The Groeben family (also Gröben or von der Groeben) is the name of an old German noble family, originating in the Altmark region. The lords von der Groeben belonged to the nobility of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, and moved from there to the Margraviate of Brandenburg, then to East Prussia. Members of the family held the title of Count in Prussia, granted to them on 19 September 1786 by King Frederick William II.[1] Various branches still exist today.

Coat of arms of the von der Groeben family

The Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels mentions another family of the same name, whose ancestor was Hans Gottlob Greben (1724-1777), a lieutenant under the Kingdom of Poland, the Electorate of Saxony and the Kingdom of Prussia. His son Friedrich Wilhelm (1774-1839) was a Prussian lieutenant general, and he and his descendants used the name and coat of arms of von der Groeben without objection.

History

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Origins

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The first known mention of the family is from records dated to 29 November 1140 with Luiderus de Grebene. Gribehne (also Grubene, Grobene, Cyprene, Grebene or Gröben), the probable ancestral seat, is an abandoned village near Calbe in the Salzlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt.

It is rumoured that the family originally came from the Duchy of Saxony. Family members possibly came to Brandenburg in 927 with King Henry. There are also said to the 12 old Saxonian noble families who elected from amongst themselves the Vierherren of the Kingdom.

The origins of the name Groeben are not known. Possibly it comes from the Slavic Grob'n meaning trench, grave or dam. In this case the land-owning family von Gröben would have taken the name of its possession, the village of Gröben, as was the usual practice.

Notable members

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References

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  1. ^ "Counts - G".