House of Guttenberg

Guttenberg coat-of-arms

Guttenberg Castle (de)

The Kleinbardorf castle, owned by the Guttenberg family 1691–1896

Kirchlauter Palace

Fronberg Palace

The House of Guttenberg is a prominent Franconian family which traces its origins back to 1149 with a Gundeloh v. Blassenberg (Plassenberg). Though, the first mention in a document is dated 1158. The name Guttenberg is derived from Guttenberg and was adopted by a Heinrich von Blassenberg around 1310. The Plassenberg family were ministeriales of the Counts of Andechs (later the dukes of Andechs-Meranien) and used as their seat the Plassenburg of Kulmbach. The castle of Guttenberg remains the main seat of the family. The family currently consists of two branches. The elder branch, von und zu Guttenberg and the younger Steinhausen branch. In 1700 the family rose from Reichsritter (Imperial Knights) to Reichsfreiherr (Barons of the Holy Roman Empire). After the Holy Roman Empire dissolved, they were made Freiherr (barons) of Bavaria (1814 & 1817). According to historian Werner Wagenhöfer, the Guttenberg family is the most researched family of the low nobility in Franconia along with the Seckendorff and Bibra families.

Prominent members

• Johann Gottfried von Guttenberg, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg (1684–1698)
• Elisabeth Johanna Freifrau von und zu Guttenberg (1900–1998), chair of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Katholischer Frauen Bayerns
• Emil Freiherr von Guttenberg (1841–1941), Austrian politician
• Enoch zu Guttenberg (born 1946), conductor
• Karl Ludwig Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg (1902–1945), anti-Nazi activist and Catholic monarchist
• Karl Theodor Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg (1921–1972), German CSU politician
• Karl-Theodor Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg (born 1971), German CSU politician, former Federal Minister of Commerce and Minister of Defense in the Merkel Cabinets
• Philipp Anton Christoph Freiherr von Guttenberg, Domherr of Würzburg

Localities with the Guttenberg Coat-of-Arms

• 
  Coat-of-arms of municipality of Guttenberg
• 
  Coat-of-arms of municipality of Kirchlauter
• 
  Coat-of-arms of municipality of Sulzdorf an der Lederhecke
• 
  Coat-of-arms of municipality of Rugendorf
• 
  Coat-of-arms of municipality of Breitbrunn
• 
  Coat-of-arms of municipality of Bindlach
• 
  Coat-of-arms of municipality of Ködnitz

References

• Genealogisches Handbuch des in Bayern immatrikulierten Adels, Band XXV, 2004, Pages 420-430