Leiningen family


The House of Leiningen is the name of an old German noble family whose lands lay principally in Alsace, Lorraine, Saarland, Rhineland, and the Palatinate. Various branches of this family developed over the centuries and ruled counties with Imperial immediacy.

Origins

The first count of Leiningen about whom anything definite is known was a certain [|Emich II]. He built Leiningen Castle, which is now known as "Old Leiningen Castle", around 1100 to 1110. Nearby Höningen Abbey was built around 1120 as the family's burial place.
This family became extinct in the male line when Count Frederick I died about 1220. Frederick I's sister, Liutgarde, married Simon II, Count of Saarbrücken. One of Liutgarde's sons, also named Frederick, inherited the lands of the counts of Leiningen, and he took their arms and their name as Frederick II. He became known as a Minnesinger, and one of his songs was included in the Codex Manesse. Before 1212, he built himself a new castle called Hardenburg, about 10 kilometers south of Altleiningen. This was outside the county of Leiningen on the territory of Limburg Abbey, of which his uncle was the overlord, which caused some trouble.
His eldest son, Simon, married Gertrude, heiress of the County of Dagsburg, bringing that property into the family. They had no children and Simon's two brothers inherited the county of Leiningen together: Frederick III also inherited Dagsburg and Emich IV Landeck Castle; he founded the town of Landau, but the Landeck branch extinguished with his grandson in 1290. Frederick III, who disliked sharing Leiningen castle with his brother, had a new castle built in 1238–41 about 5 kilometres northeast of Leiningen, called Neuleiningen Castle. Frederick III's son, Frederick IV, had two sons, who divided the county into Leiningen-Dagsburg and Leiningen-Hardenburg.

Line of Descent

Note that different sources use different sequence numbers for some of the Counts. For consistency across sources, dates of birth and death are useful.

Earliest Counts

  • The Count Emicho from the Hebrew Chronicles was
the Count of Flonheim. He is often mistaken for Count Emicho of Leiningen, who was not involved
in any of the Crusades but did in fact live during this time period.
  • Emich I was Count of Leiningen in 1127, but it is unclear when he died, or his relation to the other counts.
  • Emich II is attested as Count of Leiningen in documents from 1143 to 1179
  • *His son, Friedrich I had taken over the county by 1189
  • Emich III is attested as Count of Leiningen in documents from 1193 through 1208, though it is unclear his relationship to the previous Counts
  • Friedrich I, cousin of Emich III, was recorded as junior count under Emich in 1205, and as count in his own right from 1210 to 1217. A document from 1220 refers to his widow.

    Saarbrücken Line

  • Simon II, Count of Saarbrücken married Liutgarde, the heiress of Leiningen whose descent from the original counts of Leiningen is unclear
  • *Their son, Friedrich II inherited the County of Leiningen
  • **His son, Simon married Gertrude, heiress of the County of Dagsburg, bringing that property into the family.
  • **Friedrich III, son of Friedrich II, was attested as count in documents from 1239 and 1249, and married Adelheid of Kyburg
  • ***Their son, [|Friedrich IV], whose sons divided the County into Leiningen-Dagsburg and Leiningen-Hartenburg.
  • **Emich IV, brother of Friedrich III ruled a portion of the lands at Leiningen-Landeck
  • ***His son, Emich V, Count of Leiningen-Landeck had no heir.
  • ***Agnes married Otto I, Count of Nassau
  • ***Kunigunde married Heinrich I of Salm-Blamont

    Leiningen-Dagsburg (First Line)

  • Friedrich V, son of Friedrich IV, became Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg, today Dagsbourg at Dabo, Moselle, Lorraine
  • *Friedrich VI, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg
  • **Friedrich VII, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg
  • **Friedrich VIII, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg married Jolanda of Jülich, granddaughter of Gerhard V of Jülich.
  • ***Yolantha. Her descendants include the Lords of Egmont and the Dukes of Guelders
  • ***Friedrich IX, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg
  • ****Hesso, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg, married Elisabeth, daughter of Ernest, Duke of Bavaria
  • ****Margaret, married Reinhard III of Westerburg

    [Leiningen-Westerburg]

  • Kuno I, Lord of Westerburg, was the son of Margaret of Leiningen and Reinhard of Westerburg
  • *Reinhard I, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg inherited the county from his grandmother.
  • **Kuno II, Count of [|Leiningen-Westerburg]
  • ***Philipp I, Count of [|Leiningen-Leiningen]
  • ***George I, Count of [|Leiningen-Schaumburg]
  • ***Reinhard II, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg
  • ****Albrecht Philipp, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg
  • ****Johann Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg, last of this branch.
This county was then absorbed into Leiningen-Schaumburg.

