The House of Regenstein, also Reinstein, was a Lower Saxon family of counts, which was named after the eponymous Regenstein Castle

Regenstein Castle

Regenstein Castle is a ruined castle that lies three kilometres north of Blankenburg in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is a popular tourist destination where, each year, a knight's tournament and a garrison festival are held....

 near Blankenburg on the edge of the Harz Mountains of central Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

History

In 1162 Cunradus Comes de Regenstein (Conrad, Count of Regenstein), the son of Count Poppo I of Blankenburg

Poppo I of Blankenburg

Poppo I of Blankenburg probably came from the House of Reginbodonen and was Count of Regenstein-Blankenburg in the Harz in central Germany....

 from the House of Reginbodonen, was documented for the first time by name, thus establishing the line of Reinstein-Blankenburg

Blankenburg Castle (Harz)

Great Blankenburg Castle was built on the limestone hill of Blankenstein in the town of Blankenburg in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt...

. Heimburg

Heimburg Castle

Heimburg Castle , also called the Altenburg or Alteburg, is a ruined castle on an oval hilltop about 330 metres above sea level which is located just north of the Harz Mountains in central Germany. The ruins of this hilltop castle stand above the village of Heimburg in the borough of Blankenburg...

 came into their possession in the 14th century as a fief and founded the Younger Line of Reinstein(-Heimburg

Heimburg

Heimburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Blankenburg am Harz....

). Regenstein Castle (the line of Reinstein-Reinstein) was abandoned in the mid-15th century in favour of Blankenburg and Derenburg

Derenburg

Derenburg is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated north of the Harz, approx. 9 km east of Wernigerode, and 10 km west of Halberstadt. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the borough of Blankenburg am Harz....

. The last male descendant of the noble family, John Ernest, Count of Regenstein, died in 1599. Parts of the county evolved into the Principality of Blankenburg.

Seats

• Regenstein Castle
  Regenstein Castle
  Regenstein Castle is a ruined castle that lies three kilometres north of Blankenburg in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is a popular tourist destination where, each year, a knight's tournament and a garrison festival are held....
  
  

• Westerburg Castle

• Heimburg Castle

• Roseburg Castle

• Calvörde Castle

• Oschersleben Castle

• Blankenburg Castle (Harz)

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the comital line displays in silver a (black) red, six-tined antler

Antler

Antlers are the usually large, branching bony appendages on the heads of most deer species.-Etymology:Antler originally meant the lowest tine, the "brow tine"...

. The later quartered

Quartering

Quartering may refer to:* dividing into four parts:** Hanged, drawn and quartered, quartering as a punishment** Quartering...

 shield shows also in silver (1:4) a black and in (2:3) a red six-tined antler. Helmet: crowned, right a black six-tined antler, left a red one of the same. The mantle is black and silver on the right and red and silver on the left.

Personalities

• Poppo I of Regenstein-Blankenburg
  Poppo I of Blankenburg
  Poppo I of Blankenburg probably came from the House of Reginbodonen and was Count of Regenstein-Blankenburg in the Harz in central Germany....
  
  , father of the line
• Richenza of Regenstein-Blankenburg (born around 1100; died before 1145), wife of Poppo I
• Reinhard of Blankenburg
  Reinhard of Blankenburg
  Reinhard of Blankenburg was Bishop of Halberstadt from 1107 to 1123.He was related to the later comital family. Reinhard may have not have been native in Saxony, but had Saxon relations. His nephew, who was not from Saxony, was Count Poppo I of Blankenburg. Reinhard assisted him by granting him an...
  
   († 1123), Bishop of Halberstadt from 1107 to 1123
• Burchard II of Blankenburg († 1305), Archbishop of Magdeburg
• Albert II of Regenstein († 1349), Count of Regenstein
• Ulrich X of Regenstein-Blankenburg (1499–1551), count
• Elisabeth of Regenstein-Blankenburg (1542–1584), Abbess of Quedlinburg

Sources

• Rudolf Steinhoff: Geschichte der Grafschaft bzw. des Fürstentums Blankenburg, Die Grafschaft Regenstein und des Klosters Michaelstein. Vieweg, 1891.
• Rudolf Steinhoff: Stammtafel Die Grafen von Regenstein und Blankenburg von ungefähr 1400 bis 1599. In: Zeitschrift des Harz-Vereins für Geschichte und Alterthumskunde, Bd. 25, Quedlinburg 1892, p. 146-167.
• Detlev Schwennicke: Europäische Stammtafeln: Hessen und das Stammesherzogtum Sachsen, Vol. 17 Stammtafeln zur Geschichte The europäischen Staaten. Verlag Vittorio Klostermann, 1998.
• Heinz A. Behrens; Hartmut Wegner: Das Ende einer Dynastie. Sonderausstellung aus Anlaß des 400. Todestages des Grafen Johann Ernst von Regenstein. Bussert, Jena, Quedlinburg 1999.
• Christof Römer: Die Grafen von Regenstein-Blankenburg als Stand des Reiches und des Niedersächsischen Reichskreises. In: Heinz A. Behrens (Hrsg.): Zwischen Herrschaftsanspruch und Schuldendienst. Beiträge zur Geschichte der Grafschaft Regenstein. Jena 2004, S. 73-90.