The lords, imperial knights, counts, and imperial counts of Neipperg are an ancient noble family from northern Swabia. The Franconian-Swabian family of Neipperg, named after Neipperg Castle (Niberch) near Brackenheim in the district of Heilbronn since 1241, descends from Bertilo von Schwaigern, who was first mentioned in 1120. In 1302, the family acquired the Schwaigern estate in Kraichgau. Elevated to the rank of Imperial Counts in 1726, they attained imperial status in 1766 as personalists in the Swabian Imperial Counts' Bench, thereby joining the high nobility.
In addition to Klingenberg, acquired in 1407, the Counts of Neipperg owned the estates of Massenbachhausen, Adelshofen, and half or three-eighths of Gemmingen, which were acquired in 1737 and belonged to the Canton Kraichgau of the Swabian Knightly Circle. The Neipperg family's ancestral domain fell under the rule of Württemberg and Baden in 1802 and became part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg via Württemberg in 1951–1962. The main line of the Counts of Neipperg still resides today at Schwaigern Castle and manages agricultural and forestry businesses, as well as vineyards in Swabia and southern France.
The Neippergs served in Württemberg and the Palatinate for centuries, and from 1700 onwards, they held high administrative offices in the Austrian monarchy in the service of the Habsburg imperial family. The main line of the Neipperg family in Schwaigern, elevated to the rank of Imperial Count in 1726, gave rise to a branch that was elevated to the Austrian princely rank in 1864 as the Princes of Montenuovo. Overview of the history of the von Neipperg family
The family first appeared in the 13th century, descending from the noble lords of Schwaigern. The Neipperg family's ancestral seat, which gave them their name, was Neipperg Castle. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Neipperg family expanded their holdings through fiefdoms in Württemberg, the Palatinate, and Baden in the Zabergäu and Kraichgau regions. In 1431, they were granted the right of high justice, becoming directly subordinate to the emperor. Through skilful political manoeuvring with Württemberg and the Electoral Palatinate, the family successfully defended its influence and possessions, particularly against neighbouring Württemberg, which was developing into a territorial state. In the late 15th century, the family split into the Adelshofen line, which continued in the male line until 1708, and the Schwaigern line, which had its burial place in the town church of Schwaigern. The family implemented the Reformation in its territories and, from the late 16th century onwards, had its seat at Klingenberg Castle before Eberhard Friedrich von Neipperg (1655–1725) built Schwaigern Castle as the new seat.
Starting with Eberhard Friedrich von Neipperg, several generations of the family served the Habsburgs, where they converted back to Catholicism and attained high offices in the administration of the Habsburg imperial family. Eberhard Friedrich's son, Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg (1684–1774), was elevated to the rank of Imperial Count on 5 February 1726. The descendants of the union (morganatic marriage) between his grandson Adam Albert von Neipperg (1775–1829) and Marie-Louise of Austria, widow of French Emperor Napoleon I, formed the collateral branch of the Counts of Montenuovo, who were elevated to the Austrian princely rank in 1864 and continued in the male line until 1951. Most of the Neipperg family pursued military or diplomatic careers, unless they were exclusively concerned with the administration of their estates. The Neippergs' social rise is reflected in their marriages. Until the 17th century, spouses were predominantly from Kraichgau or southwestern German lower nobility families, after which there were numerous connections with spouses from the Württemberg and the House of Habsburg. The current head of the family, Karl-Eugen von Neipperg (born 1951), is married to Andrea von Habsburg, a daughter of Otto von Habsburg. Since the Second World War, the family has devoted itself primarily to winegrowing on its estates in the Zabergäu region and on vineyards acquired in France in the 1970s. Origin The origins and family ties of the Neipperg family are shrouded in mystery, dating back to the 11th century, but have been largely confirmed by readily accessible sources in Swabian archives. Historians have traced a connection between the Neipperg family and the Lords of Massenbach, the Lords of Richen, and the Lords of Schwaigern based on the Neipperg-specific personal names Reinbot and Waramund. A Reinbot appears in Schwaigern at the beginning of the 13th century, and in 1241, a Reinbot is mentioned in Neipperg (now a district of Brackenheim). A Waramund also appeared first in Schwaigern and then in Neipperg, suggesting that the family was a collateral line of the noble lords of Schwaigern, who then inherited the main line in the mid-13th century.
The fact that their coat of arms is identical to that of the Lords of Böckingen and the noble knights of Fürfeld suggests that they are related to the Neipperg family.