Leiningen-Leiningen

  • Philipp I, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen, son of Kuno II, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg
  • *Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen married Bernardine of Lippe
  • **Johann Kasimir, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen
  • **Philipp II, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen
  • ***Ludwig Eberhard, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen married Charlotte, daughter of William Louis, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken
  • ****Philipp Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen
  • **Ludwig Emich, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen
  • ***Johann Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Leiningen
This branch ended in 1705, and this county was also absorbed into Leiningen-Schaumburg.

Leiningen-Schaumburg

  • George I, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg, son of Kuno II, Count of Leiningen-Westerburg
  • *Philipp Jakob, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • *Reinhard II, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • *Christoph, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • **Margaret Elisabeth married Frederick I, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
  • **Philipp Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • **George Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • ***Johann Anton, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • ****George Friedrich, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • ***Christoph Christian, Count of [|Leiningen-Altleiningen]
  • ***George II Karl Ludwig, Count of [|Leiningen-Neuleiningen]

    Leiningen-Westerburg-Altleiningen

  • Christoph Christian, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen, son of George Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • *George Hermann, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen
  • **Christian Johann, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen
  • ***Christian Karl, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen
  • ***Friedrich I Ludwig Christian, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen
  • ****Friedrich II Eduard, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen
  • ****Károly Leiningen-Westerburg
  • ****Johann Ludwig
  • *****Friedrich III Wipprecht Franz, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen
  • ******Gustav Friedrich Oskar, Count of Leiningen-Altleiningen

    Leiningen-Westerburg-Neuleiningen

  • George II Karl Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen, son of George Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Schaumburg
  • *George Karl I August Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen
  • **Karl II Gustav Reinhard Waldemar, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen
  • ***Ferdinand Karl III, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen
  • ***August George Gustav, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen
  • ****Christian Franz Seraph Vincenz, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen
  • *George Ernst Ludwig
  • **Karl IV Joseph Philipp Ludwig Ernst, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen
  • ***George Karl August, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen
  • ****Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Neuleiningen

    Leiningen-Hardenburg

  • Gottfried, son of Friedrich IV, inherited the portion of Leiningen ruled from Hardenburg
  • *His son Friedrich married Joan of Rixingen, and their children became Counts of Leiningen-Rixingen, which lasted until 1506
  • *Gottfried's other son became Emich VI, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg
  • **Emich VII, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg married Beatrix Zähringen, daughter of Bernard I, Margrave of Baden-Baden
  • ***Emich VIII, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg
  • ****Emich IX, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg
  • *****Katharina married Philip II, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken
  • *****Emich X, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg
  • ******Emich XI, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg
  • ******Johann Philipp I, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg
  • *******Emich XII, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg married Marie of Wittelsbach, daughter of Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
  • ********Johann Philipp II, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg married Elisabeth of Leiningen-Dagsburg, daughter of Emich XI.
  • *********Friedrich Emich, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg
  • **********Marie Polyxena married John Ernst, Count of Nassau-Weilburg
  • **********Emich XIV, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg married Charlotte Sophie of Baden-Durlach, daughter of Margrave Charles Magnus of Baden-Durlach
  • **********Johann Friedrich, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg married Katharina of Baden-Durlach, daughter of Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach
  • ***********Friedrich Magnus, Count of Leiningen-Hardenburg
  • ************Karl Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Leiningen
  • *************For descendants, see: Prince of Leiningen

    Leiningen-Dagsburg (Second Line)

  • Emich XI, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg, son of Emich X, Count of Leiningen-Hartenburg
  • *Elisabeth, married her great-nephew Johann Philipp II, Count of Leiningen-Hartenburg
  • *Philip George, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg
  • **Anna married John, Count of Nassau-Idstein
  • *Johann Ludwig, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg
  • **Emich XIII, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg
  • ***Juliane Alexandrine married George III, Landgrave of Hesse-Itter and Charles, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried
  • ***George William, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg
  • ****Johann, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg married Countess Johanna Magdalene of Hanau-Lichtenberg
  • *****Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim
  • ******Countess Caroline Felizitas of Leiningen-Dagsburg
  • ******Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg
  • ***Emich Christian of Leiningen-Dagsburg
  • ****Elisabeth Dorothea Wilhelmine married Count Moritz Hermann of Limburg-Stirum
  • ***Johann Ludwig I, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg in Guntersblum
  • ****Johann Ludwig II, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg in Guntersblum
  • *****Johann Franz, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg in Guntersblum
  • ******Wilhelm Carl zu Leiningen-Guntersblum
  • *******Karl Theodor zu Leiningen-Billigheim
  • ********Karl Wenzel zu Leiningen-Billigheim