The Korff family or Korff-Schmising family is an ancient German noble family, known since the first half of the 13th century that originated in the County of Mark, Westphalia. [1]
The Korff family or Korff-Schmising family is an ancient German noble family, known since the first half of the 13th century that originated in the County of Mark, Westphalia. [1]
The family first appears in a document from 1241 with knight Henricus von Kersekorff. Since 1354, part of the family has been called Korff-Schmising (also Schmysing or Schmysingk). Members of the family distinguished themselves mostly as politicians and diplomats. They held the title of Count in the Kingdom of Prussia granted to them on 17 January 1816 by Frederick William III of Prussia and Count in the Russian Empire, granted to them on 1 January 1872 by Alexander II of Russia. [2] [3] Apart from being incorporated into the Russian nobility, the family was also part of the Baltic German nobility and Polish nobility. Until 1615, the original ancestral seat of the Korff family was Harkotten Castle in the Bishopric of Münster, later acquired by Ketteler family. [4]
Korff is also a surname.
Graf is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl".
Freiherr, Freifrau and Freiin are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire and in its various successor states, including Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, etc. Traditionally, it denotes the titled rank within the nobility above Ritter (knight) and Edler and below Graf. The title superseded the earlier medieval form, Edelherr.
The Russian nobility or dvoryanstvo arose in the Middle Ages. In 1914, it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members, out of a total population of 138,200,000. Up until the February Revolution of 1917, the Russian noble estates staffed most of the Russian government and possessed a self-governing body, the Assembly of the Nobility.
The Panin family was an old and prominent Russian noble family, known since the beginning of the 16th century. Members of the family held the title of Count in the Russian Empire, granted to them on 22 September 1767 by Catherine the Great. Panin, or Panina is also a Russian surname.
The House von der Goltz is the name of an old and influential German noble family whose members occupied many important political and military positions in the Kingdom of Prussia and later in the German Empire.
The German nobility and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the beginning of the 20th century. Historically, German entities that recognized or conferred nobility included the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806), the German Confederation (1814–1866), and the German Empire (1871–1918). Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in the German Empire had a policy of expanding his political base by ennobling nouveau riche industrialists and businessmen who had no noble ancestors. The nobility flourished during the dramatic industrialization and urbanization of Germany after 1850. Landowners modernized their estates, and oriented their business to an international market. Many younger sons were positioned in the rapidly growing national and regional civil service bureaucracies, as well as in the officer corps of the military. They acquired not only the technical skills but the necessary education in high prestige German universities that facilitated their success. Many became political leaders of new reform organizations such as agrarian leagues, and pressure groups. The Roman Catholic nobility played a major role in forming the new Centre Party in resistance to Bismarck's anti-Catholic Kulturkampf, while Protestant nobles were similarly active in the Conservative Party.
The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on 1 June [O.S. 21 May] 1725 by Empress Catherine I of Russia.
Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen was the head of the house of Saxe-Meiningen from 1941 until his death.
The Muravyov family is an old Russian noble family, known since the 12th century. They share their ancestry with the Pushkin family, descending from two brothers, living in Novgorod in the 15th century. Members of the family held the title of Count in the Russian Empire, awarded to them on 26 August 1852 by Nicholas I of Russia and on 17 April 1865 by Alexander II of Russia for Count Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky.
The Buxhoeveden family is a Baltic-German noble family of Lower Saxon origin once prominent in Estonia and Russia, with roots tracing to Bexhövede, Bremen-Verden, Germany. In Sweden, the family is considered part of the unintroduced nobility. On 18 December 1795, members of the family were granted the title of Count in the Kingdom of Prussia, and on 16 April 1797 they were awarded with the same title in the Russian Empire.
Szembek or originally von Schönbeck is the name of an old Polish noble family of German origin, whose members held significant positions in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The House of Bothmer is the name of an ancient German noble comital family whose members occupied significant military and diplomatic positions in the Kingdom of Hanover, Kingdom of Bavaria and later within the German Empire.
The Saltza family is an old German noble family, originally from Thuringia. Throughout centuries, members of the family also became part of the Baltic-German, Russian, Bohemian and Swedish nobility. Members of the Swedish were granted the title of Count in Sweden, members of Russian line were awarded with the title of Baron in Russia, while members of the German line in Saxony held the title of Freiherr. There were also many petite lines of the family which belonged to an untitled nobility.
The Stackelberg family, also spelled Stakelberg, is the name of an old and influential Baltic German noble family of German origin, represented at the Swedish, Russian and Finnish houses of nobility.
The House of Budberg is the name of an old Baltic German noble family which originated from Westphalia, Germany. First documented since the beginning of the 14th century, members of the family held the title of Baron von Budberg-Bönninghausen in the Russian Empire, Sweden and Prussia.
Junker is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German Juncherre, meaning 'young nobleman' or otherwise 'young lord'. The term is traditionally used throughout the German-speaking, Dutch-speaking and Scandinavian-speaking parts of Europe. It was also used in the Russian Empire due to Baltic German influence, up until the Russian Revolution. The term is currently still in use by the Georgian Defense Forces for student officers of the National Defence Academy.
The House of Szapáry is the name of an old and important Hungarian noble family, which derived its name from the village of Szapár. The family belonged to the Hungarian nobility. Members of this family held the title of Imperial Count granted to them on 28 December 1722 by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and many of them played a prominent role in the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Stieglitz is a surname originating in Germany. Stieglitz, meaning goldfinch, was borrowed into German from a Slavic language, probably Old Czech stehlec.
The Olfers family or von Olfers is a German noble family, belonging to the briefadel, originated from Prince-Bishopric of Münster.
The Lerchenfeld family is an ancient German noble family originating from Bavaria, whose members held significant positions within the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Bavaria, Poland and Russia.
