Van Coevorden is one of the oldest aristocratic families from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

History

The family was already noble from earliest times ("

Uradel (, German: "ancient nobility"; adjective or ) is a genealogical term introduced in late 18th-century Germany to distinguish those families whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century or earlier. The word stands opposed to '' Briefadel'', ...

"). The family's history began with Hendrik van

Borculo Borculo is a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the municipality of Berkelland, Gelderland. Borculo was an independent municipality until 2005, when it merged with Eibergen, Neede, and Ruurlo. Other population centers in the municipality of Borc ...

, who in 1231 married Eufemia, a daughter of the lord of

Coevorden Coevorden (; nds-nl, Koevern) is a city and municipality in the province of Drenthe, Netherlands. During the 1998 municipal reorganisation in the province, Coevorden merged with Dalen, Sleen, Oosterhesselen and Zweeloo, retaining its name. In ...

, a municipality in the Drenthe province. Their grandson, Reinolt, started to call himself ''van Coeverden'', after his grandmother. From this time onwards till the 17th century, the family played an important role in the region. Reinolt's descendants still carry this name and belong to the

Dutch nobility The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class constisting of individuals or families recognized as noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The existence of nobility was established in the Constitution ...

. In 1814 three member of the family were given the title

Jonkheer (female equivalent: ; french: Écuyer; en, Squire) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used by the untitled nobility. In Belgium, this is the ...

. In 1991, 1992, 1993, and 2009 several members of the family were given the title of baron, near the end of 2018 another family member acquired the title of baron.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the family is in gold 3 red eagles (2:1). The family's motto is ''En Dieu mon espérence et mon epée à ma défence.'' (In God my hope and my sword to the defense).

Literature

* Detlev Schwennicke,

Europäische Stammtafeln ''Europäische Stammtafeln'' - German for ''European Family Trees'' - is a series of twenty-nine books which contain sets of genealogical tables of the most influential families of Medieval European history. It is a standard reference work for thos ...

Band XXVII (2012) Tafel 82. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coeverden, van Surnames Dutch noble families Barons of the Netherlands