The Pranckh family is an

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

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 ...

, descending from Pranckh Castle, near Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld in the former

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

and later

Duchy of Styria The Duchy of Styria (; ; ) was a duchy located in modern-day southern Austria and northern Slovenia. It was a part of the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary until its dissolution i ...

. The family's origins date back to the year 1135, when Wolfkerus de Branka attested a charter regarding an endowment to Admont Abbey, thus making it one of the oldest families in Austria still present today. In addition to the Styrian mainline, other branches existed in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

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 ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

.Werner Hammerl
''Pranckh''
In later parts of history, the family rose from

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

s to Reichsfreiherren ''(Barons of the Holy Roman Empire)'' and Reichsgrafen ''(Imperial Counts of the Holy Roman Empire)''.Obituary of '' Siegmund Freiherr von Pranckh'' i
Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde (MGSLK)
XXVIII, 1888, 436 Edition 28, 1888, pp. 436Dr. Bernhard Peter

Count Friedrich Lanjus von Wellenburg, (PDF; 1,5 MB), pp. 43 Many of their names can be found in high court and state offices of the

Archbishopric of Salzburg The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg (; ) was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops of Salzburg, as distinguished from the much larger Catholic diocese f ...

. Branches of the family exist to this day in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

History

Origins and Styrian line

The family traces its origins back to Feistritz bei Knittelfeld in

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

, where it first appeared in documents dated 1135, when Wolfkerus de Branka testified an endowment made by his brother Pilgrim von Feistritz to the Benedictine Abbey of Admont.Urkundenbuch des Herzogtums Steyermark II, 1 They were knights of the free nobles of Feistritz-Traisen, which subsequently, under Adalram von Waldeck, a descendant of the

Aribonids The Aribonids were a noble family of probably Bavarian origin who rose to preeminence in the Carolingian March of Pannonia and the later Margraviate of Austria (''marcha orientalis'') in the late ninth and early tenth centuries. The dynasty is nam ...

, founded the Augustinian Abbey of Seckau in 1140, which explains the family's close relationship with Seckau. After their principals had become extinct, they became ministeriales of the territorial lords and provosts of Seckau, among them Arnold, Ortolf, who decreed renovations and new constructions of the Abbey, as well as Ulrich II. von Pranckh. The family crypt was located in Seckau as well, where to this day the red marble tombs of the nobles Johannes Pranckhher von Pranckh and Ernst Pranckhher of Pranckh are preserved. The continuous succession of the family begins in 1242 with Ulrich von Pranckh. In 1298 the marriage between Friedrich von Pranckh and heiress Anna von Pux, descendant of the Saint Countess Hemma von Gurk was officiated. Anna von Pux brought her coat of arms, estates in Styria and Carinthia and the future ruling seat of the family, the castle of Pux, located at the upper bank of the Mur near Teufenbach.Foundation Seeau
''Pranckh zu Pux''
However, the ruling seat was not moved to Pux until 1425. A different part of the family remained in St. Marein, which saw increased invasions of the Turks during these times – they however did not dare to attack the castle of Pranckh. In 1459, Ernst Pranckhher Knight von Pranckh zu Katsch awarded the Benedictine Admont of Abbey the right to collect

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

and the Zehenthof zu Petersdorf in St. Peter am Kammersberg to further underline the family's relation with the Abbey. Furthermore, the family maintained close relations with the Benedictine Abbey of Göss by for instance providing abbesses.

Göss Abbey Göss Abbey () is a former Benedictine nunnery and former cathedral in Göss, now a part of Leoben in Styria, Austria. After the abbey's dissolution in 1782 the church, now a parish church, was the seat of the short-lived Bishopric of Leoben. Hi ...

in Wikipedia

Lower Austrian line

The Lower Austrian line of the family was established by Ernst von Pranckh zu Bockfliess, governor of the lower quarter under the

Manhartsberg Manhartsberg is a low, flat-lying mountain ridge in Lower Austria. It rises to a maximum height of 537 m. It is the southeastern flank of the granite Bohemian massif. The ridge runs from the Thaya river up to the Wagram mountain range and is p ...

