The Schenken von Stauffenberg are an aristocratic Roman Catholic family from Swabia

Swabia

Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...

 in 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...

, whose best-known member was Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg

Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg

Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...

 – the key figure in the 1944 "20 July plot" to assassinate

Assassination

To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...

 Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

.

The recorded history of the family Schenk von Stauffenberg begins in Swabia in the 13th century, when the family, who belonged to the Reichsrittern (Imperial Knights), originated from the settlement Cell, where they owned extensive estates surrounding the village and the Zollerberg long before the Counts of Zollern

Zollern

Zollern, from 1218 Hohenzollern, was a county of the Holy Roman Empire. Its ruling dynasty was the House of Hohenzollern, a Swabian noble family first mentioned in 1061. They named their estates after Hohenzollern Castle at the Swabian Alb; its capital was Hechingen...

 took possession of the mountain and acquired lands there.

Its first known member is mentioned in 1251 as Wernherus Pincerna de Celle, who in 1255 was appointed to the ceremonial court office of Schenk (cupbearer, sommelier

Sommelier

A sommelier , or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching...

, butler

Butler

A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...

) with the Counts of Zollern. The officeholder was in charge of his lord’s wine cellars and vineyards, and when the office of Schenk later became hereditary within the family the title was adopted into the family name.

Surnames were appended according to the officeholder's place of residence, and so the family name varied between Schenk von Zell, Schenk von Neuenzell, Schenk von Andeck, Schenk von Erpfingen and Schenk von Stauffenberg. By the end of the 15th century the family’s permanent name was Schenk von Stauffenberg, which refers to Burg Stauffenberg, a former castle situated by a small cone-shaped mountain of the same name between the small town of Hechingen

Hechingen

Hechingen is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border.- City districts :...

 and its suburb Rangendingen

Rangendingen

Rangendingen is a town in the Zollernalbkreis district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- References :...

 in Land Württemberg

Württemberg

Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....

. A tradition in the family also associates it with the Staufen

Hohenstaufen

The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...

 dynasty.

The Stauffenbergs rose in the world in 1698 when Emperor Leopold I

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...

 conferred upon the brothers Maximilian Gottfried and Johann Philipp the hereditary title of Reichsfreiherr (Imperial Baron). The family was later split into four branches; the Katzensteiner, Bacher, Wilflinger and Amerdinger ones. The former two became extinct during the 18th century, while a member of the Wilflingen branch was raised to the rank of hereditary Reichsgraf (Imperial Count) by Emperor Leopold II

Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor

Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...

 in 1791. Since the Wilflinger branch also became extinct in 1833, only the baronial Amerdinger branch remained. All now living members of the family are descendants of the brothers Franz Ludwig and Friedrich of the Amerdingen branch. Franz Ludwig was made a hereditary Graf

Graf

Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...

 (Count) in the Kingdom of Bavaria

Kingdom of Bavaria

The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...

 by King Ludwig II. Since then there exist two subbranches; one which holds the title of Count and one which bears the title of Imperial Baron.

In the 16th century the Stauffenberg family acquired the castle Amerdingen near Nördlingen

Nördlingen

Nördlingen is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany, with a population of 20,000. It is located in the middle of a complex meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The town was also the place of two battles during the Thirty Years' War...

 through marriage. Before that the Stauffenbergs were owners of Wilflingen and Jettingen. Over the course of the years further estates were added to the family’s possessions, such as the Greifenstein and Burggrub castles in Heiligenstadt

Heiligenstadt (Upper Franconia)

Heiligenstadt in Oberfranken is a community with market rights in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg....

 near Bamberg

Bamberg

Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...

, the Lautlingen castle near Ebingen

Ebingen

Ebingen is a town in the large district of Albstadt, district Zollernalbkreis, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Schmiecha, a left-hand tributary of the Danube, south of Tübingen and west of Ulm.- History :...

 on the southern slopes of the Schwäbische Alb, Ristissen some twenty kilometers south of Ulm

Ulm

Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...

 and the Straßberg and Wildentierberg estates in Lautlingen near Albstadt

Albstadt

Albstadt is a city in the district of Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Swabian Alb mountains, about halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance...

.

After 1918, when the constitution

Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...

 of the Weimar Republic

Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...

 abolished all noble titles in Germany and declared them to be part of the family name, the family came to have two names in order to preserve the former titles of Schenk, Graf ( Count ) and Freiherr ( Baron ) as parts of the surnames.

