House of Mansfeld

The House of Mansfeld was a German princely house, which took its name from the town of Mansfeld in the present-day state of Saxony-Anhalt.^[1] Mansfelds were archbishops, generals, supporters as well as opponents of Martin Luther, and Habsburg administrators.

County of Mansfeld Grafschaft Mansfeld
1069–1580
Coat of arms
Status	County of the Holy Roman Empire
Capital	Mansfeld
Government	Principality
Historical era	Early modern Europe
• Pledged immediate County of Mansfeld	1069
• Mediatised to Saxony	1580
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Saxony Electoral Saxony

Original coat of arms of the House of Mansfeld (11.-12. century)

History

Upon the revolt instigated by the Wettin margrave Dedi I in 1069, Emperor Henry IV appointed the loyal House of Mansfeld counts (Grafen) in the Saxon Hassegau at Eisleben. The family progenitor, Count Hoyer I of Mansfeld, also known as Hoyer the Great, was a field marshal in the service of Emperor Henry V. He was killed at the Battle of Welfesholz on 11 February 1115, fighting the rebellious Saxon forces under Count Lothair of Supplinburg.^[1]

The Mansfelds held extended fiefs both in the Archbishopric of Magdeburg and the Bishopric of Halberstadt. The male line became extinct for the first time upon the death of Count Burchard of Mansfeld in 1229; his daughter Sophia married a scion of the Lords of Querfurt, who assumed the comital title. In the 15th century, the primary house divided into cadet branches: Hinterort, Mittelort, and Vorderort, while their County of Mansfeld in 1512 joined the Upper Saxon Circle as an immediate Imperial estate.

• 
  Mansfeld in 1650
• 
  Mansfeld Castle
• 
  Mansfeld coat of arms until 1229
• 
  Mansfeld coat of arms from 1481

Things worsened with the Protestant Reformation: While Count Hoyer VI of Mansfeld-Vorderort (1477-1540) remained a loyal supporter of the Catholic faith, the Mittelort and Hinterort branches sided with Martin Luther. When the county was devastated during the German Peasants' War, Count Albert VII of Mansfeld-Hinterort (1480-1560) not only fought with the Imperial troops in the 1525 Battle of Frankenhausen, but also signed the Protestant Augsburg Confession in 1530 and joined the Schmalkaldic League, wherefore he was banned by Emperor Charles V after the 1547 Battle of Mühlberg.

The engraving shows the many parts of the Mansfeld Castle, which would name the branches who kept each: Vorderort (Outer Castle and line), Mittelort (Middle Castle and line) and Hinterort (Inner Castle and line.

To settle the enormous debts of the Counts of Mansfeld, their mighty neighbour Elector Augustus of Saxony urged Emperor Maximilian II to appoint a committee. On 15 March 1574, and again on 5 July 1574, in Leipzig and Halle, respectively, the surviving counts Hans Hoyer, Hans Georg, Hans Albrecht and Bruno concluded an agreement for the repayment of debts incurred by Counts Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort, Hans Ernst and Bruno von Mansfeld. The family's assets were confiscated in 1579, whereafter Imperial immediacy was lost and mediatized between the Electorate of Saxony and the Archbishopric of Magdeburg.

The Mittelort and Hinterort branches died out in 1602 and 1666. The male Mansfeld-Vorderort line finally became extinct in 1780 with the death of Josef Wenzel Nepomuk, Prince of Fondi in Italy,^[1] and their fiefs fell back to the Electorate of Saxony and the Prussian Duchy of Magdeburg. Josef Wenzel's half-sister and heiress Maria Isabella was only able to retain the Bohemian possessions. In 1771 she had married Prince Franz de Paula Gundaker von Colloredo (1731–1807), last Vice Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1789, thereby establishing the House of Colloredo-Mansfeld, which claimed headship over the family after the German mediatization.

Possessions

• Mansfeld Castle, ancestral seat
• Seeburg
• Heldrungen in Thuringia, purchased in 1479
• Allstedt, former Saxon Kaiserpfalz, acquired by Count Albert VII of Mansfeld in 1526
• La Fontaine Castle, Luxembourg-Clausen, built at the behest of Count Peter Ernst I of Mansfeld from 1563
• Dobříš, Bohemia, acquired in 1630