(

Weinviertel The (; ) or ; "Area below the " is located in the northeast of Lower Austria. In the east, the borders Slovakia at the March River. In the south, it borders and , its limits being the Wagram, the Danube and the . Its western neighbor is ...

). Descendants include Eustachius von Pranckh zu Rickersdorf, who acquired the Veste Hof located at the river banks of the March. His son Friedrich von Pranckh later moved the castle to the higher situated location Hofberg and thus laid the foundation of

Schloss Hof Schloss Hof is a palace located in Marchfeld, Austria near the border with Slovakia. It once belonged to Prince Eugene of Savoy who purchased it late in his life in 1726. He had it enlarged in the Baroque architecture, Baroque style by the archit ...

, later owned by

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...

.Marktgemeinde Engelhartstetten
''Schloßhof''
As the oldest owners of

Engelhartstetten Engelhartstetten is a town in the district of Gänserndorf in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Geography Engelhartstetten lies near Vienna in the southeast corner of the Marchfeld. On the east is the March River and on the south the Danube ...

, the community where Schloss Hof is located, two mutually crenellated red crossbars of the Lords of Pranckh are shown in the municipal coat of arms.Federal Chancellery , Legal Information
über die Verleihung eines Wappens ... für die Town Engelhartstetten''

Salzburg line

The progenitor of the thriving line is Ulrich von Pranckh († 1416/1420), from whom onwards descending lines are fully established. Closer progenitor is Rupprecht von Pranckh († 1575). His son Roman founded the Salzburg line of the family by marrying Anna Susanna von Überacker, who belonged to Bavarian Uradel. In 1628,

Emperor Ferdinand II Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II, Archduke of Austr ...

elevated Johann Christoph Knight von Pranckh, member of the imperial war council and seneschal, Lord of Pux, Poppendorf, Rhine Valley and Frondsberg, together with all blood relatives, to hereditary Barons of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsfreiherrenstand), and raised to Salzburg state estates in 1651. In 1719, the brothers Ferdinand Josef and Georg Wilhelm, Lord of Schönau, Hallenau and Zinzendorf were raised to Imperial Counts of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsgrafenstand) by

Emperor Charles VI Charles VI (; ; 1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully claimed the throne of Spain follow ...

. At the beginning of the 19th century, however, the counts’ line became extinct. In 1765 Leopold Count von Pranckh, colonel and commander of the praiseworthy 2nd Bavarian district regiment, became Lord and Landmann of Salzburg.Salzburgwiki
Pranckh

Bavarian line

Siegmund Amadeus Freiherr von Pranckh (* 1768), descendant from the Salzburg branch of the family, following services in the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg and Austrian military, relocated his seat to Bavaria where he was appointed royal treasurer and lieutenant colonel. His son Siegmund (* 1821) became the royal Bavarian Minister of War and

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and initiated the extensive army reform of 1868. He was also significantly involved in the conclusion of the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

in 1870 and was granted an endowment of 100,000 crowns from the war compensation awards for his achievements. In 1873 he returned to Styria to take over the allodial entailed rule Pux from Ludwig († 1880), the last descendant of the Styrian line at the time.

Estates and rulership

The reach of the family Pranckh primarily covered the upper valley of the Mur. Besides castle Pranckh and castle Pux, they controlled the following sites in

: * Altenhofen * Birkenstein * Dornhofen *

Eppenstein Eppenstein is a former municipality in the district of Murtal in the Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Weißkirchen in Steiermark. Eppenstein lies in the Lavanttal Alps ...

* Feistritz am Kammersberg *

Fohnsdorf Fohnsdorf () is a municipality in the district of Murtal in Styria, Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Aust ...

