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House of Arnstein

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arnstein
CountrySaxony-Anhalt, Germany
Founded12th century
FounderWalter I, Count of Arnstein
Final rulerWalter IX, Count of Arnstein and Albert III, Count of Arnstein (main line)
Wichmann, Count of Lindow-Ruppin (Lindow-Ruppin line)
August Louis, Count of Barby-Mühlingen (Barby-Mühlingen line)
TitlesCount
Estate(s)Burg Arnstein
Deposition1296 (main line)
1524 (Lindow-Ruppin line)
1659 (Barby-Mühlingen line)
Cadet branchesLindow-Ruppin line
Barby-Mühlingen line
The County of Lindow-Ruppin in 1400
The County of Barby in 1659

The Arnstein family was a noble family from the Saxony-Anhalt region in Germany.

History

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The Lords (or Counts) of Arnstein descended from the Swabian von Steusslingen family; their first known member was Walter of Steusslingen (died 1056).[1] Walter was the father of Adalbero,[2] who was in turn father of Werner, Bishop of Münster, and also of Walter I, the first lord of Arnstein in Saxony. Their family name was originally spelled Arnstedt, but were later called Arnstein,[3][4] this last name possibly deriving from the castle they owned, or the land they ruled.

Arnstein Castle and land

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In 1135 they moved to Saxony and built their first known residence: Arnstein Castle, near Aschersleben on the Eastern Harz river.[5] The use of the title Count of Arnstein goes back to the end of the 12th century. In 1289, Walter von Arnstein was burgrave of Freckleben.

The Arnstein dynasty owned land in Mühlingen, in the County of Mansfeld, in the Archbishopric of Magdeburg and in Quedlinburg Abbey (of which they were sub-bailiffs). The Counts of Mühlingen and probably also the Counts of Falkenstein are said to have descended from the family.

Feudal divisions of Arnstein

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In 1196, the three children of Walter III (1150–1196) and his wife Gertrude of Ballenstedt (granddaughter of Albert the Bear, divided their patrimony:

  • Albert I inherited the main county of Arnstein. This main line went extinct after the abdication, in 1292, of the two brothers who were co-ruling at the time; both joined the Teutonic Order. Their possessions were eventually inherited to the noble lords of Schraplau, the princes of Anhalt, the counts of Mansfeld and the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. Johann Siebmacher places the end of the family at the beginning of the 14th century, with Günther von Arnstein's death in 1321[6]
  • Gebhard inherited the County of Lindow-Ruppin, which went on to make powerful alliances with eastern German lords as the House of Nikloting of Mecklenburg of the House of Griffins from Pomerania, or even the main Electorate of Saxony. The family eventually survived until 1524, when the last member, Wichmann, died with no descendants. The county was inherited by Brandenburg. A relative of Wichmann sued the Imperial Chamber Court against the seizure of the lordship in 1541, but the case was dismissed in 1562.[7]
  • Walter IV inherited the Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen, which oriented its alliances to the Anhalt region and, like Lindow-Ruppin, to the main Electorate of Saxony. The count itself, in 1494, stretched from Mühlingen in the west, Walternienburg in the east, Rosenburg in the south and Zackmünde in the north.[8] The lordship was elevated to a county in 1497,[9] and achieved, in the same year, Imperial immediacy.

This line was the last to be extinct. After the death of August Louis in 1659, the family's main possessions were inherited by Saxe-Weissenfels[10] and Anhalt-Zerbst.

Coats of arms

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The coat of arms of the main line of the family shows a silver, gold-armored eagle in black or red.

  • The branch of Lindow-Ruppin replicates the main line's design, with a silver eagle in red.
  • The branch of Barby-Muhlingen adopts a more different version: in its first and fourth quarters, the family adopts a red eagle in silver; in the second and third ones, it can be seen a silver flower with a golden center in red.