Rulers

House of Mansfeld

Partitions of Mansfeld under Mansfeld rule

County of Hessengau (1050-1112) Renamed: County of Mansfeld (1112-1229)
							County of Neuchatel (with Mansfeld half 2) (1229-1319)
County of Schraplau (1256-1335)				County of Querfurt (with Mansfeld half 1) (1229-1335)
County of Aseleben (1382-1531)	County of Rammelburg (1382-1499)	County of Mansfeld (1335-1475)
				County of Outer Mansfeld (1475-1540)
			County of Middle Mansfeld (1486-1580)
County of Inner Mansfeld (1475-1560)
				County of Heldrungen (1540-1572)		County of Friedeburg (1540-1580)	County of Artern (1540-1580)	County of Arnstein (1540-1580)	County of Eisleben (1540-1580)
County of Middle Mansfeld (1560-1580)	County of Elder Mansfeld (1560-1580)	County of Younger Mansfeld (1560-1580)		County of Bornstedt (1540-1580)
Inherited Heldrungen in Outer Mansfeld	Demoted to: Lordship of Rammelburg (1580-1602)[2]	Annexed to the Electorate of Saxony	Demoted to: Lordship of Schraplau (1580-1683)[2] (Rammelburg line from 1613)	Lordship of Heldrungen (Inner Mansfeld Middle line) (1580-1666)		Demoted to: Lordship of Friedeburg (1580-1626)[2]	Demoted to: Lordship of Artern (1580-1631)[2]	Demoted to: Lordship of Arnstein (1580-1710)[2] (Eisleben line from 1615)	Demoted to: Lordship of Eisleben (1580-1601)[2]
	Inherited by the Berlepsch family				Demoted to: Lordship of Bornstedt (1580-1794)[2]				Castle burnt down; Annexed to the Electorate of Saxony
			Sold to the Counts of Hake family
				Bornstedt annexed to the Electorate of Saxony; Dobrtisch (and the Bohemian possessions) inherited by Colloredo family

