Von Reibnitz
The Reibnitz family (also known as von Reibnitz) is an ancient (uradel) German noble family historically associated with Silesia.[1] The family belonged to the regional landed nobility and is recorded in genealogical and heraldic sources from the early modern period.
History
The Reibnitz family emerged among the Silesian knightly nobility and held estates in Upper and Lower Silesia.[2] The family can trace its noble lineage back to 1288, to Henricus de Rybnicz, documented that year as a witness in a legal matter.[3] Their ancestral seat of was Burg Läusepelz, today Rybnica in present-day Poland.[4] Members of the family appear in administrative and military records of the Kingdom of Bohemia and later of Prussia. Several branches developed over time, maintaining noble status into the 19th century.[5] The present spelling, Reibnitz, dates from the end of the sixteenth century, when the family also adopted the ‘von’, as did most other noble families of that time. The family history includes a letter dated 16 July 1724 from Emperor Charles VI. In it, the Holy Roman Emperor praised the family’s reputation, conduct, and generosity, referring to them as an “ancient knightly family” that had been “held in high regard for centuries in our Duchy of Silesia.” After recalling several ancestors who had held high office, he conferred the title of Baron upon the brothers Christoph Friedrich and Johann Leopold von Reibnitz and all their legitimate male-line descendants.[6] During the expansion of Brandenburg-Prussia in the eighteenth century, Silesia came under Prussian rule. The continuation of the Reibnitz baronial title was confirmed by Frederick the Great, as documented in a letter dated 20 January 1757. The first two barons, Johann Leopold and Christoph Friedrich von Reibnitz, left no surviving heirs: Johann’s only son died without issue, and Christoph Friedrich remained childless despite four marriages. Shortly before his death, Christoph Friedrich adopted his cousin Gottfried Diprand von Reibnitz (born 1729), and Frederick the Great’s approval secured the transmission of the baronial title to him.[7]
Heraldry
The family bore a hereditary coat of arms recorded in German heraldic compendia, with variants used by different branches.[8][9]
Notable members
- Anna Ursula von Reibnitz (1616-1657), second wife of Henry Wenceslaus, Duke of Oels-Bernstadt.
- Günther Hubertus Freiherr von Reibnitz (1894–1983), a German nobleman and military officer who served in the Prussian cavalry during the First World War, later joined the Nazi Party and the SS Cavalry Corps, and was the father of Princess Michael of Kent.[10]
- Princess Michael of Kent (born Marie Christine von Reibnitz, 1945), a member of the British royal family through marriage.[11][12]
References
- ↑ von Reibnitz, Paul (1901). Geschichte der Herren und Freiherren von Reibnitz 1241–1901 (in Deutsch). Berlin: Mittler. Search this book on
- ↑ "Reibnitz – Adel". Roskildehistorie.dk. Retrieved 29 Dec 2025.
- ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch der baltischen Ritterschaften. Teil 3, Band 1 – Kurland, C. A. Starke Verlag, Görlitz (c. 1930), S. 173–176.
- ↑ "The Castle in Rybnica (Ruined)". Zamki Polskie. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ von Reibnitz, Paul (1901). Geschichte der Herren und Freiherren von Reibnitz 1241–1901 (in Deutsch). Berlin: Mittler. Search this book on
- ↑ Lane, Peter (1986). Princess Michael of Kent. Salem House. p. 18. Search this book on
- ↑ Lane, Peter (1986). Princess Michael of Kent. Salem House. p. 19. Search this book on
- ↑ Grässe, Johann Georg Theodor (1999). Geschlechts-, Namen- und Wappensagen des Adels Deutscher Nation (in Deutsch). Leipzig: Reprint-Verlag. p. 130. Search this book on
- ↑ Sachs, Michael (2016). "Die Flucht der evangelischen Frau Anna Magdalena von Reibnitz (1664–~1745)". Medizinhistorische Mitteilungen (in Deutsch). 34: 221–263.
- ↑ "Günther von Reibnitz". Retrieved 29 Dec 2025.
- ↑ von Reibnitz, Paul (1901). Geschichte der Herren und Freiherren von Reibnitz 1241–1901 (in Deutsch). Berlin: Mittler. Search this book on
- ↑ Sachs, Michael (2016). "Die Flucht der evangelischen Frau Anna Magdalena von Reibnitz (1664–~1745)". Medizinhistorische Mitteilungen (in Deutsch). 34: 221–263.
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