Rulers of Arnstein and its successor states

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House of Arnstein

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Partitions of Arnstein under Arnstein rule

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Lordship of
Lindow-Ruppin

(1196–1524)

Lordship of
Arnstein

(1107–1296)

Lordship of
Barby-Mühlingen

(1196–1497)
Raised to:
County of
Barby-Mühlingen

(1497–1659)
Annexed to
Falkenstein
Annexed to
Brandenburg
Annexed to
Saxe-Weissenfels
and Anhalt

Table of rulers

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(Note: The rulers in the table follow a single counting (as costumary in sources that call Albert X to the count of Barby who died in 1588), in spite of the different parts from where they ruled. This is not, however, a unanimous point of view; some authors choose to individualize the numberings according to the part; that's why, for example, Albert VII of Barby can be also called by some as Albert III).

Ruler Born Reign Ruling part Consort Death Notes
Walter I c.1060?
Son of Adalbero of Steusslingen and Judith
c.1090 – 16 February 1126 County of Arnstein Unknown
at least one child
16 February 1126
Kulm
aged 65–66?
Probably the founder of the family.
Walter II c.1110?
Son of Walter I
16 February 1126 – 18 April 1176 County of Arnstein Irmgard of Plotzkau
(d.1 September 1161)
at least one child
18 April 1176
aged 65–66?
Walter III c.1140?
Son of Walter II and Irmgard of Plotzkau
18 April 1176 – 1196 County of Arnstein Gertrude of Ballenstedt
(d.1194)
seven children
1196
aged 55–56?
Albert I c.1180?
First son of Walter III and Gertrude of Ballenstedt
1196 – 1240 County of Arnstein Matilda of Blankenburg-Regenstein
(d.1267)
seven children
1240
aged 59–60?
Sons of Walter III, divided their inheritance.
Gebhard c.1180?
Second son of Walter III and Gertrude of Ballenstedt
1196 – 9 March 1256 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Hedwig of Hirscher-Siebenburgen
(1225–1271)
1211
three children
9 March 1256
aged 75–76?
Walter IV c.1180?
Third son of Walter III and Gertrude of Ballenstedt
18 April 1176 – 1259 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen Luitgard of Querfurt-Magdeburg
(d.6 May 1293)
seven children
c.1255
aged 74–75?
Walter V 1219
Son of Albert I and Matilda of Blankenburg-Regenstein
1240 – 27 October 1268 County of Arnstein Margaret of Kranichfeld
(d.1290)
three children
27 October 1268
aged 48–49
Günther I 1212[11]
First son of Gebhard and Hedwig of Hirscher-Siebenburgen
9 March 1256 – 1284 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Euphemia of Rügen
(1216-?)
three children
1284
aged 71–72
Children of Gebhard, ruled jointly.
Walter VI c.1215?
Second son of Gebhard and Hedwig of Hirscher-Siebenburgen
9 March 1256 – 1279 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Unmarried 1279
aged 63–64?
Walter VII c.1220?
First son of Walter IV and Luitgard of Querfurt-Magdeburg
1259 – 1271 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen Unknown
three children
1271
aged 50–51?
Children of Walter IV, ruled jointly.
Burkhard I c.1220?
Second son of Walter IV and Luitgard of Querfurt-Magdeburg
1259 – 6 November 1285 Unmarried 6 November 1285
aged 64–65?
Burkhard II c.1220?
Third son of Walter IV and Luitgard of Querfurt-Magdeburg
1259 – 24 November 1271 Sophia of Woldenburg
four children
24 November 1271
aged 50–51?
Walter VIII c.1220?
Fourth son of Walter IV and Luitgard of Querfurt-Magdeburg
1259 – 1285 Luitgard of Werberg
(d.23 October ?)
no children
1285
aged 64–65?
Albert II 1240
Son of Walter V and Margaret of Kranichfeld
27 October 1268 – 1279 County of Arnstein Matilda of Mansfeld-Querfurt
(1235–1289)
seven children
1279
aged 38–39
Walter IX c.1260?
First son of Albert II and Matilda of Mansfeld-Querfurt
1279 – 1296 County of Arnstein Unmarried 1310
aged 49–50?
Children of Albert II, ruled jointly. In 1296, Walter abdicated to join the Teutonic Order.
Albert III c.1260?
Second son of Albert II and Matilda of Mansfeld-Querfurt
1279 – 1284 1284
aged 23–24?
Ulrich I 1260
First son of Günther I and Euphemia of Rügen
1284 – 1316 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Adelaide of Schladen
(d.1322)
four children
1316
aged 55–56
Children of Günther I, ruled jointly.
Burkhard IV[12] c.1260
Second son of Günther I and Euphemia of Rügen
1284 – 1311 Elisabeth of Holstein[13]
(d.1318)
c.1305
three children
1311
aged 50–51
Albert IV c.1250?
Son of Walter VII
6 November 1285 – 1312 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen Luitgard of Hohnstein
(d.1279)
four children
1312
aged 50–51?
Cousins, ruled jointly.
Burkhard III[12] c.1250?
First son of Burkhard II and Sophia of Woldenburg
6 Novembre 1285 – 10 December 1308 Clementia of Dassel-Ninofer
(d.1321)
four children
10 DEcember 1308
aged 34–35?
Walter X c.1250?
Second son of Burkhard II and Sophia of Woldenburg
6 November 1285 – 19 September 1313 Elisabeth of Henneberg-Coburg
(1291–1307)
1303
Coburg
no children
19 September 1313
aged 50–51?
Luitgard c.1260?
Daughter of Albert II and Matilda of Mansfeld-Querfurt
1296 – 1332 County of Arnstein Otto IV, Count of Falkenstein
(d.1328)
29 June 1281
six children
1332
aged 71–72?
Through her marriage, her inheritance fell to the House of Falkenstein.
Arnstein annexed to Falkenstein
Albert V the Elder 1271
Son of Albert IV and Luitgard of Hohnstein
19 September 1313 – August 1332 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen Judith of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg
(1306-11 September 1352)
four children
18 July[14] or August 1332
aged 61–62
Ulrich II 1315
First son of Ulrich I and Adelaide of Schladen
1316 – 3 February 1356 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Agnes of Anhalt-Zerbst
(d.1352)
1324
five children
3 February 1356
aged 40–41
Children of Ulrich I, ruled jointly. It's possible that Burkhard IV's son, Burkhard, ascended with his cousins as Burkhard V, and then abdicated when he became Bishop of Havelberg. Proving this is the fact that, as Bishop, he was still titled Count of Lindow-Ruppin, which opens the possibility that he kept the co-rulership even after becoming Bishop.
Günther II c.1315?
Second son of Ulrich I and Adelaide of Schladen
1316 – 1343 Luitgard of Mecklenburg
1318
no children
1343
aged 27–28?
Burkhard V c.1310?
Son of Burkhard IV and Elisabeth of Holstein
1316 – 1348 Unmarried 30 January 1370
aged 59–60?
Albert VII[15] 20 January 1320
First son of Albert V and Judith of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg
August 1332 – 16 February 1358 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen Judith of Anhalt-Zerbst
(d.11 September 1352)
four children
16 February 1358
aged 38
Children of Albert V, ruled jointly.
Günther IV c.1320?
Second son of Albert V and Judith of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg
August 1332 – 18 August 1404 Constance
(d.25 April 1372)
two children