Table of rulers

Monarch Born Reign Ruling part Consort Death Notes Hoyer I c.1030 c.1050 – 1070 County of Hessengau Christina of Sangerhausen one child c.1070 aged 39-40 First member of the family. Hoyer II the Great [de][3] c.1060 Son of Hoyer I and Christina of Sangerhausen c.1070 – 11 February 1115 County of Hessengau (until 1112) County of Mansfeld (from 1112) Unknown two children 11 February 1115 Welfesholz aged 54-55 Hoyer III c.1100 Son of Hoyer II [de] 11 February 1115 – 1160 County of Mansfeld Kunigunde of Ammensleben c.1140 four/five children c.1160 aged 59-60 Hoyer IV c.1130 Son of Hoyer III and Kunigunde of Ammensleben 1160 – July 1183 County of Mansfeld Bia of Arnsberg one child July 1183 aged 52-53 Burchard I [bg] c.1160 Son of Hoyer IV and Bia of Arnsberg July 1183 – 13 December 1229 County of Mansfeld Elisabeth of Schwarzburg (d.c.1240) 1189 one child 13 December 1229 aged 68-69 Gertrude [bg] c.1200 First daughter of Burchard I [bg] and Elisabeth of Schwarzburg 13 December 1229 – c.1235 County of Mansfeld (Neuchâtel branch, half 1) Herman I [bg] c.1225 eight children c.1235 aged 34-35 Children and heiresses of Burchard I, divided their inheritance. Two female branches were formed: the Neuchâtel and the Quefurt branches. Herman I [bg] 1214 Son of Meinher I, Burgrave of Meissen and Irmentrut 13 December 1229 – 1270 Gertrude [bg] c.1225 eight children Unknown three children c.1270 aged 65-66 Sophia [bg] c.1200 Second daughter of Burchard I [bg] and Elisabeth of Schwarzburg 13 December 1229 – c.1235 County of Mansfeld (Querfurt branch, half 2) 1217 four children c.1235 aged 34-35 Burchard II [bg] c.1200 Son of Gebhard IV, Burgrave of Magdeburg [bg] and Luitgard of Nassau [bg] 13 December 1229 – c.1255 c.1255 aged 54-55 Burchard III [bg] c.1230 First son of Burchard II [bg] and Sophia [bg] 1255 – 4 December 1273 County of Mansfeld (Querfurt branch, half 2) Elisabeth Matilda of Schwarzburg c.1250 one child Irmgard c.1255? no children Oda of Regenstein (d.c.1275) c.1260[4] three children 4 December 1273 aged 52-53 Children of Burchard II and Sophia, divided their inheritance. Burchard Lappe[5] c.1230 Second son of Burchard II [bg] and Sophia [bg] 1255 – 1305 Lordship of Schraplau ? of Lobdeburg-Arnshaugk five children 1305 aged 74-75? Herman II c.1230 Second son of Herman I [bg] and Gertrude [bg] 1270 – 1297 County of Mansfeld (Neuchâtel branch, half 1) Heilwig of Berka (d.c.1290) c.1265 three children c.1294 aged 63-64 Brothers, ruled jointly. Henry's children apparently didn't claim their Mansfeld part of the territory, which returned to the Quefuert branch. Henry c.1230 Fifth son of Herman I [bg] and Gertrude [bg] 1270 – 1305 Unknown five children c.1305 aged 74-75 Half of Mansfeld (with exceptions) returned to the other half Elisabeth c.1275 Daughter of Herman II and Heilwig of Berka 1297 – 1320 County of Mansfeld (Neuchâtel branch, half 1, at Bad Berka) Frederick, Count of Rabenswald and Wiehe (c.1255-1312) 1280 at least one child Left he inheritance to her own descendants. c.1320 aged 65-66 Berka inherited by the House of Schwarzburg Burchard the Elder[5] c.1270 Son of Burchard Lappe and ? of Lobdeburg-Arnshaugk 1305 – 1335 Lordship of Schraplau Oda of Wernigerode c.1303 fourteen children c.1340 aged 69-70? In 1335 sold Schraplau back to the main line of the county, which reunified once more. Schraplau re-merged in Mansfeld Gebhard I [bg] c.1250 Son of Burchard III [bg] and Elisabeth Matilda of Schwarzburg 4 December 1273 – 1282 County of Mansfeld (Querfurt branch, half 2 until 1305; in all Mansfeld since 1305) Irmgard of Anhalt c.1275 three children 1282 aged 31-32 Half-brothers, shared rule.[6] Burchard IV [bg] c.1250 Son of Burchard III [bg] and Oda of Regenstein 4 December 1273 – October 1311 Sophie of Lüchow (d.c.1350) c.1285 five children October 1311 aged 60-61 Gebhard II c.1275 Son of Gebhard I [bg] and Irmgard of Anhalt October 1311 – 1313 County of Mansfeld Unmarried 1313 aged 37-38 Left no children. The county passed to the children of his uncle Burchard IV. Burchard V [bg] c.1290 Son of Burchard IV [bg] and Sophie of Lüchow 1313 – 1355 County of Mansfeld Oda of Wernigerode (1290-1343) c.1305 five children c.1355 aged 64-65 Burchard VI c.1310 First son of Burchard V [bg] and Oda of Wernigerode 1355 – 1358 County of Mansfeld Unmarried 1358 aged 47-48 Children of Burchard V, ruled jointly. Gebhard III [bg] c.1310 Second son of Burchard V [bg] and Oda of Wernigerode 1355 – 1360 Luitgard of Valkenstein (c.1265-1335?) 1327 six children 1360 aged 49-50 Gebhard IV [bg] c.1330 First son of Gebhard III [bg] and Luitgard of Valkenstein 1360 – 5 November 1382 County of Mansfeld Matilda of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt (1340-4 June 1373) c.1360 four children Elisabeth of Käfernburg (1345-15 March 1382) c.1375 three children 5 November 1382 aged 51-52 Children of Gebhard III, ruled jointly. Albert I [bg] c.1330 Second son of Gebhard III [bg] and Luitgard of Valkenstein 1360 – 1362 Judith of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (d.30 June 1361) 1354 two children Helena of Schwarzburg-Leutenberg (1342-1382) 1 December 1358 one child 1362 aged 31-32 Council of Regency (1382-1394) Children of Gebhard IV, divided their inheritance. Burchard VII [bg] 1356 First son ofGebhard IV [bg] and Matilda