The Schmitt family or von Schmitt is a Bavarian noble family with Franconian origin. Introduced to nobility as ''Ritter'' von Schmitt by

Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Ludwig, Prince Regent of Bavaria (12 March 1821 – 12 December 1912), was the ''de facto'' ruler of Kingdom of Bavaria, Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, as regent for his nephews, Ludwig II of Bavaria, King Ludwig II and O ...

and

Otto, King of Bavaria Otto (; 27 April 1848 – 11 October 1916) was King of Bavaria from 1886 until 1913. However, he never actively ruled because of alleged severe mental illness. His uncle, Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, Luitpold, and his cousin, Ludwig III ...

, the family has been prominent in business, law and politics. Members have included the 14th President of Upper Franconia, the President of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the Senate President of the

Reichsgericht The (, ) was the supreme criminal and civil court of Germany from 1879 to 1945, encompassing the periods of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. It was based in Leipzig. The began its work on 1 October 1879, the date on w ...

History

The first known ancestor was Johannes Kaspar I. Schmitt (d. 1721–72) who was from

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

in Bavaria, Germany. His descendants Josef (1838–1908) and

Gottfried Gottfried is a masculine German given name. It is derived from the Old High German name , recorded since the 7th century, and composed of the elements (conflated from the etyma for "God" and "good", and possibly further conflated with ) and ("pe ...

(1827–1908) were later elevated to nobility. Josef ''Ritter'' von Schmitt and Gottfried ''Ritter'' von Schmitt (1827–1908), were elevated to the hereditary title of ''

Ritter Ritter (German for "knight") is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above " Edler" and below "" (Baron). As with most titles and desig ...

'' in 1889 and 1896 respectively before the Weimar Republic's abolition of nobility in 1919. Josef v. Schmitt's son

Josef II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Fr ...

was a prominent businessman and privy councilor, co-chairing

SKF AB SKF (, 'Swedish Ball Bearing Factory') is a Swedish bearing (mechanical), bearing and seal (mechanical), seal manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication an ...

and others. His cousin, Gottfried II (1865–1919) was a German politician, and member of the Reichsgerichtsrat.

Notable family members

* Josef ''Ritter'' von Schmitt (1838—1908), President of

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (, ) is a (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia, wh ...

. *

Josef Schmitt Josef Schmitt (22. August 1875 – 1945), later ''Ritter Josef Schmitt'' was a German Lawyer, Knight, and Privy Councilor. He was born in Bavaria to Ritter Josef von Schmitt, who was the advisor to Prince Luitpold of Bavaria and a privy cou ...

(1875–1945), German businessman and privy councillor. * Gottfried ''Ritter'' von Schmitt (1827–1908), President of the Bavarian Supreme Court. * Gottfried Schmitt (1865–1919), German politician * Gottfried E. Schmitt (1940 –), German winemaker File:Ritter Josef von Schmitt 2.png, Josef Ritter von Schmitt File:Josefvonschmittfamilyphoto.png, Gottfried Ritter von Schmitt File:Josef Schmitt.png, Ritter Josef Schmitt

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitt Family German noble families Bavarian noble families