The House of Finck von Finckenstein is a

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

classified as ''

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'' ...

'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

for 'ancient nobility'). It is one of the oldest

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

aristocratic families extant, dating back to the 12th century in the

Duchy of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (; ; ) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial State after the original German stem duchies. Car ...

Origins

Finkenstein am Faaker See Altfinkenstein 14 Burgruine 17022015 9915

According to the

Prussian State Archive Königsberg Prussian State Archive in Mittelhufen The Prussian State Archive Königsberg () was an archive in Königsberg, Germany. It consisted of documents from the state of the Teutonic Order, the Duchy of Prussia, and East Prussia. Most of it is now part o ...

, the first representative of the family appeared authentically with one 'Niche of Roghusen' in 1388 in Roggenhausen in the

State of the Teutonic Order The State of the Teutonic Order () was a theocratic state located along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. It was formed by the knights of the Teutonic Order during the early 13th century Northern Crusades in the region ...

. However, his allocation is uncertain; under its current name, the house appears authentically in 1451 with 'Michael Fincke' who calls himself 'Finck von Roggenhausen' in 1474. The family was raised to

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

s (''Reichsgrafen'') and

Counts Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

(''

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

en'') in Prussia as 'Finck von Finckenstein' in 1710. The Finck von Finckenstein's Imperial Count Diploma of 1710 determines as the cradle of the house of Finck von Finckenstein the today dilapidated Finkenstein Castle ruin in

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

. Hereafter the house appears for the first time 1143 with Gotwold von Finkenstein,

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of Finkenstein in Carinthia. The Carinthian branch of the Finckensteins died in the 14th century, a junior branch, however, joined the

Order of St John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

and after possibly participating in the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

conquered

Old Prussia Prussia (; ; ; ; ; //) is a historical region in Central Europe on the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, that ranges from the Vistula delta in the west to the end of the Curonian Spit in the east and extends inland as far as Masuria, div ...

and Christianised the

Old Prussians Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians or simply Prussians were a Balts, Baltic people that inhabited the Prussia (region), region of Prussia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea between the Vistula Lagoon to the west and the Curonian Lagoon ...

. According to the Imperial Count Diploma Konrad Finck von Finckenstein came during the

Prussian Crusade The Prussian Crusade was a series of 13th-century campaigns of Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Crusades, crusaders, primarily led by the Teutonic Knights, to Christianization, Christianize Forced conversion, under duress the Prussian mythol ...

in the 13th century with his 100 knights of the

in its drive to conquer

alongside the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

People

* Count Ernst Finck von Finckenstein, Electoral Prussian chamberlain, named "The Rich Shepherd", (1633–1717) ** Count Ernst Friedrich Finck von Finckenstein, companion of King

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

on his first passage to Great Britain in 1714 and later Royal Prussian war- and budget minister (1698–1753) ** Countess Katharina Dorothea Finck von Finckenstein, great-great-grandmother of

Christian IX of Denmark Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schlesw ...

and ancestress of the monarchs of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

(1700–1728) * Count Albrecht Konrad Finck von Finckenstein, Prussian

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

and governor of the Crown Prince, the future King

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

(1660–1735) ** Count Friedrich Ludwig Finck von Finckenstein, Royal Prussian

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

(1709–1785) *** Count Karl Friedrich Ludwig Albrecht Finck von Finckenstein, Royal Prussian budget- and justice minister, chief minister of the East Prussian Government (1743–1803) **

Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein Karl Wilhelm Reichsgraf Finck von Finckenstein (11 February 1714 – 3 January 1800) was a Count of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, a Prussian diplomat, and later Prime Minister of Prussia. Family He was the son of Count Albrech ...

, Prussian

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

(1714–1800) *** Count Friedrich Ludwig Karl Finck von Finckenstein, chief minister of the East-Brandenburg ("Neumark") Government (1745–1818) **** Count Wilhelm Karl Leopold Finck von Finckenstein, Royal Prussian

1792–1877) *****Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein, German banker (1923–2011) *****Count Hans-Werner Finck von Finckenstein, German diplomat (1926–2012) * Count Karl Bonaventura Finck von Finckenstein, Prussian Chamberlain (office), chamberlain, member of the Prussian House of Lords ("Preußisches Herrenhaus") and

Schönberg Schönberg () may refer to: Places Austria *Schönberg im Stubaital, a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land, Tyrol *Schönberg am Kamp, a town in the district of Krems-Land, Lower Austria Belgium *Schönberg (Sankt-Vith), a part o ...

(1794–1865) **

Count Bonaventura Finck von Finckenstein Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Jäskendorf (1872–1950) *** Count Theodor Finck von Finckenstein, author of "Protokollarischer Ratgeber" (1923–2001) **** Count Hans-Konrad (Hako) Finck von Finckenstein, capital sourcing director for alternative investments (born 1961) **

Count Ottfried Finck von Finckenstein Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, German author (1901–1987) ** Countess Eva Finck von Finckenstein, German politician (1903–1994) *** Count Konrad Finck von Finckenstein, chairman of the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications, (born 1945) ** Count Björn Finck von Finckenstein, Namibian politician (born 1958) * Countess Amalie Ludowika Finck von Finckenstein, mother of Russian field marshal Prince Peter zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg * Count Karl August Finck von Finckenstein, general of the Prussian Infantry (1835–1915) * Count Wilhelm Heinrich Karl Finck von Finckenstein, chamberlain of German Emperor Wilhelms II and member of the Prussian House of Lords ("Preußisches Herrenhaus") (1850–1899) * Count Albrecht Alexander Otto Finck von Finckenstein, major general (1859–1936) *

Count Konrad Wilhelm Gustav Finck von Finckenstein Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, major general (born 1862) * Count Bernhard Gustav Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein,

(1863–1945) * Count Heinrich-Georg Finck von Finckenstein, SA-''

Obergruppenführer (, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...

'' and politician (1894–1984) German musician

Tommy Finke Tommy Finke (born as Thomas David Finke February 4, 1981), sometimes using the pseudonym T.D. Finck von Finckenstein, is a German singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his work in indie, alternative, and pop music, as well ...

also uses the pseudonym T.D. Finck von Finckenstein

References

* Familiengeschichte des Gräflich Finck von Finckensteinschen Geschlechts. Gyldendal’scher Verlag, Berlin 1920. * Gräfliche Häuser Band III. In: Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels. Band 61, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1975, ISSN 0435-2408 * Gräfliche Häuser Band XIV. In: Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels. Band 105, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1993, ISSN 0435-2408. * Gräfliche Häuser Band XIV. In: Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels. Band 146, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 2009, . *

Günter de Bruyn Günter de Bruyn (; 1 November 1926 – 4 October 2020) was a German author. Life Günter de Bruyn was born in Berlin in November 1926; his father Carl was a Catholic from Bavaria. Günter served as a Luftwaffenhelfer and soldier in World War II ...

: Die Finckensteins. Eine Familie im Dienste Preußens. Siedler Verlag, Berlin 1999, . * Preußisches Urkundenbuch, Regesten und Texte zur Geschichte Preußens und des Deutschen Ordens * Untersuchungen über das Stammland der Grafen Finck von Finckenstein, von G.A.v.Mülverstedt, S183ff, in Preussische Provinzialblätter 1834 * Die Sippe Rockhausen, Ernst Rieger, Artur Rockhausen, Johannes Webers, Eigenverlag, 1995

External links

Schloss Finckenstein

Website des Familienverbandes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finck von Finckenstein German noble families Prussian nobility Austrian noble families