of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt 5 November 1382 – 1392 County of Mansfeld Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1366 no children 1392 35-36 Albert II [bg] 1376 First son ofGebhard IV [bg] and Elisabeth of Käfernburg 5 November 1382 – 5 April 1416 Elisabeth of Anhalt-Dessau (d. November 1413) c.1390 two children 5 April 1416 aged 39-40 Günther I [bg] c.1360 Second son ofGebhard IV [bg] and Matilda of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt 5 November 1382 – 4 March 1412 County of Aseleben Elisabeth of Hohnstein-Klettenberg [bg] 1393 three children 4 March 1412 aged 51-52 Wolrad I [bg] c.1380 Second son ofGebhard IV [bg] and Elisabeth of Käfernburg 5 November 1382 – 1450 County of Rammelburg [de] Anna of Gleichen (d.1 December 1435) 1431 no children Margaret of Glogów-Żagań (c.1420-1491) 1435 five children 1450 aged 69-70 Gebhard V [bg] c.1391 First son of Günther I [bg] and Elisabeth of Hohnstein-Klettenberg [bg] 4 March 1412 – 25 July 1438 County of Aseleben Ursula, Countess of Schwarzburg (d.1461) 1393 three children 4 March 1412 aged 51-52 Children of Gunther I, ruled jointly. Burchard VIII c.1395 Second son of Günther I [bg] and Elisabeth of Hohnstein-Klettenberg [bg] 4 March 1412 – 1423 Unmarried 1423 aged 27-28 Council of Regency (1416-1424) Children of Albert II, ruled jointly. Hoyer was a canon at Halberstadt. Günther II [bg] c.1410 First son of Albert II [bg] and Elisabeth of Anhalt-Dessau 5 April 1416 – 10 March 1475 County of Mansfeld Anna of Hohnstein-Klettenberg (1410 - 25 November 1450) 1435 four children Margaret of Henneberg-Hartenberg (1415 - c.1460) c.1450 one child 10 March 1475 aged 39-40 Hoyer V c.1410 Second son of Albert II [bg] and Elisabeth of Anhalt-Dessau 5 April 1416 – 1425 Unmarried c.1425 aged 14-15 Regency of Ursula, Countess of Schwarzburg (1450-1464) Gebhard VI [bg] 1429 Son of Gebhard V [bg] and Ursula, Countess of Schwarzburg 25 July 1438 – 14 September 1492 County of Aseleben Adelaide of Oldenburg (1429 - 21 December 1492) May 1457 three children 14 September 1492 aged 62-63 Regency of Margaret of Glogów-Żagań (1450-1464) Children of Wolrad I, ruled jointly. Burchard IX [bg] c.1435 First son of Wolrad I [bg] and Margaret of Glogów-Żagań 1450 – 23 September 1460 County of Rammelburg [de] Catharina of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (2 February 1442 - 9 December 1484) 5 November 1458 Arnstadt no children 23 September 1460 Arnstadt aged 24-25 Wolrad II [bg] September 1448 Second son of Wolrad I [bg] and Margaret of Glogów-Żagań 1450 – 27 November 1499 Margarethe of Hohnstein-Vierraden (d.15 October 1508) c.1470 three children 27 November 1499 Merseburg aged 51 Rammelburg annexed to Inner Mansfeld Albert III [bg] c.1450 First son of Günther II [bg] and Anna of Hohnstein-Klettenberg 10 March 1475 – 3 December 1484 County of Outer Mansfeld Susanna of Bickenbach (1469-20 April 1530) c.1450 six children 3 December 1484 Leipzig aged 33-34 Children of Gunther II, divided their rule. The namings of the parts come from the castle part each of the brothers inherited. The Mansfeld Castle is a composition of three smaller castles, aligned: the Outer one (Vorderort), the Middle one (Mittelort) and the Inner one (Hinterort). In this case, Albert inherited the Outer one, and Ernest the Inner and Middle ones. Each of the castles had other properties associated with it. Ernest I [bg] c.1455 Second son of Günther II [bg] and Anna of Hohnstein-Klettenberg 10 March 1475 – 10 July 1486 County of Inner Mansfeld Margaret, Countess of Mansfeld-Aseleben (1458 - 20 February 1531) c.1475 two children 10 July 1486 aged 30-31 Regency of Susanna of Bickenbach (1484-1490) Children of Albert III, divided their inheritance. After Gunther and Hoyer's death with no children, the inheritance was divided between the many children of Ernest II, specifically into six parts. Günther III [bg] 24 March 1476 First son of Albert III [bg] and Susanna of Bickenbach 3 December 1484 – 3 July 1526 County of Outer Mansfeld Anna of Gleichen-Tonna (d.c.1500) c.1490? no children Agnes of Gleichen-Blankenhein (d.19 April 1536) 4 June 1503 no children 3 July 1526 Mansfeld Castle aged 50 Hoyer VI [de] 11 February 1482 Fourth son of Albert III [bg] and Susanna of Bickenbach 3 December 1484 – 9 January 1540 Unmarried 9 January 1540 Mansfeld Castle aged 57 Ernest II 6 December 1479 Third son of Albert III [bg] and Susanna of Bickenbach 3 December 1484 – 9 May 1531 County of Outer Mansfeld (at Heldrungen) Barbara of Querfurt (c.1485 - 23 January 1511) 1500 Stolberg nine children Dorothea of Solms-Lich 14 June 1512 thirteen children 9 May 1531 Artern aged 51 Regency of Margaret, Countess of Mansfeld-Aseleben (1486-1497) Children of Ernest I, divided their inheritance. Gebhard received Middle Mansfeld (or the middle castle of the three of Mansfeld Castle and Albert the Outer castle of Mansfeld, each of which had other properties associated with it. Gebhard VII [bg] 1478 First son of Ernest I [bg] and Margaret, Countess of Mansfeld-Aseleben 10 July 1486 – 13 September 1558 County of Middle Mansfeld Margaret of Gleichen-Blankenhein (d.1 August 1567) 1509/10 nine children 13 September 1558 Mansfeld Castle aged 79-80 Albert IV[7] 18 June 1480 Leipzig Second son of Ernest I [bg] and Margaret, Countess of