Dorothea of Gleichen
(d.13 December 1385)
4 August 1393
one child
18 August 1404
aged 83–84?
Albert VI[15] 1330
[16]First son of Ulrich II and Agnes of Anhalt-Zerbst
3 February 1356 – 29 April 1391 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Sophia of Werle-Goldberg
(1333–1384)
1324
five children
29 April 1391
aged 60–61
Children of Ulrich I, ruled jointly.
Ulrich III c.1330?
Second son of Ulrich I and Adelaide of Schladen
3 February 1356 – 2 April 1359 Unmarried 2 April 1359
aged 28–29?
Günther III c.1330?
[17]Third son of Ulrich I and Adelaide of Schladen
3 February 1356 – 1356 1356
aged 25–26?
Valdemar c.1330?
Fourth son of Ulrich I and Adelaide of Schladen
3 February 1356 – 1358 1358
aged 27–28?
Günther V c.1370?
First son of Albert VI and Sophia of Werle-Goldberg
29 April 1391 – 7 September 1416 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Cordula of Wernigerode
(1386-11 September 1419)
one child
7 September 1416
aged 45–46?
Children of Albert VI, ruled jointly.
Ulrich IV c.1370?
Second son of Albert VI and Sophia of Werle-Goldberg
29 April 1391 – c.1400? Unmarried c.1400?
aged 29–30?
John I c.1370?
Third son of Albert VI and Sophia of Werle-Goldberg
c.1400?
aged 29–30?
John II c.1380
Son of Günther IV and Constance
18 August 1404 – 1407 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen Judith of Anhalt-Zerbst
(d.11 September 1352)
four children
1407
aged 38
Children of Günther IV, ruled jointly.
Burkhard VI c.1395
Second son of Günther IV and Dorothea of Gleichen
18 August 1404 – 1 April 1420 Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst
(d.1419)
1415
one child
1 April 1420
near Magdeburg
aged 24–25
Regency of Cordula of Wernigerode (1416-1420)
Albert VIII 1406
Son of Günther V and Cordula of Wernigerode
7 September 1416 – June 1460 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Catharina of Lubin
(1400-11 JUne 1424)
1 August 1423
no children

