Salm is the name of several historic countships and

principalities A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...

in present Germany, Belgium,

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 ...

and France.

History

Origins and first division

The

County A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

of Salm arose in the tenth century in Vielsalm, in the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

region of present Belgium. It was ruled by a junior branch of the

House of Ardenne–Luxembourg The House of Luxembourg (or Luxembourg), also known as the House of Ardenne–Luxembourg in order to distinguish it from later families, were a Lotharingian noble family known from the tenth and eleventh centuries. They are one of the three main br ...

, called the House of Salm. In 1165, it was divided into the counties of Lower Salm, in the

, situated in Belgium and

, and the county of Upper Salm, situated in the

Vosges mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...

, present France.

Upper Salm

In 1246 the County of Upper Salm was split up, and the County of Salm-Blankenburg came into existence, next to it. In 1431 the County of Upper Salm was split up again, and the County of Salm-Badenweiler came into existence, next to it. The County of Upper Salm was inherited by the Wild- and Rhinegraves in 1475, who then called their fief the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Upper Salm. In 1499 the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm was divided up into two entities, the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Kyrburg and the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Dhaun.

Salm-Blankenburg

The county became extinct in 1506, and was inherited by the House of Lorraine.

Salm-Badenweiler

In 1520 the County of Salm-Badenweiler was split up, and the County of Salm-Neuburg came into existence, next to it. In 1653 the fief was inherited by the Austrian House of Sinzendorf, but the House of Salm kept using the title until 1784, when the last lord died. The county was annexed by the House of Lorraine from 1600 until 1608, when it came back into the family. 1670 the territory was finally annexed by France.

Salm-Brandenbourg

In 1490, Anne d'Haraucourt, Dame of Brandenbourg (1465-1550) married Count Johann VI of Salm (1452-1505). As the only child of her parents, she inherited Brandenbourg and brought it into the House of Salm. It was first inherited by her childless grandson, Count Claudius of Salm (d. 1583), who left the territory to his younger brother, Count Paul of Salm (d. 1595). His only surviving child, Christina of Salm, was his sole heir. In 1600, she also inherited Badenweiler possessions of her uncle. After that, a division took place: some of her possessions were kept with her and later inherited by the House of Lorraine; another half was kept within the House of Salm. From this Salm half later emerged the Principality of Salm.http://w.genealogy.euweb.cz/luxemburg/luxemburg5.html#CKP

Salm-Kyrburg

In 1607 the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Kyrburg was divided in three by splitting off the Wild- and Rhinagraviate of Salm-Mörchingen and the Wild- and Rhinagraviate of Salm-Tronecken from the original Wild- and Rhinegraviate. In 1637 the lord of Salm-Tronecken died and his territories were joined with ... . In 1681 the last lord of Salm-Kyrburg died, and his territories were joined with Salm-Mörchingen. In 1688 the last lord of Salm-Mörchingen died. His territories were joined with ... . In 1743 a completely new territory of Salm-Kyrburg was created, this time the Principality of Salm-Kyrburg. It was shortly annexed by France in 1811 and mediatised in 1813. But the family kept using the titles.

Salm-Dhaun

In 1561 the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Neuweiler and the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Grumbach were split off Salm-Dhaun. In 1697 the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Püttlingen was split off Salm-Dhaun. In 1748 the Salm-Dhaun branch of the family became extinct, its territories went to the branch of Salm-Püttlingen.

=Salm-Püttlingen

= Salm-Püttlingen became extinct in 1750. Their territories passed to Salm-Dhaun. Caroline of Salm was the heiress and after her, her grandson Dominic Constantin of Löwenstein Rochefort.

=Salm-Neuweiler

= In 1610 the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm was split off Salm-Neuweiler. It was elevated to the Principality of Salm in 1623. In 1803, when the Bishopric of Münster was secularized, part of it was given to the princes of Salm-Salm who by then already were in possession of the Lordship of Anholt. This new Principality of Salm, covering the area around Borken, Ahaus and Bocholt, was a member of the

Confederation of the Rhine The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austrian Empire, Austria ...

. In 1810 it was annexed by France, as a part of the Imperial

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. ...

. After the defeat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in 1815, it was mediatized to

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, ...

. The family branch exist until today. In 1696 Salm-Neuweiler was divided in two, the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Leuze and the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Hoogstraten. Their lands were incorporated into Belgium. The branches became extinct in 1887 and 1186.

=Salm-Grumbach

= In 1668 the Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Rheingrafenstein-Grenzweiler was split off Salm-Grumbach. It was mediatised and incorporated into Prussia. The branch extinction occurred in 1819. In 1803 Salm-Grumbach was annexed by France. The lords of Salm-Grumbach received the Principality of Salm-Horstmar as compensation in 1803. It was mediatised in 1813. The family branch sold its titles to Salm-Salm in 1892.

List of states

* 1019–1165 : County of Salm (Lower and Upper Salm) ** 1165–1416 : County of Lower Salm / 1416–1628 : County of Salm-Reifferscheid / 1628-1639 Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid *** 1639–1803 : Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Bedburg **** 1803–1804 : Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Krautheim ***** 1804–1806 : Principality of Salm-Reifferscheid-Krautheim (mediatised to

, branch became extinct in 1893) **** 1734–1790 : County of Salm-Reifferscheid-Raitz ***** 1790–1811 : Principality of Salm-Reifferscheid-Raitz (mediatised to

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 ...