Since the title of Schenk is considered to be of superior rank due to being a hereditary office title, it is placed before the noble title, which in turn is placed before the surname. The correct versions of the family’s surnames are thus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and Schenk Freiherr von Stauffenberg respectively. Two of the family’s members also served as Prince-Bishops

Prince-Bishop

A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...

 of Bamberg (Marquard Sebastian) and Augsburg

Augsburg

Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...

 and Konstanz

Konstanz

Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...

 (Johann Franz) and thus used the title Fürst

Fürst

Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...

 (Prince) instead of their other noble titles.

Members of the Schenk von Stauffenberg family

• Adam Friedrich Schenk Freiherr von Stauffenberg (07.Mar.1767-14.May.1808) ∞ Charlotte Freiin von Harff (06.Oct.1777-13.Sep.1839)
  • Franz Ludwig Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (13.May.1801-08.May.1881) ∞ Eleonore Gräfin Butler von Clonebough (20.Sep.1807-05.Feb.1861)
    • Anna Gfin Stauffenberg (01.Mar.1825-03.Sep.1852) ∞ Karl Alexander Gf v. Seinsheim (15.Oct.1823-03.Sep.1852)
    • Klemens Gf Stauffenberg (12.Aug.1826-16.Nov.1886) ∞ Leopoldine Gfin v. Oberndorff (18.Oct.1831-07.May.1919)
      • Gabriele Gfin Stauffenberg (24.Dec.1857-04.Jan.1946)
      • Berthold Gf Stauffenberg (21.Aug.1859-09.Nov.1944) ∞ Maria Theresia Frn Groß v. Trockau (11.Feb.1860-19.Dec.1943)
        • Klemens Gf Stauffenberg (02.Jun.1885-10.Feb.1949) ∞ Elisabeth Frn v. und zu Guttenberg
          House of Guttenberg
          The House of Guttenberg is a prominent Franconian family which traces its origins back to 1149 with a Gundeloh v. Blassenberg . Though, the first mention in a document is dated 1158. The name Guttenberg is derived from Guttenberg and was adopted by a Heinrich von Blassenberg around 1310...
          
           (20.Apr.1891-24.Feb.1946)
          • Marie Gabriele Gfn Stauffenberg (born 18.Jul.1914)
          • Karl Berthold Gf Stauffenberg (24.Feb.1918-01.Dec.1941)
          • Markwart Gf Stauffenberg (born 07.Mar.1921) ∞ Anna Edle v. Rauscher auf Weeg (born 13.Dec.1923)
            • Elisabeth Gfn Stauffenberg (born 09.Nov.1948) ∞ Alexander Nette (born 24.Aug.1946)
            • Marie Gfn Stauffenberg (born 31.Mar.1950) ∞ Edward Lee Williams (born 23.Jul.1955)
            • Karl Berthold Gf Stauffenberg (born 19.Aug.1951) ∞ Irina Lampe (born 10.Oct.1965)
            • Franz Gf Stauffenberg (born 22.Jun.1954) ∞ Alda Balestra (born 14.Aug.1954)
            • Georg Gf Stauffenberg (born 06.Dec.1957) ∞ Christiane Philippi (born 17.May.1963)
            • Philipp Gf Stauffenberg (born 31.Dec.1960) ∞1 Anette Peterson (born 20.Dec.1961) ∞2 Marion Stoof (born 02.Aug.1964)
          • Otto Gf Stauffenberg (born 28.Oct.1926) ∞ Oculi Frn v. Lerchenfeld (born 04.Mar.1923)
            • Christoph Gf Stauffenberg (born 01.Aug.1950) ∞ Monika Gfn v. Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (born 22.Mar.1961)
            • Maria Gfn Stauffenberg (born 13.Dec.1951) ∞ Louis-Ferdinand Gf v. Zech sonst v. Burckersroda (born 06.Aug.1944)
            • Alexander Gf Stauffenberg (born 10.Mar.1954) ∞ Maria-Anna Gfn v. Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny (born 08.Apr.1960)
            • Isabell Gfn Stauffenberg (born 10.Mar.1954)
        • Leopoldine Gfin Stauffenberg (29.Jul.1887-28.Apr.1975) ∞ Philipp Gf v. Ingelheim gen. Echter v. und zu Mespelbrunn (07.Mar.1883-14.Sep.1933)
        • Markwart Gf Stauffenberg (12.May.1889-04.Apr.1975) ∞ Olga Böhl de Liagre (09.May.1899-01.Dec.1973)
          • Delia Gfin Stauffenberg (born 4.Mar.1919) ∞ Karl Friedrich Fst zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Wallerstein (23.May.1917-30.Mar.1991)
          • Marie Agnes Gfin Stauffenberg (born 14.Dec.1920) ∞ Hans Heinrich Linden
          • Alexandra Gfin Stauffenberg (born 09.May.1922) ∞ Rolf Staelin (09.Jun.1913-19.Feb.1985)
          • Alfred Gf Stauffenberg (born 28.Jul.1923) ∞ Gioia Gfn v. Hochberg, Frn zu Fürstenstein (born 11.Oct.1934)
            • Maria Gfin Stauffenberg (born 09.May.1955) ∞ Conrad Schloesser (born 14.Oct.1944)
            • Clemens Gf Stauffenberg (born 20.May.1958) ∞ Bettina Scherping (born 11.Mar.1952)
            • Bolko Gf Stauffenberg (born 30.Jul.1964)
          • Klemens Gf Stauffenberg (13.Aug.1929-30.Dec.1987) ∞ Clementine Gfn Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (born 05.Aug.1937)
            • Alexandra Gfin Stauffenberg (born 25.May.1960) ∞ Karl Friedrich Erbpr v. Hohenzollern
              Karl Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Hohenzollern
              Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern is the eldest son of the late Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern and Princess Margarita of Leiningen...
              