* Friedhofen * Frojach * Schloss Frondsberg, Frondsberg * Gabelhofen ''(Riegersdorf)'' * Gilgenbühel * Goppelsbach * Grubenhof bei Graz * Grubhof bei Judenburg * Gutenhag * Hautzenbichl * Hohenburg * Karlsberg * Katsch * Kohlsberg * Ruine Puxer-Loch, Luegg * Oberdorf * Oberlorenzen * Pachern * Perchau am Sattel * Pichlhofen * Plankenwarth * Poppendorf * Prankerhof ''(Adelsbühel)'' * Rachau * Reifenstein * Reinthal * Rothenfels bei Oberwölz * Ruine Puxer-Loch, Schallaun * Schrattenberg * Siegersdorf bei Herberstein * Schloss Sonneck (St. Bartholomä) ''(Buschenschlössl)'' * Waldstein ''(Alt-Waldstein) * Waldstein ''(Deutschfeistritz)'' * Wartberg ''(Liechtenegg)'' * Wasserleith Upper Austria: * Feldegg * Oberalm * Schieferegg * Waikhartsberg

: * Bockfließ *

* Grafenweiden * Markthof * Niederweiden *

* Schönau Salzburg (state), Salzburg: * Schloss Aigen, Aigen * Baron-Pranckh Haus at Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse * Eichen * Haunsperg * Prenzingerau * Reiterhaus at Getreidegasse * Seeburg * Ursprung * Wiespach Vienna: * Laudon Slovenia: * Snežnik Castle

Current estates

As of today, the castles Pux, Hautzenbichl and Windern as well as the former cave castles Schallaun and Luegg are privately owned by the family. Vischerstich_des_Schlosses_Pux_sw.jpg, Pux Vischer_-_Topographia_Ducatus_Stiria_-_164_Hautzenbichl_bei_Knittelfeld.jpg, Hautzenbichl Windern-neu.jpg, Windern Die Gartenlaube (1877) b 201.jpg, Ruine Puxer-Loch, Schallaun and Luegg

Coat of arms

The initial coat of arms of Pranckh shows two crenellated cross-beams in silver. The Crest (heraldry), crest consists of red and-silver mantling with a pair of red horns on the right and a pair of silver horns left, which on their outsides are crested with colour-changing combs. The coat of arms of the Barons von Pranckh zu Pux was formed by the marriage between Friedrich von Pranckh and Anna von Pux, and officiated by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor Ferdinand II. in 1628. The coat arms is quartered and shows the baronial crown. Fields one and four show the original coat of arms, with two crenellated cross-beams in silver against a red background. Fields two and three show three slanted spearheads in silver (the boar spears of the von Pux family) against red background. The first helmet shows the original crest of Pranckh, with red and silver mantling, a pair of buffalo horns, red on the right and silver on the left, with black tufts of feathers on the outside. The second helmet represents the Pux family and shows a closed Vol (heraldry), vol in red with three slanted spearheads in silver over red-silver mantling. The coat of arms of the Counts von Pranckh zu Pux is quartered, with the initial coat of arms of Pranckh embedded as heart-shaped Escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon and the comital crown on top. Fields one and four show three slanted spearheads of Pux in silver against red background. Fields two and three show the coat of arms of Colaus, halved diagonally in red and silver. On top are three crowned helmets with red and silver mantling. The first helmet of Pux shows a closed Vol (heraldry), vol in red with three slanted spearheads in silver. The central helmet of Pranckh shows a pair of red and silver buffalo horns with black tufts of feathers on the outside. The third helmet of Colaus is decorated with three ostrich feathers in red-silver-red.

