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House of Limburg-Stirum

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File:LSarms.JPG
Current Arms of the Counts of Limburg Stirum

The house of Limburg Stirum, which adopted its name in the 12th century from the castle of Limburg an der Lenne in what is now Germany, descends from the Ezzonen dynasty in the 9th century, making it one of the oldest families in Europe.

Since the 9th century, without counting the side lines mentioned below, the family counted five Counts Palatine of Lotharingia, several Dukes of Westphalia, Bavaria, Carinthia and Swabia , seven Archbishops of Cologne, one Prince-Bishop of Speyer, more than ten Bishops in the Holy Roman Empire, and at least two Saints of the Catholic Church (Saint Richenza, celebrated on 21 March, and Saint Engelbert of Cologne, celebrated on 7th November).

History

The Ezzonian Dynasty

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 same 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 century. They are considered to be the most important royal representatives in 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 assigned however 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).
  • 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 however 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.
Richeza of Lotharingia
  • Richeza of Lotharingia, Queen of Poland (Ste Richenza, celebrated on March 21).
  • 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 (Dalhem, September 20, 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

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 III, Count of Berg from 1093 till 1132.
  • Adolf IV, Count of Berg from 1132 till 1160 and Count of Altena.
  • Adolf VI, Count of Berg from 1189 till 1218.
  • 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:

  • Arnold of Altena, the eldest, inherited the north-western territorium of Altena, and became 1st count of Isenberg (on the Rhine, Hattingen) in 1200. He founded the line of the Counts of Isenberg and later Counts of Limburg (see below).
  • Frederick I, the youngest, 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 von 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 on his cousin, in a defile at the foot of the Gevelsberg between Hagen and Schwelm in the late afternoon of 7 November 1225: the Archbishop was killed.

There is no consensus as to weather 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 entire personal wealth. In the winter of 1225/1226 the new Archbishop of Cologne, Heinrich von Müllenark, besieged and destroyed his castle.

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 von Altena-Isenberg, disinherited of all his territories in the First Reich (German Realm) of 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 and founded the house of Limburg and the County of Limburg on the Lenne. 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.

The line Stirum still alive today descends from Dietrich's second son Johann. The family divided in three lines in 1644; the oldest, still alive, obtained the territories of Bronkhorst and Borculo, the second, extinct in 1800, obtained the immediate lordship of Gemen and Illereichen, and the third, extinct in 1809, obtained the immediate lordships of Styrum and later Oberstein.

Mediatization and today

The Limburg Stirum held a seat in the Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Diet until 1800. Sovereign monarchs in the Holy Roman Empire, their mediatization occurred before the founding of the Confederation of the Rhine, they are not counted officially as mediatized monarchy.

Today's members are mostly found in Belgium and The Netherlands. Notable figures in recent history are:

Leopold van Limburg Stirum
  • Leopold of Limburg Stirum (1758-1840), member of the Driemanschap, the General Government that took power in 1813 in the name of the Prince of Oranje-Nassau, in order to re-establish the monarchy in the Netherlands.
  • Johan Paul of Limburg Stirum (1873–1948), Dutch diplomat and reformist Governor General of the Dutch Indies. He worked for the economic development and the autonomy of the colony.
  • Charles of Limburg Stirum (1906-1989), Belgian Senator, member of the armed resistant during WWII, was later Grand Master of the House of H.M. King Leopold III of Belgium. He is Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
  • Franz von Limburg Stirum, the current head of the House, lives in Finland. He is regarded by genealogists as heir-general of the medieval kings of Scandinavia

Others

The Counts of Limburg Stirum created two orders of knighthood: the Order of the Four Emperors and the Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg. In 1806 the Counts of Limburg Stirum were mediatized and lost their rights on their territories. However the Order Order of St Philip of the Lion of Limburg was still in use till 1838.

Limburg Stirum is also the name of a mountain, 2350 meters high, standing in the Belgica Mountains in Antarctic. It was discovered by the Belgian expedition (1957-58) under G. de Gerlache, who named it for Count Charles de Limburg Stirum, a patron of the expedition.

Literature

  • Genealogische Handbuch des Adels, Gräfliche Häuser A Band II, 1955;
  • W. Gf v. Limburg Stirum, "Stamtafel der Graven van Limburg Stirum", 's Gravenhage 1878;
  • A.M.H.J. Stokvis, "Manuel d'Histoire, de Genealogie et de Chronologie de tous les Etats du Globe", Tome III, Leiden 1890-93;
  • W. K. Prins v. Isenburg, "Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europaischen Staaten", 2. Aufl., Marburg/Lahn, 1953.
  • Genealogy of the counts of Altena, Berg and Limburg Stirum [1]
  • Genealogy of the counts of Limburg Stirum after 16th Century[2]
  • On Mount Limburg Stirum (Antarctic) [3]
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