The House of Egloffstein is an ancient
Franconian aristocratic family (Uradel) with an eponymous family home in the hill region of
Franconian Switzerland in the
Bavarian province of
Upper Franconia. The family first appears in the records in 1187 with a Heinrich genannt Stuchs ("Henry, named Stuchs") who is also the
progenitor. The house belongs to the brotherhood of Franconian
Imperial Knights.
Egloffstein Castle and
Kunreuth Castle are to this day owned by the family.
The Egloffsteins were a mighty, influential Franconian family of
Imperial Knights with many branches. They belonged to the Knights' Cantons of Gebürg (Ritterkanton Gebürg) and
Steigerwald (Ritterkanton Steigerwald), Gebürg being part of the old name for Franconian Switzerland.
After the end of the
Prussian War of the Cities, Deutschmeister, Conrad of Egloffstein, was given the town of
Domnau as a fief and a reward for his military service. Conrad of Egloffstein built a new palace on an island in the river. The remains of the old castle were torn down in 1474.
On 19 October 1786, Freiherr
Albert Dietrich Gottfried von und zum Egloffstein, a Prussian major general and governor of East and West Prussia, and his brother, Otto Frederick Freiherr of Egloffstein, a Prussian major received the title of count, after the former had founded in 1783 the
majorat of Arklitten in East Prussia.[5] This title was confirmed on 8 May 1914 in the
Kingdom of Bavaria in the comital class. Its estates included the fideicommissum of
Arklitten, the county of
Gerdauen, East Prussia, and, from 1889, the Upper Lusatian estates of
Kromlau and
Groß Düben.
Together with the line of free nobles, the counts of Egloffstein owned
Schloss Kunreuth, the estates of
Egloffstein,
Schloss Schmölz and
Schloss Theisenort. From the comital line come Counts Otto Dietrich, Albert Henry, Frederick-Eglolf, Albert and Frederick-Tassilo Rafael von und zu Egloffstein.
Family union
From 13 July 1358, a
condominium (international law) foundation is mentioned in the records. This family union was re-established in 1505 by
cathedral canon, Leonard of Egloffstein and became a registered society in 1911 as the Family Association of the Counts and Lords von und zu Egloffstein. A family day is held every six years in
Kunreuth.
Lords of Egloffstein and their lineage
I (main) line
Progenitor: Charles Ludwig Ernest Franz of Egloffstein (1734–1773)
1st branch;
Progenitor: Christian of Egloffstein (1764–1834)
1st sub-branch
2nd sub-branch: male line died out in when the sons of William Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (1853–1929) and Elisabeth, née Freiin von Rotenhan (born 2 May 1865 in Rentweinsdorf; died 29 October 1948 in Eisenach) died during the Second World War
3rd sub-branch: male line died out with Camil von und zu Egloffstein (born 18 December 1850 in Mühlhausen; died 5 December 1919 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA)
2nd branch
Progenitor: Frederick Gottfried of Egloffstein (1769–1848)
1st sub-branch
Progenitor: Leonhard Berthold William Julius Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (1842–1904)
2nd sub-branch
Progenitor: Paul Frederick August Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (1856–1903)
II (secondary) line
Progenitor: Ernest of Egloffstein (1748–1830)
1st branch:
Progenitor: William of Egloffstein (1803–1866)
male line died out with Camil Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (born 28 July 1845 in Nuremberg; died 23 July 1924 in Kalksburg near Vienna).
2nd branch:
Progenitor: Camille Ernest Charles William Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (1805–1868)
from this branch:
Maurice James Albert Maria Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (see above)
3rd branch:
Progenitor: Charles of Egloffstein (born 24 January 1869 in Wunderburg; died 18 March 1929 in Bamberg), this 3rd branch died out with him.
4th branch:
Progenitor: Eugene, Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (born 25 July 1863 in Bamberg) gave up his name and title in 1900 and wandered away.
5th branch:
Progenitor: Frederick Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (born 18 May 1824 in Egloffstein; died 13 February 1885 in Dresden)
male line died out with Leonard Clarence Freiherr von und zu Egloffstein (born 9 May 1889; died 17 October 1966)
Coat of arms
The family
coat of arms (Stammwappen) with its right-facing, black bear's head with a red tongue on a silver shield is recorded since 1317. On the
helmet with its black and silver
mantle to the right and black and gold mantle to the left, the bear's head is seen again.
The heraldic device of the Egloffstein bears is recalled on the ruins of the Egloffstein's
Bärnfels Castle and Bärenthal Mill on the River
Trubach. The coat of arms of
Egloffstein with reversed tinctures recalls this family.
^Ernest Heinrich Kneschke: Deutsche Grafenhäuser der Gegenwart: in heraldischer, historischer und genealogischer Beziehung. 1. Band: A–K. Verlag T. O. Weigel, Leipzig, 1852, pp. 210f.