Anna of Zagan
(1408-4 November 1437)
1424/34
five children

Margaret of Pomerania-Stettin
26 May 1439
one child
June 1460
aged 53–54
Regency of George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1420-1435) Ascended as a minor. From 1460, he associated his sons in co-rulership.
Günther VI 1417
Son of Burkhard VI and Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst[18]
1 April 1420 – 19 November 1493 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen Catharina of Regenstein-Blankenburg
(d.20 January 1455)
1441
five children

Sophia of Anhalt-Köthen
(c.1420-after 1470)
c.1455
seven children
19 November 1493
aged 75–76
John IV[19] 1444
Second son of Günther VI and Catharina of Regenstein-Blankenburg
1460 – 1481 Unmarried 1481
Vienna
aged 36–37
Albert IX 1446
Third son of Günther VI and Catharina of Regenstein-Blankenburg
1460 – 7 November 1481 7 November 1481
aged 34–35
Jacob c.1440?
First son of Albert VIII and Anna of Zagan
June 1460 – 1 May 1499 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Anna of Stolberg
(21 August 1458 – 26 October 1526)
no children
7 September 1416
aged 45–46?
Children of Albert VIII, ruled jointly.
John III[19] c.1445?
Second son of Albert VIII and Anna of Zagan
June 1460 – 14 June 1500 Ursula of Barby-Mühlingen
(1457–1484)
1472
two children

Anna of Saxe-Lauenburg
(d. 9 August 1504)
February 1490
no children
14 June 1500
aged 54–55?
Burkhard VII 1442
First son of Günther VI and Catharina of Regenstein-Blankenburg
19 November 1493 – 3 November 1505 Lordship of Barby-Mühlingen
(until 1497)