               (born 20.Apr.1952)
            • Claus Gf Stauffenberg (born 28.Apr.1964)
            • Clarissa Gfin Stauffenberg (born 30.Jun.1965) ∞ Friedrich-Christian Frhr v. Elverfeldt-Ulm (born 27.Dec.1960)
        • Irma Gfin Stauffenberg (13.Apr.1898-28.Sep.1932) ∞ Otto Frhr Groß v. Trockau (*Würzburg 10.11.1890, +Trockau 21.2.1957)
      • Alfred Gf Stauffenberg (27.Sep.1860-20.Jan.1936) ∞ Caroline Gfin v. Üxküll-Gyllenband (07.Apr.1875-03.Jun.1956)
        • Berthold Gf Stauffenberg
          Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
          Berthold Alfred Maria Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg was a German aristocrat, lawyer and conspirator in the 20 July plot of 1944, along with his brother, Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, an army colonel...
          
           (15.Mar.1905-10.Aug.1944) ∞ Maria Classen (05.Feb.1900-13.Sep.1977)
          • Alfred Gf Stauffenberg (08.Nov.1937-28.Oct.1987) ∞ Marie Sophie Schenk Frn v. Stauffenberg (born 23.Sep.1937)
            • Berthold Gf Stauffenberg (born 26.May.1963) ∞ Maria Carabias (born 17.Jul.1961)
            • Philippe Gf Stauffenberg
              Philippe von Stauffenberg
              Philippe von Stauffenberg, also known as “PVS”, is a German businessman, residing in London, United Kingdom. He is the Managing Partner of Solidus Partners LLP, which he founded in 2004...
              
              (born 17.May.1964) ∞ Bettina Baatz (born 06.Sep.1966)
              • Isabel Gfin Stauffenberg (born 20.Sept 1998)
              • Olivia Gfin Stauffenberg (born 5 April 2000)
              • Mafalda Gfin Stauffenberg (born 14. March 2003)
              • Klara Gfin Stauffenberg (born 14 june 2005)
            • Alexander Gf Stauffenberg (born 08.Feb.1967) ∞ ? ?
          • Elisabeth Gfin Stauffenberg (born 13.Jun.1939) ∞ Count Piero Roberti (born 26.Dec.1935)
        • Alexander Gf Stauffenberg
          Alexander Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
          Alexander Franz Clemens Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German aristocrat and historian.Alexander was the younger twin of Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg...
          
           (15.Mar.1905-27.Jan.1964) ∞1 Melitta Schiller
          Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg
          Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, born Melitta Schiller , was a German aviatrix who served as a test pilot for the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II...
          
           (09.Jan.1903-08.Apr.1945), ∞2 Marlene Hoffmann (born 10.Jul.1913)
        • Claus Gf Stauffenberg
          Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
          Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
          
           (15.Nov.1907-20.Jul.1944) ∞ Nina Frn v. Lerchenfeld
          Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg
          "Nina" Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg was the wife of Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, the leader of the failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944, after which she was arrested and imprisoned, where she delivered her youngest child.-Early years:She was born Magdalena...
          