Mansfeld-Aseleben 10 July 1486 – 4 March 1560 County of Inner Mansfeld Anna of Hohnstein-Klettenberg [bg] 1518 fifteen children 4 March 1560 Leutenberg aged 79 Margaret 1458 Daughter of Gebhard VI [bg] and Adelaide of Oldenburg 14 September 1492 – 20 February 1531 County of Aseleben Ernest I, Count of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 1475 two children Henry XXII, Lord of Weida [bg] c.1490 one child 20 February 1531 Wildenfels aged 72-73 Inherited her father's estates, and after her death they were re-absorbed in Mansfeld. Aseleben inherited by Inner Mansfeld Philip I [bg] 28 October 1502 Son of Ernest II and Barbara of Querfurt 9 January 1540 – 9 July 1546 County of Bornstedt [de] Amalia of Leisnig (22 July 1508 - 22 February 1569) 26 February 1536 four children 9 July 1546 Bornstedt Castle [de] aged 43 Children of Ernest II, divided the inheritance. In 1579, their shares of the county were sequestrated due to debt, and in the next year mediatized by the Electorate of Saxony (see note below). Despite losing the purpose of the title, they could still hold sovereignty over their castles. John George I [bg] 1515 First son of Ernest II and Dorothea of Solms-Lich 9 January 1540 – 14 August 1579 County of Eisleben Catharina of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 1541 thirteen children 14 August 1579 Dresden aged 51 Peter Ernest I[8][9] 12 August 1517 Heldrungen Castle [de] Second son of Ernest II and Dorothea of Solms-Lich 9 January 1540 – 23 May 1604 County of Friedeburg [de] (until 1580) Lordship of Friedeburg [de] (from 1580) Margaret of Brederode (d.31 May 1554) 1 April 1542 Brussels five children Marie de Montmorency (d.5 February 1570) 22 February 1562 Weert two children Anna of Benzerath 28February 1561 Brussels three children Katharina Wetzeler one child 23 May 1604 Luxembourg aged 86 John Albert [bg] 5 February 1522 Heldrungen Castle [de] Third son of Ernest II and Dorothea of Solms-Lich 9 January 1540 – 8 July 1586 County of Arnstein [de] (until 1580) Lordship of Arnstein [de] (from 1580) Magdalena of Schwarzburg [bg] 29 October 1552 Arnstadt eleven children Catharina of Gleichen-Blankenhain (21 December 1548 - 9 February 1601) 30 January 1570 Kranichfeld no children 8 July 1586 Eisleben aged 64 John Hoyer [bg] 1525 Sixth son of Ernest II and Dorothea of Solms-Lich 9 January 1540 – 14 May 1586 County of Artern (until 1580) Lordship of Artern (from 1580) Martha of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 16 February 1556 Mansfeld Castle nine children 14 May 1586 Artern aged 60-61 John Ernest [bg] 1530 Seventh son of Ernest II and Dorothea of Solms-Lich 9 January 1540 – 29 September 1572 County of Heldrungen [de] Sara of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 30 September 1555 Mansfeld Castle three children 29 September 1572 Mansfeld Castle aged 41-42 Heldrungen annexed to Inner Mansfeld By the mid-16th century, the amount of debts of the family, and the large number of children of the latest generation in the three castle lines led to financial problems. To settle this, their neighbour, Augustus, Elector of Saxony urged Emperor Maximilian II to appoint a committee, which, in 1579, sequestrated, with consent of the counts, their properties. The Mansfeld county formed an exclave within the Electorate of Saxony, a problem the Elector didn't take long to solve: seizing the opportunity with these unsolved debts, Augustus mediatised the County of Mansfeld. The family lost imperial immediacy and as so the right of land sovereignty. As so, despite being allowed to continue to use the title of Count, it was only titular, a de jure title from 1580 onwards. However, they could still hold sovereignty of the many castles that they still held, as de facto ruling Lords of these considerably smaller properties. Regency of Amalia of Leisnig (1546-1550) Left no children. The county passed to his brother. Hugo 1536 First son of Philip I [bg] and Amalia of Leisnig 9 July 1546 – 16 January 1558 County of Bornstedt [de] Unmarried 16 January 1558 Bornstedt Castle [de] aged 21-22 Bruno I [bg] 17 November 1545 Second son of Philip I [bg] and Amalia of Leisnig 16 January 1558 – 14 April 1615 County of Bornstedt [de] (until 1580) Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (from 1580) Christina of Barby-Mühlingen [pl] 27 May 1571 eleven children 14 April 1615 Bornstedt Castle [de] aged 43 Lost control of the county in 1580. His sovereignty was restricted to his castles. Christopher [bg] 11 September 1520 Son of Gebhard VII [bg] and Margaret of Gleichen-Blankenhein 13 September 1558 – 29 August 1591 County of Middle Mansfeld (until 1580) Lordship of Schraplau (from 1580) Amalia of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (23 March 1528 - 9 May 1589) c.1540 fourteen children 29 August 1591 Dresden aged 70-71 Lost control of the county in 1580. His sovereignty was restricted to his castles. Wolrad III [de] 11 March 1520 First son of Albert IV and Anna of Hohnstein-Klettenberg [bg] 4 March 1560 – 30 December 1578 County of Elder Mansfeld Barbara Reuss of Plauen (1528-1580) 22 November 1556 Mansfeld Castle six children 30 December 1578 Strasbourg aged 58 Children of Albert IV, divided the property again, this time the parts were related to the order of birth of the owners of each part. Charles gave