Historical coat of arms

Wappen der Freiherren Pranckh zu Pux.jpg, Pranckh zu Pux coat of arms ''(Styrian Roll of Arms, 1567)'' Tyroff Band 12 Wappenbuch der Österreichischen Monarchie - Tafel 57.png, Barons von Pranckh zu Pux coat of arms ''(Austrian Monarchy Roll of Arms, 1840)'' Grafen von Pranckh. koloriert.Tyroff Band 9 Wappenbuch der Österreichischen Monarchie - Band 9 Tafel 27-1.jpg, Counts von Pranckh zu Pux coat of arms ''(Austrian Monarchy Roll of Arms, 1837)'' Wappen Grafen 2 Tyroff J. A. - Wappenbuch der fürstlichen und gräflichen Häuser der österreichischen Monarchie - Band 8 tafel 36.png, Counts von Pranckh zu Pux coat of arms ''(Roll of arms of royal and comital houses of the Austrian Monarchy, 1856)'' Siebmacher Salzburg Tafel 21.jpg, Counts von Pranckh zu Pux coat of arms ''(Siebmacher's Roll of Arms of Salzburg Nobility, 1883)'' Siebmacher_Niederösterreich_Tafel_197.jpg, Counts von Pranckh zu Pux coat of arms ''(Siebmacher's Roll of Arms of Lower Austrian Nobility, 1918)''

Local coat of arms

AUT Engelhartstetten COA.svg, Coat of arms of

Burial helmet of Pranckh

The burial great helm, helmet of the family of Pranckh is one of the most famous crested medieval bucket helmets, the only other existing specimen is the one from the Edward the Black Prince, Black Prince of Canterbury.Kleeblatt – Zeitschrift für Heraldik und verwandte Wissenschaften
Besonderheiten: Totenschilde''
/ref> The helmet was likely to be used during tournaments, as its additional front reinforcements suggest. Presumably, it belonged to Albert von Pranckh, who carried an almost identical helmet in his coat of arms, and dates back to the first half of the 14th century. The crest shows a golden pair of buffalo horns, embellished with silver outer ridges, covered in leather. Following a crusade, it was donated to the Seckau Abbey, Abbey of Seckau, where it hung with two funerary hatchments over the family crypt of Pranckh. In 1878 it was acquired for the imperial collection in Vienna and is currently on display at the armoury of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.Count Franz von Meran
''Der Pranckhher Helm aus Stift Seckau''
/ref>

People

* Eustachius von Pranckh zu Rickersdorf (16th century), Lord on

and Markthof in Lower Austria * Friedrich von Pranckh zu Rickersdorf (ca. 1620), Lord on

, Markthof, Grafenweiden and Niederweiden in Lower Austria; founder of Schloss Hof * Adam Gottlieb von Pranckh (ca. 1647), Baron on Seeburg in Seekirchen am Wallersee, Salzburg * Siegmund von Pranckh (1821–1888), Bavarian General and Minister of War * Hans von Pranckh (1888–1945), Bavarian Officer, Baron on Pux in Styria and Austrian Heimwehrführer * Pilgrim von Pranckh (1923–2013), Baron on Hautzenbichl in Styria * Georg von Pranckh (1926-2005), Austrian politician Österreichische Volkspartei, (ÖVP) * Georg von Pranckh (* 1952), Austrian politician Freedom Party of Austria, (FPÖ) * Pilgrim von Pranckh (* 1955), Baron on Pux in Styria

Literature

*Genealogical Handbook of Nobility, ''Adelslexikon'' Edition X, Edition 119 of the series, pp. 521–522, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1999, *Genealogical Handbook of Bavarian Nobility, Editions I-XXIX, Vereinigung des Adels in Bayern e.V. , Bayerisches Adelsarchiv e.V., 1950–2009 [Edition/Page]: 1/569, 3/477, 6/280, 11/306, 15/348, 19/408, 23/419, 27/479 *Almanach de Gotha of Baronial Houses. Justus Perthes (publishing company), Justus Perthes, Gotha. 1896, 1898, 1904, 1906, 1956, 1986. *Almanach de Gotha of Comital Houses. Justus Perthes (publishing company), Justus Perthes, Gotha. 1874.

References

{{commons category, Pranckh_family, The family of Pranckh Austrian noble families History of Styria German noble families Bavarian noble families