, branch still extant) **** 1734–1811 : County of Salm-Reifferscheid-Hainsbach (mediatised to Prussia, branch became extinct in 1897) *** 1639–1806 : Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck (mediatised to Prussia, branch became extinct in 1888) ** 1165–1475 : County of Upper Salm / 1475-1499 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Upper Salm (House of Salm-Dhaun and House of Salm-Kyrburg) *** 1210–1500 : County of Salm-Blankenburg ( House of Lorraine) *** 1431–1670 : County of Salm-Badenweiler (

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

) **** 1490–1600 :County of Salm-Brandenbourg ( House of Lorraine and House of Salm) **** 1520–1784 : County of Salm-Neuburg ( House of Sinzendorf) *** 1499–1748 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Dhaun (House of Salm-Püttlingen) **** 1697–1750 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Püttlingen (?) **** 1561–1696 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Neuweiler (House of Salm-Leuze and House of Salm-Hoogstraten) ***** 1574-1738 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Salm ****** 1738–1810 : Principality of Salm-Salm (mediatised to Prussia) ***** 1696–1742 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Leuze ****** 1742–1743 : Principality of Salm-Leuze (House of Salm-Kyrburg) ***** 1696–1738 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Hoogstraten (later known as House of Salm-Salm) **** 1561–1803 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Grumbach (mediatised to Prussia) ***** 1803–1813 : Principality of Salm-Horstmar (mediatised to Prussia, branch still extant) ***** 1668-????' Wild- and Rhinegraviate of Rheingrafenstein-Grenzweiler (branch became extinct in 1819) *** 1499–1681 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate of

Salm-Kyrburg Salm-Kyrburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire located in present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, one of the various partitions of Salm (state), Salm. It was twice created: the first time as a Wild- and Rhinegraviate (partitioned from Upper ...

(House of Salm-Mörchingen) **** 1607-1637 : Wild and Rhinegraviate of Salm-Tronecken (branch became extinct in 1637) **** 1607–1688 : Wild- and Rhinegraviate Salm-Mörchingen (branch became extinct in 1688) *** 1743–1810 : Principality of

(mediatised to Prussia)

Rulers

House of Salm

Partitions of Salm under House of Salm rule

Table of rulers

The successors of the House of Salm: the Reiffersheidt family

The counts of Lower Salm became extinct in 1416, and the county was inherited by the House of Reifferscheid-Dyck. In 1628 the county was elevated to an altgraviate, and henceforth the

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

was renamed the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid. In 1639 the Altgraviate was divided up into the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Bedburg, to the Northwest of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, and the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck,

Neuss Neuss (; written ''Neuß'' until 1968; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its ...

. House of Reifferscheidt-Dyck (1416-1803; in Dyck, from 1639 in Bedburg, renamed Krautheim 1803–1806) * Otto (1416–1455) * John I (1455–1475) * John II (1475–1479) * Peter (1479–1505) * John III (1505–1537) * John IV (1537–1559) * Werner (1559–1629) * Ernst Frederick, (1629–1639) first altgrave * Ernest Salentin (1639–1684) * Francis Ernest (1684–1721) * August Eugene Bernard (1721–1767) * William (1767–1775) * Joseph Zu (1775–1806) in pretence until 1861 House of Reifferscheidt-Dyck (in Bedburg 1639–1803, renamed Krautheim 1803–1806) * Erik Adolf (1639–1673) * Francis William (1673–1734) * Charles Anthony (1734–1755) * Sigismund (1755–1798) * Francis William, reign (1798–1806) last altgrave (1803–1804), first prince (1804–1806) died 1831

Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz and Salm-Reifferscheidt-Hainsbach

In 1734 the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Bedburg was divided in three by splitting off the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Raitz, from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

n descent, and the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Hainsbach from the original altgraviate. In 1803 the, smaller, Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Bedburg was renamed the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Krautheim. In 1804 it was raised to a

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

, und existed until 1806, when it was mediatised. House of Reifferscheid-Dyck (in Raitz 1734–1811) * Anthony (1734–1769) * Charles Joseph, last altgrave (1769–1790), first prince (1790–1811) House of Reifferscheidt-Dyck (in Hainsbach 1734–1811) * Leopold Anthony (1734–1769) * Francis Wenceslaus (1769–1811), died 1832

Titular princes post-Prussian mediatization (1806/11-)

House of Salm

Post-mediatized princes of Salm-Kyrburg

* Frederick IV, first mediatised prince (1813–1859) * Frederick V (1859–1887) * Frederick VI Louis (1887–1905)

Post-mediatized princes of Salm-Salm

* Constantin Alexander, first mediatised prince (1813–1828) * Florentin (1828–1846) * Alfred I (1846–1886) * Nicolas Leopold II (1886–1908) * Alfred II (1908–1923) * Nicolas Leopold III (1923–1988) * Charles-Philip (1988–present) ** Emanuel, heir (born 1961)

House of Reifferscheidt

Post-mediatized princes of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck

* Joseph Zu (1806-1861) in pretence * Alfred (1861–1888), title to branch of Salm-Reifferscheid-Krautheim

Post-mediatized princes of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Krautheim

* Francis William, 1806-1831 * Constantin (1831–1856), title in pretence * Francis Charles (1856–1860) * Leopold (1860–1893) * Alfred (1893–1924)

Post-mediatized princes of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Hainsbach

* Francis Wenceslaus (1811–1832), title in pretence * Francis Vincent (1832–1842) * John (1842–1847) * Francis Joseph (1847–1887) * Alois (1887–1897)

Post-mediatized princes of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz

* Hugh I Francis (1811–1836), title in pretence * Hugh II Charles (1836–1888) * Hugh III (1888–1890) * Hugh IV (1890–1903) * Hugh V Leopold (1903–1946) * Hugh VI * Hugh VII (born 1973)

References

External links

House of Salm
, at europeanheraldry.org *

, at the Office de Tourisme Pays des Abbayes *
Salm Castle

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salm (State) States and territories disestablished in 1815 States and territories established in 1019 1 History of Alsace States of the Holy Roman Empire 11th-century establishments in Belgium