Von Görschen
Encyclopedia
Görschen
Görschen is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Mertendorf....
) or even from an older "oppida goresin" (Görschenburg / Görschenfestung) near Lützen
Lützen
' is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 14 km northeast of Weißenfels, and 18 km southwest of Leipzig.The town was the scene of two famous battles:...
, which was already appointed by Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
in the year 998, whereas the name itself is Sorbian origin and translating as "damp".
Naming variations are de Goresin, de Gorsne, de Gorssen and von Goerschen.
Coat of arms
A golden key on a blue background with the top facing downwards; on the helmet a key is depicted between two to six black cock feathers. Several variations of the colours of the key and the shield are available in different sources.Family chronicle
The first recorded individual bearing the name was Conradus de Gorsne who was recorded as a “witness” on 22 June 1186. The first recorded ancestor of the living von Görschen descendents was Petris de Görsene (first mentioned on 12 June 1271) and the family distributed across PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in the course of the next few generations. Due to the marriage of Eva von Görschen, daughter of Lorenz von Görschen (1575–1630), Lord of Groß-Görschen, with Erasmus von Bothfeld, Lord of Burgwerben
Burgwerben
Burgwerben is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 September 2010, it is part of the town Weißenfels....
, the family von Görschen belong to the ancestors of some European royal and noble houses http://fabpedigree.com/s031/f373417.htm.
Groitzsch
Groitzsch is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany.- Geography and transport :The town is situated on the river Weiße Elster, 20 km northeast of Zeitz, and 25 km southwest of Leipzig. The B176 goes through Groitzsch and the B2 goes through the subdistricts Kobschütz and...
and Fürstenwalde still exists to this day, while a second line originating on the German-Dutch border near Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
, and a third line in the Neuruppin
Neuruppin
Neuruppin is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. Located on the shore of Ruppiner See , it is the capital of the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. Population: 32,800 .-Overview:...
area were also recorded. From the second line originated a number of family members in especially important administrative posts. After the middle of the 19th century some of them settled down in London and were successful business people there. As Protestants, many of the members of this line also were honorary knights or members of the Order of St. John
Order of St. John (Protestant Continental Europe)
The Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John of the Hospital at Jerusalem , or simply the Order of Saint John , is the German Protestant branch of the Knights Hospitaller, the oldest chivalric order, which generally is considered to have...
, which is the German Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
branch of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
. The third line held several generations of high-ranking officers who achieved honours for their military merits.
In today’s society the name has all but vanished; less than fifteen bearers of the name survive to this day.
Significant and famous family members
- Alexander Baron Karl Friedrich von Görschen (1738–1818) was lieutenant General in the k.u.k.armyAustro-Hungarian ArmyThe Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
of Austria-HungaryAustria-HungaryAustria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
and commandant of the 52nd infantry Regiment of Archduke Anton Victor of AustriaArchduke Anton Victor of AustriaAnton Victor, Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia was an Archduke of Austria and a Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He was also briefly the last Archbishop-Elector of Cologne and Prince-Bishop of Münster, before those territories were secularized in 1803.Anton Victor was the son of Leopold II, Holy...
(1779–1835). He was a successful commander during the War of the First CoalitionFirst CoalitionThe War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
in the region of Piemont 1797 and also during the War of the Second CoalitionWar of the Second CoalitionThe "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...
around Taufers (South Tyrol) and SuschSuschSusch is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.The Flüela Pass connects Susch with Davos.-Demographics:Susch has a population of ....
(Engadin) in 1799 against Napoleon Bonaparte’s army. - Karl Heinrich von Görschen (1784–1860), Privy councillor of the Aachen government
- Otto Friedrich Ferdinand von GörschenOtto Friedrich Ferdinand von GörschenOtto Friedrich Ferdinand von Görschen was a Royal Prussian lieutenant colonel and highly decorated war hero of the 19th century.- Military career and merits :...
(1827–1875), Royal Prussian lieutenant colonel and highly decorated war hero; instrumental in the Second Schleswig War in 1864. - Robert Oskar Julius von GörschenRobert Oskar Julius von GörschenRobert Oskar Julius von Görschen was one of the Aachen region’s most successful business lawyers, and an initiator of many social and cultural institutions....
(1829–1914), Successful businessman and lawyer; initiator of many social and cultural institutions; was decorated with several medals by German authorities. - Robert Walter Richard Ernst von GörschenRobert Walter Richard Ernst von GörschenRobert Walter Richard Ernst von Görschen was a member of the Prussian Upper Governing Council and government Vice-President.- Career :...
(1864–1936), Governmental Vice-President and Upper Governing Councillor in Aachen; Knight of the Order of St. JohnOrder of St. John (Protestant Continental Europe)The Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John of the Hospital at Jerusalem , or simply the Order of Saint John , is the German Protestant branch of the Knights Hospitaller, the oldest chivalric order, which generally is considered to have...
. - Bruno Hans Otto Friedrich von Görschen (1865–1936), Legal Aachen and Munich Fire Insurance Company; Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Aachen ReinsuranceReinsuranceReinsurance is insurance that is purchased by an insurance company from another insurance company as a means of risk management...
Company; Knight of the Order of Saint John. - Hans Wolf von Görschen (1894–1945), Banker and businessman in CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, honorary senator of the University of Greifswald; Knight of the Order of Saint John; appointed as a resistance fighter in the Kreisau CircleKreisau CircleThe Kreisau Circle was the name the Nazi Gestapo gave to a group of German dissidents centered on the Kreisau estate of Helmuth James Graf von Moltke. The Kreisauer Kreis is celebrated as one of the instances of German opposition to the Nazi regime...
; arrested in December 1944 and executed by the GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in April 1945. (Hans Wolf von Görschen in the National Archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=8717720&CATLN=6&accessmethod=5)
Sources
- Almanach de GothaAlmanach de GothaThe Almanach de Gotha was a respected directory of Europe's highest nobility and royalty. First published in 1763 by C.W. Ettinger in Gotha at the ducal court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, it was regarded as an authority in the classification of monarchies, princely and ducal...
, Jhrg. 26, 1926, Publisher Justus PerthesJustus PerthesJustus Perthes Publishers in Gotha, Germany was established in 1785. Justus Perthes was Publisher of geographic atlases, ‘’Petermann’s Geographische Mitteilungen’’ and also the Almanach de Gotha,... - Master table of the family von Görschen
- Archive documents Hans-Thorald MichaelisHans-Thorald MichaelisHans-Thorald Michaelis was a German historian, germanist and genealogist- Life and career :...