County of Barby-Mühlingen
(from 1497)
Magdalena of Mecklenburg-Stargard
14 July 1482
twelve children
3 November 1505
aged 75–76
Ruled with his father and brothers probably since c.1460.
Joachim 1474
[20]Son of John II and Ursula of Barby-Mühlingen
14 June 1500 – 14 February 1507 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Margaret of Hohnstein
(d.15 October 1508)
one child
14 February 1507
aged 26–27
Jobst I 1484
First son of Burkhard V and Magdalena of Mecklenburg-Stargard
3 November 1505 –3 December 1515 County of Barby-Mühlingen Unmarried 3 December 1515
aged 30–31
Children of Burkhard V, ruled jointly.
Balthasar 1486
Second son of Burkhard V and Magdalena of Mecklenburg-Stargard
3 November 1505 – 27 October 1535 27 October 1535
aged 48–49
Christoph 1496
Seventh son of Burkhard V and Magdalena of Mecklenburg-Stargard
3 November 1505 – 13 April 1523 13 April 1523
Magdeburg
aged 38–39
Wolfgang I 1502
Barby
Tenth son of Burkhard V and Magdalena of Mecklenburg-Stargard
3 November 1505 – 24 January 1564 Agnes of Mansfeld-Mittelort
23/27 January 1526
Seeburg
sixteen children
24 January 1564
Barby
aged 61–62
Regency of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (1507-1520) Left no descendants. After his death, his inheritance was absorbed by the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
Wichmann c.1500
[21]Son of Joachim and Margaret of Hohnstein
14 February 1507 – 28 March 1524 Lordship of Lindow-Ruppin Unmarried 28 March 1524
aged 23–24
Lindow-Ruppin annexed to Brandenburg
Wolfgang II 21 December 1531
Barby
Second son of Wolfgang I and Agnes of Mansfeld-Mittelort
24 January 1564 – 23 March 1615 County of Barby-Mühlingen Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst
19 July 1570
Bernburg
one child

Anna of Mansfeld-Hinterort
(1555-30 July 1575)
1 July 1575
Schleiz
no children

Marie Jacqueline of Baden-Durlach
(October 1514 – 1592)
9 February 1577
Weimar
no children

Elisabeth of Kummerstedt
(d.21 June 1621)
25 March 1593
no children
23 March 1615
Barby
aged 83
Children of Wolfgang I, ruled jointly.
Albert X 15 February 1534
Barby
Fourth son of Wolfgang I and Agnes of Mansfeld-Mittelort
24 January 1564 – 28 May 1588 Maria of Anhalt-Zerbst
25 August 1559
two children
28 May 1588
Barby
aged 54
Burkhard VIII 7 February 1536
Barby
Fifth son of Wolfgang I and Agnes of Mansfeld-Mittelort
24 January 1564 – 28 May 1588 Unmarried 2 June 1586
Barby
aged 50
Günther VII 17 October 1541
Barby
Eighth son of Wolfgang I and Agnes of Mansfeld-Mittelort
24 January 1564 – 25 September 1572 25 September 1572
Copenhagen
aged 30
Jobst II 8 May 1544
Barby
Tenth son of Wolfgang I and Agnes of Mansfeld-Mittelort
24 January 1564 – 9 August 1609 Anna of Pomerania-Stettin
23 September 1576
no children

Anna of Pomerania-Stettin
23 September 1576
no children

Sophia of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
30 March 1595
Rudolstadt
three children
9 August 1609
Rosenburg
aged 65
Albert Frederick 28 February 1597
Rosenburg
First son of Jobst II and Sophia of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
23 March 1615 – 7 December 1641 County of Barby-Mühlingen
(at Rosenburg and Mühlingen)
Sophia Ursula of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst
17 March 1633
five children
7 December 1641
Rosenburg
aged 44
Children of Jobst II, divided their inheritance.
Jobst Günther 15 October 1598
Mühlingen
Second son of Jobst II and Sophia of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
23 March 1615 – 19 April 1651 County of Barby-Mühlingen
(at Barby)
Unmarried 19 April 1651
Walternienburg
aged 52
Barby reattached to Mühlingen
August Louis 5 August 1639
Rosenburg
Son of Albert Frederick and Sophia Ursula of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst
7 December 1641 – 17 October 1659 County of Barby-Mühlingen
(at Rosenburg and Mühlingen)
Unmarried 17 October 1659
Wolfenbüttel
aged 20
Barby-Mühlingen divided between Anhalt-Zerbst and Saxe-Weissenfels