up his part to the Electorate of Saxony even before the 1579 property sequestration of the family. John I [bg] 1526 Fourth son of Albert IV and Anna of Hohnstein-Klettenberg [bg] 4 March 1560 – 3 March 1567 County of Middle Mansfeld (at Rothenburg) Dorothea of Pomerania-Stettin [pl] 8 July 1554 Stettin two children Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg [bg] 14 August 1559 Celle six children 3 March 1567 Moritzburg (Halle) aged 30-31 Charles [bg] 1534 Fifth son of Albert IV and Anna of Hohnstein-Klettenberg [bg] 4 March 1560 – 1575 County of Younger Mansfeld (at Allstedt) Magdalene of Sayn (1542 - 7 September 1599) 28 October 1571 no children 17 February 1594 aged 59-60 Allstedt/Younger Mansfeld annexed to Inner Mansfeld Regency of Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg [bg] (1546-1550) Children of John I, ruled jointly. They lost control of the county in 1580. Their sovereignty was restricted to their castles. They changed seat from Rothenburg to Heldrungen.[10] Ernest III [bg] 28 July 1561 Rothenburg, Saxony-Anhalt Third son of John I [bg] and Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg [bg] 3 March 1567 – 1580 County of Middle Mansfeld Juliana of Salm-Püttlingen (September 1551 - 21 January 1607) 12 February 1589 four children Anna Sibylla von Wartenberg 22 September 1608 one child 7 April 1609 Hergisdorf aged 47 1580 – 7 April 1609 Lordship of Heldrungen [de] (Inner Mansfeld Middle line) Frederick Christopher [bg] 4 February 1564 Fourth son of John I [bg] and Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg [bg] 3 March 1567 – 1580 County of Middle Mansfeld Agnes of Everstein-Massow (1584-1626) 1610 four children 6 April 1631 Hedersleben aged 67 1580 – 6 April 1631 Lordship of Heldrungen [de] (Inner Mansfeld Middle line) John Caspar 1560 First son of Wolrad III [de] and Barbara Reuss of Plauen 30 December 1578 – 1586 County of Elder Mansfeld (until 1580) Lordship of Rammelburg [de] (from 1580) Sophie Schenkin von Tautenburg no children 1586 aged 25-26 Left no children. He was succeeded by his brother. Ernest IV 13 January 1544 Second son of John George I [bg] and Catharina of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 14 August 1579 – 1601 County of Eisleben (until 1580) Lordship of Eisleben (from 1580) Unmarried 2 May 1609 Ansbach aged 65 Eldest surviving children of John George I, ruled jointly. In 1601, the castle of Eisleben was destroyed on a fire; the castle wasn't rebuilt before the intervention of the Elector of Saxony, which may imply that the indebted Eisleben branch lost their sovereignty. Luckily, Ernest and Hoyer's brother, Jobst, may have inherited the Arnstein line main seat in 1615. Hoyer Christopher I 4 November 1554 Third son of John George I [bg] and Catharina of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 14 August 1579 – 1587 1587 aged 32-33 Eisleben was annexed to Saxony John George II 6 June 1557 First son of John Hoyer [bg] and Martha of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 14 May 1586 – 5 September 1615 Lordship of Artern Unmarried 5 September 1615 Artern aged 60-61 Gebhard VIII 3 June 1553 First son of John Albert [bg] and Magdalena of Schwarzburg [bg] 8 July 1586 – 1 February 1601 Lordship of Arnstein [de] Unmarried 1 February 1601 Arnstein aged 47 Left no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother. Frederick 1565 Fourth son of Wolrad III [de] and Barbara Reuss of Plauen 1586 – 7 December 1592 Lordship of Rammelburg [de] Unmarried 7 December 1592 Belzheim aged 25-26 Left no children. He was succeeded by his brother. William 1554 Fifth son of Christopher [bg] and Amalia of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 29 August 1591 – 1601 Lordship of Schraplau Unmarried 1601 aged 45-46 William [bg] 1555 Second son of John Albert [bg] and Magdalena of Schwarzburg [bg] 1 February 1601 – 21 October 1615 Lordship of Arnstein [de] Matilda of Nassau-Siegen [bg] 24 June 1592 one child 21 October 1615 Ansbach aged 59-60 Left no male descendants. The county was inherited (possibly) by the dispossessed Eisleben branch. Henry 1554 Sixth son of Christopher [bg] and Amalia of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 1601 – 5 April 1602 Lordship of Schraplau Unmarried 5 April 1602 Schraplau aged 46-47 Left no descendants, and left the county to his youngest surviving sister. Agnes Sibylla 20 November 1567 Fifth daughter of Christopher [bg] and Amalia of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 5 April 1602 – 24 August 1613 Lordship of Schraplau David [bg] 1602 no children 24 August 1613 Schraplau aged 45 After her death without children, her husband ruled the castle, recovering some power after being forced to sell his own stronghold at Rammelburg in 1602. Peter Ernest II[11][12] 1580 Luxembourg Son of Peter Ernest I and Anna of Benzerath 23 May 1604 – 29 November 1626 Lordship of Friedeburg [de] Unmarried 29 November 1626 Rakovica aged 45-46 Focusing himself in the military career in the Low Countries, it's possible that he visited little (or maybe never visited at all) his possessions in Friedeburg. Left no children and his possessions returned to the elder Outer Mansfeld line, at Bornstedt. Friedeburg was annexed to Bornstedt Anna Juliana 5 April 1591 Hesenpütlingen First son of Frederick Christopher [bg] and Agnes of Everstein-Massow 7 April 1609 – 1627 Lordship of Heldrungen [de] (Inner Mansfeld Middle line) (at Püttlingen) John, Count of Salm-Grumbach [bg] 3 July 1609 six children 1627 aged 35-36? Püttlingen was returned to Salm after her death. Püttlingen was annexed to Salm David [bg] 12 July 1571 Sixth son of Wolrad III [de] and Barbara Reuss of Plauen 7 December 1592 – 1602 Lordship of Rammelburg [de] Agnes Sibylla of Mansfeld, Lady of Schraplau (20 November 1567 - 24 August 1613) 1602 no children Juliana Maria Reuss of Gera (1 February 1598 - 4 January 1650) 9 October 1614 Schleiz two children 26 March 1628 Schraplau aged 56 In 1602, David was forced, by his administrator from the Electorate of Saxony, to sell Rammelburg castle. However, he was married to the lady of Schraplau, and as so, he inherited her castle afte her death. 24 August 1613 – 26 March 1628 Lordship of Schraplau (Rammelburg line) Wolfgang [de] 1575 First son of Bruno I [bg] and Christina of Barby-Mühlingen [pl] 14 April 1615 – 15 May 1638 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Bornstedt proper) Sophie Schenk von Tautenburg (1600-23 January 1636) 14 October 1618 five children 15 May 1638 Vienna aged 62-63 Children of Bruno I, divided the inheritance. Joachim Frederick's part was inherited by Bruno II. Bruno II [de][13] 13 September 1576 Second son of Bruno I [bg] and Christina of Barby-Mühlingen [pl] 14 April 1615 – 6 September 1644 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Dobříš) Maria Manrique de Lara (1570-c.1640) 1608 four children 15 September 1644 Vienna aged 68 Joachim Frederick 19 April 1581 Third son of Bruno I [bg] and Christina of Barby-Mühlingen [pl] 14 April 1615 – 29 April 1623 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Friedeburg) Unmarried 29 April 1623 Friedeburg aged 42 Wolrad IV 12 August 1558 Second son of John Hoyer [bg] and Martha of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 5 September 1615 – 25 August 1627 Lordship of Artern Unmarried 25 August 1627 Artern aged 60-61 Jobst [bg] 14 April 1558 Fifth son of John George I [bg] and Catharina of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 21 October 1615 – 30 December 1619 Lordship of Arnstein [de] (Eisleben line) Anna von Könitz (d.24 June 1637) 7 February 1592 five children 30 December 1619 Arnstein aged 61 Possibly an heir of the Arnstein Castle, which would re-establish sovereignty over a castle for the Eisleben line, who had lost theirs with the Eisleben fire of 1601. John George II [bg][14] 10 May 1593 Son of Jobst [bg] and Anna von Könitz 30 December 1619 – 19 February 1647 Lordship of Arnstein [de] (Eisleben line) Barbara Maria of Stolberg (1 December 1596 - 21 March 1636) 6 May 1633 Stolberg one child Barbara Magdalena, Lady of Schraplau (12 January 1618-25 December 1696) 2 November 1637 Arnstein six children 19 February 1647 Schraplau aged 53 After the marriage with the heiress of Schraplau, the family moved to her castle. Philip Ernest [de] 11 May 1560 Third son of John Hoyer [bg] and Martha of Inner Mansfeld [bg] 25 August 1627 – 15 September 1631 Lordship of Artern Eva Reuss of Lower Greiz (31 May 1593 - 4 July 1636) 20 July 1613 Eilenburg no children 15 September 1631 Torgau aged 60-61 Last of his line, died without descendants. Artern was annexed to Arnstein. Artern was annexed to Arnstein Regency of Juliana Maria Reuss of Gera (1628-1632) In 1683, Barbara sold the Lordship of Schraplau to the Lords of Hake. Barbara Magdalena 12 January 1618 Daughter of David [bg] and Juliana Maria Reuss of Gera 26 March 1628 – 1683 Lordship of Schraplau (Rammelburg line) John George III, Lord of Mansfeld-Arnstein [bg] 2 November 1637 Arnstein six children Johann Anton, Lord of Werthern-Brücken (d.1667) 4 February 1655 Schraplau no children George Andreas Schwab, Baron of Lichtenberg 1680 no children George Albert of Mansfeld-Bornstedt [bg] August 1696 Schleiz no children 25 December 1696 Holzzelle aged 56 Schraplau was annexed to the Lords of Hake patrimony Ernest Louis [bg] 19 June 1605 First son of Frederick Christopher [bg] and Agnes of Everstein-Massow 6 April 1631 – 9 April 1632 Lordship of Heldrungen [de] (Inner Mansfeld Middle line) Agnes Reuss of Gera (17 April 1600 - 1 January 1642) 10 June 1627 Gera four children 9 April 1632 Eisleben aged 26 Regency of Agnes Reuss of Gera (1632-1637) Christopher Henry 16 January 1630 Holzzelle Son of Ernest Louis [bg] and Agnes Reuss of Gera 9 April 1632 – 19 August 1637 Lordship of Heldrungen [de] (Inner Mansfeld Middle line) Unmarried 19 August 1637 Gera aged 7 Christian Frederick [bg] 18 October 1615 Hedersleben Second son of Frederick Christopher [bg] and Agnes of Everstein-Massow 19 August 1637 – 20 December 1666 Lordship of Heldrungen [de] (Inner Mansfeld Middle line) Maria Elisabeth of Lippe-Detmold (6 May 1611 - 13 December 1667) 18 March 1649 Sternberg no children 20 December 1666 Hedersleben aged 51 Left no children. Heldrungen was re-absorbed by Bornstedt. Heldrungen was annexed to Bornstedt Charles Adam [cs] 1629 Schluckenau Son of Wolfgang [de] and Sophie Schenk von Tautenburg 15 May 1638 – 30 May 1662 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Bornstedt proper) Maria Theresa of Dietrichstein (1639 - 5 February 1658) 8 November 1654 no children 15 May 1638 Horneburg aged 33 After