The Gravenreuth family was an old German noble family, originally from Franconia, whose members held significant positions in

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

and later in the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

History

The family's origin seat was located in Grafenreuth, now part of Thiersheim in the District of Wunsiedel in

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 ...

, first mentioned in 1180. Up to the 18th century, the family, awarded with the title

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

, was the owner of nearby land and villages, e.g. in the area of Marktredwitz. Lines of the family moved to Upper Palatinate, e.g. in Schlammersdorf. The family is directly related with the House of Sparneck. In the fellowship of the Margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, members of the family were part of the Order of the Red Eagle and engaged in St Georgen under that with the foundation of the ''Gravenreuther Stift'' by Georg Christoph of Gravenreuth (1667-1736), offering a home and a religious life-style for poor unmarried older men. In 1825 the Guttenthau line of family was awarded with the title of

Count 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: Grafen). This line of the family went extinct in 1919. In 1816 the ''Hofmark'' Affing was bought, members of the family are still living there.Peter Braun: ''Die Herren von Sparneck. Stammbaum, Verbreitung, Kurzinventar''. In: ''Archiv für die Geschichte von Oberfranken''. Vol. 82, 2002, pp. 71–106.

Notable members

* Sigmund-Ulrich Freiherr von Gravenreuth, a German officer in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

References

Bavarian noble families Franconian nobility {{Germany-noble-stub