           (27.Aug.1913-02.Apr.2006)
          • Berthold Gf Stauffenberg
            Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
            Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg is a retired German Bundeswehr general.He is the oldest of five children of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and nephew of Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, two German aristocrats who were active in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf...
            
             (born 03.Jul.1934) ∞ Mechthild Gfin v. Bentzel-Sturmfeder-Horneck (born 27.Jan.1938)
            • Claus Gf Stauffenberg (born 01.Jun.1959) ∞ Maryam Zahedi (born 31.Jan.1962)
              • Valerie Gfin Stauffenberg (born 17.Feb.1992)
            • Sebastian Gf Stauffenberg (born 02.Dec.1961)
            • Gottfried Gf Stauffenberg (born 08.Oct.1964)
          • Heimeran Gf Stauffenberg (born 09.Jul.1936)
          • Franz Ludwig Gf Stauffenberg
            Franz-Ludwig Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
            Franz-Ludwig Gustav Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg is a German attorney and politician from the CSU. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1976 to 1987 and of the European Parliament from 1984 to 1992....
            
             (born 04.May.1938) ∞ Elisabeth Frn v. und zu Guttenberg
            House of Guttenberg
            The House of Guttenberg is a prominent Franconian family which traces its origins back to 1149 with a Gundeloh v. Blassenberg . Though, the first mention in a document is dated 1158. The name Guttenberg is derived from Guttenberg and was adopted by a Heinrich von Blassenberg around 1310...
            
             (born 05.Jul.1944)
            • Hans Gf Stauffenberg (born 03.Mar.1966) ∞ Maria Gfin v. Waldburg zu Zeil und Hohenems (born 29.Aug.1964)
            • Valerie Gfin Stauffenberg (born 04.Jun.1968) ∞ Marcus v. Mauchenheim gen. Bechtolsheim (born 31.Oct.1958)
            • Maximilian Gf Stauffenberg (born 27.Oct.1970) ∞ Harriet v. Randow (born 27.Nov.1974)
            • Maria Gfin Stauffenberg (born 02.Sep.1982)
          • Valerie Gfin Stauffenberg (15.Nov.1940-04.Jun.1966) ∞ Heino v. l'Estocq (born 06.Apr.1935)
          • Konstanze Gfin Stauffenberg (born 27.Jan.1945) ∞ Dietrich v. Schultheiß-Rechberg (born 13.Oct.1937)
        • Konrad Gf Stauffenberg (15.Nov.1907-16.Nov.1907)
      • Friedrich Gf Stauffenberg (11.Feb.1862-03.Sep.1882)
      • Philipp Gf Stauffenberg (12.May.1864-29.Jul.1945) ∞ Marie Schönhofen (02.Jun.1875-??.Feb.1959)
        • Maria Gfin Stauffenberg (28.Sep.1905-02.Mar.1940) ∞ Adalbert Gf Kottulinsky, Frhr v. Kottulin und Krzizkowitz (born 27.Mar.1904)
      • Maria Gfin Stauffenberg (23.Oct.1867-09.Apr.1875)
    • Philipp Gf Stauffenberg (24.Nov.1828-11.Jul.1895) ∞ Karoline Przn Lobkowitz (29.Apr.1835-05.Mar.1881)
      • Franz Gf Stauffenberg (25.Sep.1861-27.Jun.1907) ∞ Konstanze Gfin v. Prokesch (09.Nov.1861-28.Oct.1921)
      • Lory Gfin Stauffenberg (22.Apr.1862-22.Apr.1862)
      • Eleonore Gfin Stauffenberg (08.Jul.1864-08.Jul.1864)
      • Marie Gfin Stauffenberg (08.Jul.1864-24.Feb.1909)
      • Eberhard Gf Stauffenberg (19.May.1866-10.Sep.1917) ∞ Luise Gfin Terlago (12.Aug.1869-22.Aug.1952)
      • Klemens Gf Stauffenberg (10.Jul.1869-01.Aug.1890)
    • Charlotte Gfin Stauffenberg (17.Apr.1831-02.Aug.1891) ∞ Anton v. Bösmiller
    • Albrecht Gf Stauffenberg (31.Aug.1836-25.Jan.1837)
  • Friedrich Schenk Freiherr von Stauffenberg (23.Oct.1806-02.May.1874) ∞ Karoline Gräfin Butler von Clonebough (31.Jan.1812-06.Nov.1879)