his childless death, Bornstedt was reunited under Dobříš line. Francis Maximilian [de] 21 November 1640 Vienna First son of Bruno II [de] and Maria Manrique de Lara 6 September 1644 – 12 September 1692 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Arnstein; from 1662 in Bornstedt proper) Maria Anna Elisabeth of Harrach-Rohrau (24 November 1643 - 9 February 1698) 25 November 1683 eight children 12 September 1692 aged 52 Children of Bruno II, divided the inheritance. Henry Francis was awarded the title of Prince of Fondi in 1690. Charles Adam's part eventually went to Francis Maximilian. The brothers' children eventually married, reunifying the lordship. Henry Francis I [de][15] 13 September 1576 Bornstedt Second son of Bruno II [de] and Maria Manrique de Lara 6 September 1644 – 18 June 1715 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Heldrungen) Marie Louise of Aspremont-Nantevil (1651/2 - 23 October 1692) 1679 two children Maria Franziska von Auersperg (1664 - 5 September 1739) 16 November 1693 no children 18 June 1715 Vienna aged 68 Regency of Barbara Magdalena, Lady of Schraplau (1647-1650) Hoyer Christopher II 23 March 1636 Son of John George II [bg] and Barbara Maria of Stolberg 19 February 1647 – 20 October 1653 Lordship of Arnstein [de] (Eisleben line) Unmarried 20 October 1653 Schraplau aged 17 Regency of Barbara Magdalena, Lady of Schraplau (1653-1654) After the sell, by his mother, of Schraplau (1683), John George moved back to Mansfeld Castle, where he died with no descendants. The Arnstein line property returned to the main Bornstedt line. John George III [bg] 12 July 1640 Schraplau Son of John George II [bg] and Barbara Magdalena, Lady of Schraplau 20 October 1653 – 1 January 1710 Lordship of Arnstein [de] (Eisleben line) Sophie Eleonore of Schönburg -Hartenstein (16 October/December 1649 - 17 October 1703) 20 October 1667 Hartenstein Castle [de] no children Louise Christiane of Stolberg (21 January 1675 - 16 May 1738) 13 December 1704 Stolberg Castle no children 1 January 1710 Mansfeld Castle aged 69 Arnstein was annexed to Bornstedt Charles Francis [de] 2 November 1678 Vienna Son of Francis Maximilian [de] and Maria Anna Elisabeth of Harrach-Rohrau 12 September 1692 – 9 July 1717 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Arnstein only until 1715; in all Bornstedt since 1715) 31 May 1703 Vienna five children 9 July 1717 Prague aged 52 Cousins and spouses, reunified the lordship. Maria Eleonora was the heiress of her father, and, in spite of her husband was a nephew of her father, it was possibly through her that he inherited the title of Prince of Fondi, and the Heldrungen part of Bornstedt. Maria Eleonora 16 October 1682 Vienna Daughter of Henry Francis I [de] and Marie Louise of Aspremont-Nantevil 18 June 1715 – 9 July 1717 24 May 1747 aged 52 Regency of Maria Eleonora, Lady of Heldrungen (1717-1726) Henry Francis II [cs] 6 July 1712 Dobříš Son of Charles Francis [de] and Maria Eleonora 9 July 1717 – 15 February 1780 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] Maria Josepha Klara of Thun and Hohenstein (9 September 1714 - 17 September 1740) 7 January 1735 five children Maria Anna Czernin-Chudenitz (19 June 1722 - 15 January 1772) 29 April 1741 eight children 15 February 1780 Prague aged 67 Joseph Wenceslaus [cs] 12 September 1735 Son of Henry Francis II [cs] and Maria Josepha Klara of Thun and Hohenstein 15 February – 31 March 1780 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] Elisabeth von Regal (21 February 1742 - c.1780) 29 February 1764 Vienna no children 31 March 1780 aged 44 Left no descendants. The majority of his properties were annexed to the Electorate of Saxony Bornstedt (with exceptions) annexed to the Electorate of Saxony Maria Isabella 29 August 1750 Prague Daughter of Henry Francis II [cs] and Maria Anna Czernin-Chudenitz 15 February 1780 – 21 October 1794 Lordship of Bornstedt [de] (at Dobříš) Franz de Paula Gundaker von Colloredo-Mannsfeld [de] 6 January 1771 Prague eight children 21 October 1794 Vienna aged 67 Inherited the Bohemian properties, which were not subjected to the Salic Law, and passed them to her children, who adopted her surname, Mansfeld. Dobříš inherited by the House of Colloredo-Mannsfeld

Notable family members

• Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort (1517–1604), military commander in Spanish Habsburg service, governor of the Spanish Netherlands
• Gebhard I von Mansfeld-Vorderort (c. 1525 – 1562), his brother, Prince-elector and Archbishop of Cologne from 1558
• Karl von Mansfeld (1543–1595), legitimate son of Peter Ernst I, general during the Cologne War and the Ottoman–Habsburg wars
• Ernst von Mansfeld (c. 1580 – 1626), natural son of Peter Ernst I, military commander of the Protestant Union during the early years of the Thirty Years' War
• Philipp von Mansfeld (1589–1657), second-cousin of Ernst, commanded at first Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War, from 1633 as Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire.
• Agnes von Mansfeld-Eisleben (1551–1637), wife of the Cologne Prince-Archbishop Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
• Heinrich Franz von Mansfeld (1640-1715), Prince of Fondi, Austrian diplomat, Field marshal and President of the Hofkriegsrat.

See also

• Colloredo-Mansfeld