216. The Alvenslebens were hereditary seneschals (Erbtruchsessen) of the Bishopric and Principality of Halberstadt from the 12th century. In the beginning, they served as Burgmannen in the bishop's castle of Alvensleben. Around 1270 they acquired their own family estate, Erxleben Castle, and, around 1324, Kalbe Castle.
Friedrich von Alvensleben (c 1265-1313) was master of the Knights Templar in their German and Slavic districts. His elder brothers founded two branches, the white and the black Alvenslebens, whereas the red branch died out in 1553.
The family acquired many further estates, some located in the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Brunswick. Gebhard XIV. von Alvensleben (mentioned 1393–1425) was part of the noblemen's opposition against Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg, the first Hohenzollern to rule Brandenburg, but was later subdued by him.
The family generated two catholic bishops of Havelberg in the 15th and 16th centuries, but then became Lutheran Protestants. Joachim I. von Alvensleben (1514-1588) promoted the reformation in the Altmark region. The family provided many heads of government in this province, as well as a number of ministers, generals and diplomats in different Northern German states. Several lines of the family were made Prussian counts, beginning in 1798, [2] and the family received a hereditary seat in the Prussian House of Lords. Most of their properties were expropriated in 1945 in communist East Germany. Their main family estates were:
The family coat of arms shows in gold two red fesses, the upper one emblazoned with two, the lower one with one silver roses. On the helmet with its red and gold mantling there is an upright, gnarled branch in red and gold, two branches to the right and one to the left, crowned with a silver rose.
Ludolf Hermann Emmanuel Georg Kurt Werner von Alvensleben was an SS functionary of Nazi Germany. He held positions of SS and Police Leader in occupied Poland and the Soviet Union, and was indicted for war crimes including the killing of at least 4,247 Poles by units under his command.
Haldensleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Börde district.
The von Blumenthal family are Lutheran and Roman Catholic German nobility, originally from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other (unrelated) families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called Blumenthal, without "von", are to be found worldwide.
Ludolf is a Germanic surname or given name. It is derived from two stems: Hlud meaning "fame" and olf meaning "wolf". An alternate spelling of the name is Ludolph. People with the name include:
Calvörde is a municipality in the Börde district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is part of the Verbandsgemeinde Flechtingen.
von Alvensleben may refer to:
Wichard von Alvensleben was a German agriculturist, Wehrmacht Officer, and Knight of the Order of Saint John. He was a member of the aristocratic House of Alvensleben, one of the oldest in Germany.
Friedrich Wilhelm, Count of Brandenburg was a morganatic son of King Frederick William II and politician, who served as Minister President of Prussia from 1848 until his death.
The House of Mansfeld was a princely German house, which took its name from the town of Mansfeld in the present-day state of Saxony-Anhalt. Mansfelds were archbishops, generals, supporters as well as opponents of Martin Luther, and Habsburg administrators.
Ludolf Arthur Herman von Alvensleben was a Prussian major general from the German noble family von Alvensleben who was born in Potsdam and died in Halle an der Saale. He was married to Antoinette, Baroness of Ricou (1870–1950), with whom he had four children including SS general Ludolf von Alvensleben, an escaped Nazi war criminal (1901–1970).
Philip William, Prince in Prussia was a Prussian Prince, was the first owner of the Prussian secundogeniture of Brandenburg-Schwedt and was governor of Magdeburg from 1692 to 1711.
Count Anton zu Stolberg-Wernigerode, was chief minister in Magdeburg, governor in the Prussian Province of Saxony and Prussian Minister of State.
Calvörde Castle is located in Calvörde in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its existence was first recorded in the late 13th century. In the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period it was frequently fought over due to its location between the territories of Brandenburg, Magdeburg and Brunswick.
Wedel is an old German noble family, from Stormarn in what is now Schleswig-Holstein. The family members held the title of Prince, Count and Baron.
Ludolf Jakob von Alvensleben Wittenmoor-Plutowo/Thorn was a Standartenfuhrer (colonel) in the Nazi era SS and a senior staff member of the Action Reinhard group assigned by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler to systematically murder the Jews of Europe. He ended the war as SS and Police Leader (SSPF) of Adria-West, Northern Italy. He escaped investigation after the war and is reported to have died when his car overturned on a road outside Dortmund, in August 1953. There were no witnesses to the accident. The police chief at the time of the discovery and identification of the corpse had served under von Alvensleben in Southern Russia during the war.
Knesebeck is the name of two branches of a prominent aristocratic family in the tradition of the ancient nobility in Germany. In the 17th century they acknowledged a common ancestry and combined their arms. The black line of the family von dem Knesebeck stems from the ancient nobility of Lower Saxony, while the white line stems from the ancient nobility of the Altmark. Branches of both lines remain to this day. As one of the leading Prussian Junker families, it has produced numerous senior military and public figures. These have included ambassadors, bishops, governors, members of parliament, a field marshal, and dozens of generals.
Gebhard XXV. von Alvensleben was Magdeburg Privy Councilor, aristocrat and historian. Belonging to the House of Alvensleben, he succeeded his father Gebhard XXIII. von Alvensleben as Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg in 1627.
Udo August Ernst von Alvensleben was a German art historian.
The Palaces and park complex in Ostromecko is a residential complex, including two palaces and a park, located in Ostromecko. It has been owned since 1996 by the city Bydgoszcz. The ensemble is a regional cultural and recreational centre. It houses, among others, a collection of historic pianos.
Busso VII von Alvensleben was the Burgherr (Lord) of Kalbe, Chief Marshall and Stadtholder of Mark Brandenburg, and Landeshauptmann of Altmark.
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