The counts van Rechteren (also van Rechteren-Limpurg) belong to the Dutch and German nobility. The German branch von Rechteren-Limpurg-Speckfeld has been mediatised

German Mediatisation

The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....

.
The first documented ancestor is Fredericus van Hekeren van der Ese (mentioned 1295) who was an adviser to Reginald II of Guelders

Reginald II of Guelders

Reginald II of Guelders , called "the Black" , was Count of Guelders, and from 1339 onwards Duke of Guelders, and Zutphen, in the Low Countries, from 1326 to 1343...

. The surname van Rechteren entered the family in the 14th century when one of his descendants married Lutgardis van Voorst, whose ancestors owned the castle Rechteren (near Dalfsen

Dalfsen

Dalfsen is a municipality and a town in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel.The present municipality of Dalfsen was created on 1 January 2001 through the merger of the municipalities of Nieuwleusen and Dalfsen....

 in Overijssel

Overijssel

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...

). The family van Voorst tot Voorst

Van Voorst tot Voorst

Van Voorst tot Voorst is an old Dutch noble family from the Dutch province Overijssel.-History:The first documented ancestor is Fredericus van Hekeren van der Ese who was an adviser to Reginald II of Guelders...

 also descends from this couple. The van Heeckeren

Van Heeckeren

Van Heeckeren is an old Dutch noble family from the Dutch provinces Overijssel and Gelderland.- History :The oldest known ancestor is Jakob van Heker who died in 1440. The family is split into many branches...

family is related to both families.

Literature

• Dr. D.P.M. Graswinckel and Mr. H. Hardenberg, 'Het Archief van het Kasteel Rechteren' (Zaltbommel, 1941).
• A.F.H. van Heeckeren,'Genealogie van de geslachten Van Voorst, Van Heeckeren, Van Rechteren' in: Heraldieke Bibliotheek (1876).
• Prof. Dr. J.G.N. Renaud et al., 'Het kasteel Voorst- Macht en val van een Overijsselse burcht' (Zwolle, 1983).