References

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  1. ^ Walter v. Steusslingen?, ww-person.com
  2. ^ Adelbero von Steusslingen, our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com
  3. ^ Heine, 1900.
  4. ^ It is worth noting that the Arnstedt is today part of the town of Arnstein.
  5. ^ Burg Arnstein
  6. ^ "Siebmachers Wappenbuch - Welt der Wappen". 2023-03-29.
  7. ^ "Die Grafschaft Ruppin in historischer, statistischer und geographischer Hinsicht : Ein Beitrag zur Kunde der Mark Brandenburg". 1799.
  8. ^ Die Geschichte der Grafschaft Barby.
  9. ^ Die Grafschaft Barby.
  10. ^ Die Grafschaft Barby mit ihren Teilen auf Weißenfels 1745
  11. ^ Martin Dieterich (1725). Historische Nachricht Von denen Grafen zu Lindow und Ruppin. Frankfurt (Oder): Rüdiger. p. 36.
  12. ^ a b Despite ascending a year later than his cousin Burchard IV, Burchard III was older than him, and that's possibly the reason why he is numbered lower.
  13. ^ Burchard III. Graf von Lindow-Ruppin (1284-1311)
  14. ^ Geschichte der Grafschaft Mühlingen mit Barby.
  15. ^ a b Albert VI from Lindow-Ruppin is counted lower, despite being younger and having succeeded in his lordship later than Albert VII from Barby-Muhlingen. This could point to an earlier co-rulership of Albert VI and his brothers with their father.
  16. ^ Martin Dieterich (1725). Historische Nachricht Von denen Grafen zu Lindow und Ruppin. Frankfurt (Oder): Rüdiger. p. 68.
  17. ^ Martin Dieterich (1725). Historische Nachricht Von denen Grafen zu Lindow und Ruppin Aus bewehrten Uhrkunden und Geschicht-Schreibern gesammlet, Und nebst einem Anhang von denen Inspectoribus und Predigern, welche in der Haupt-Stadt Neuen-Ruppin, seit der Reformation das Lehr-Amt geführet haben. Jmgleichen einigen andern Gelehrten, welche aus selbiger Grafschafft bürtig gewesen, oder daselbst eine Zeitlang in Bedienung gestanden. Frankfurt (Oder ): Rüdiger. p. 82.
  18. ^ Some sources place Gunther VI as brother of John II and Burkhard IV
  19. ^ a b John IV is presented here first than John III exclusively because he reigned under his father. Note that he started his reign in the same year as John III did in Lindow-Ruppin.
  20. ^ Martin Dieterich (1725). Historische Nachricht Von denen Grafen zu Lindow und Ruppin Aus bewehrten Uhrkunden und Geschicht-Schreibern gesammlet, Und nebst einem Anhang von denen Inspectoribus und Predigern, welche in der Haupt-Stadt Neuen-Ruppin, seit der Reformation das Lehr-Amt geführet haben. Jmgleichen einigen andern Gelehrten, welche aus selbiger Grafschafft bürtig gewesen, oder daselbst eine Zeitlang in Bedienung gestanden. Frankfurt (Oder ): Rüdiger. p. 125.
  21. ^ Martin Dieterich (1725). Historische Nachricht Von denen Grafen zu Lindow und Ruppin Aus bewehrten Uhrkunden und Geschicht-Schreibern gesammlet, Und nebst einem Anhang von denen Inspectoribus und Predigern, welche in der Haupt-Stadt Neuen-Ruppin, seit der Reformation das Lehr-Amt geführet haben. Jmgleichen einigen andern Gelehrten, welche aus selbiger Grafschafft bürtig gewesen, oder daselbst eine Zeitlang in Bedienung gestanden. Frankfurt (Oder ): Rüdiger. p. 130.

Literature

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Specific sources

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  • Gerd Heinrich: Die Grafen von Arnstein (= Reinhold Olesch, Walter Schlesinger, Ludwig Erich Schmitt [Hrsg.]: Mitteldeutsche Forschungen. Band 21). Böhlau Verlag, Köln / Graz 1961, Zweiter Teil. Entstehung und Ausbildung der Herrschaften der Grafen von Arnstein, Grafen von Barby und Grafen von Lindow. VIII. Die Herrschaften Lindau und Möckern
  • Friedrich Heine: Geschichte der Grafschaft Mühlingen. Paul Schettlers Erben GmbH, Köthen 1900 (Online version)

General sources

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