In the village of Neipperg, on the Heuchelberg, a southern foothill of the Heuchelberg, stands Neipperg Castle, which was initially designed as a fortified structure and later converted into a stately residence. It is considered the ancestral seat of the Neipperg family, from whom the village takes its name. From the 13th century onwards, the village of Neipperg developed as a hamlet surrounding the castle. The Neipperg family probably owned the castle as early as the 13th century. The oldest documented feudal lords are the brothers Wilhelm and Konrad von Neipperg, who were enfeoffed with the castle and surrounding estates by the Diocese of Würzburg in 1304–1306. In addition to the Neipperg family, other noble families also had possessions and rights to Neipperg Castle. In 1321, Engelhard von Weinsberg sold his share to the Counts of Württemberg, who around 1400 enfeoffed the Lords of Gemmingen with their share. Meiser, who also bore the name, was the owner of part of the castle for a time in the 14th century, which was repurchased in 1364 by Reinhard von Neipperg (died 1377), who also acquired the bailiwick in Schwaigern, previously granted to the lords of Hirschhorn. Expansion of rule in the 14th and 15th centuries Reinhard's son, Eberhard I von Neipperg (died 1406), was able to further increase his share of Neipperg Castle and also acquired several fiefdoms in Schwaigern that had previously been granted to various members of the family. While Reinhard was still closely tied to Württemberg as a representative on the council of the Württemberg Count Eberhard the Greiner, Eberhard I of Neipperg had been in the service of the Electorate of the Palatinate since at least 1383 and was the representative of King Ruprecht in 1401.
The sons and grandsons of Eberhard I von Neipperg received further feudal estates and rights in the 14th and 15th centuries, including half of Bönnigheim Castle in 1391, the castle and village of Klingenberg in 1412, a third of the tithe in Böckingen in 1419, the right of high justice in Schwaigern in 1431, and the village of Adelshofen in 1434. The considerable expansion of the family's holdings during those years was achieved primarily by rendering Eberhard I's son, Eberhard II. Eberhard II and his brother Reinhard II were also able to preserve the family's rights and claims against the rising territorial powers of Baden and Württemberg and against the growing cities. During this period, Schwaigern became one of the family's main residences, and members of the family belonged to the Society of the Donkey.
Eberhard II's son, Diether von Neipperg (died 1465), came under the protection of Count Palatine Friedrich in 1455, together with his uncle Reinhard II von Neipperg (died 1458), with his possessions in Schatthausen, Baiertal, Dielheim, Adelshofen, Massenbachhausen, Schwaigern, Neipperg, and Michelfeld. Reinhard II's sons, Wendel and Engelhard, further expanded relations with the Palatinate, while their brother Hans and two of their cousins sided with Württemberg. Wendel (died 1480) and Engelhard (died 1495) were knighted after the Battle of Seckenheim in 1462, in which they fought alongside Count Palatine Frederick. Engelhard was the castle governor in Heidelberg in 1460, marshal of Palatine Count Friedrich in 1472, and vicedom in Neustadt an der Haardt in 1476. He owned a quarter of the town of Bönnigheim, shares in Neipperg and Schwaigern, the entire village of Adelshofen, and a large number of other rights and properties. In 1478, he was involved in re-establishing the Society of the Donkey, which had been temporarily inactive under Frederick I, Palatine of the Rhine.
Because it was directly adjacent to Württemberg territory and because members of the Neipperg family, which at that time was largely subordinate to the Electoral Palatinate, also held fiefdoms in Württemberg, relations with the large neighbour were constantly tense. The Württemberg Landgraben, built by the Württembergers from 1473 onwards, divided the Neipperg territory.
After Engelhard von Neipperg died without children, his property passed to two sons of his cousin Diether: Eberhard IV and Wilhelm, who thus united the entire family estate, divided the inheritance in 1497, and founded the Adelshofen and Schwaigern lines. Adelshofen line
Eberhard IV von Neipperg (died 1506) was loyal to Württemberg. After his death, his sons Eberhard V (died 1534) and Diether (died 1541) achieved a renewed division of the inheritance with their cousin Georg Wilhelm (died 1520), so that the Adelshofen line owned the entire town of Adelshofen, which gave it its name, and half of Schwaigern. Although Eberhard V and Diether had fiefdoms in both Württemberg and Baden, they remained loyal to Württemberg. Diether's descendants were mainly active in Schwaigern. Georg (died 1557) was the parish priest in Schwaigern and later canon in Worms. Eberhard V's son, Ludwig von Neipperg (died 25 December 1570), introduced the Reformation in his territories in 1531. His image is preserved on an ornate tomb slab in Adelshofen, as is that of his granddaughter Anna Maria (died 5 December 1571), who died in childhood. Ludwig's cousins Hartmann (died 1571) and Hans (died 1591) ran the family business in Schwaigern together with their cousins from the Schwaigern line. After the death of Hans' sons in 1595–1602, their property passed to Ludwig's sons in Adelshofen: Reinhard (died around 1612) and Georg Wilhelm (died around 1606). Although the Adelshofen line had no significant external influence and was mainly concerned with the administration of its property, Georg Wilhelm's grandson Philipp Ludwig (died 1685) was elected director of the Kraichgau Knightly Canton in 1659. He and his children had close ties to the Württemberg court. With the violent death of his son Bernhard von Neipperg, the Adelshofen line died out in the male line in 1708. The manor house in Adelshofen had been destroyed in 1690. Although the main line of the Schwaigern family had a new moated castle built in Adelshofen in 1716, the complex was hardly used and quickly fell into disrepair, so that nothing remains of it today. Schwaigern line