Falke family

Falke coat of Arms
Falcken Pommern Greifenhaus
Falken and Falkenreck Coat of Arms
(von) Reck] family

Falke[1] is an ancient German noble family (Uradel). The name is also spelled Falcken, Falken, Falkenreck, also Falken-Reck.[2]

History

Originally from Hesse, they are direct male-line descendants of the Reginarids and therefore one of the oldest still existing noble families in Europe. They carried the titles Knight, Lord, Count and Freiherr of different dominium plenum and dominium directum. This noble family thrived in the Middle Ages between 1300-1600 and had branches in Hessen, Saxony, Pommern and Westphalia (County Mark and Fbd. Münster). The coat of arms this family used in Hessen and Thüringen

Ancient Nobility Falcken Family

is different from the branch who was ruling parts of Saxony and Pommern and Westphalia. The latter used a Griffin which was derived from the coat of arms of the "Greifenhaus" in Pommern. The griffin coat of arms still refers to the coat of arms used in Hessen and Thuringia by using the same horns and red and white colours in the horns. This Falcken family, whose patriarch is “Knight” Heyso Falcken, (mentioned in 1359) is a bastard son [3] of the House of Hesse (they are descendants from the House of Reginar). The territory of the Falke/Falcken/Falken expanded between 1359 and 1557 from the Middle of Germany to the East. From the East to the North-East and eventually to the West of Germany in County Mark and Fbd. Münster. This is where one branch of the Falken family merges with the noble family von Reck Recke (Adelsgeschlecht). The merging of these two Nobility names had to be approved by the Monarch in the 16th century in the Holy Roman Empire.

First 16th century inscription of the merged catholic noble names Falcken and Reck, approved by Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire
Ancient spelling of name - FalckenReck - still used in 1934

There is a small number of German noble families that do not carry “von”. These are the "Uradel" (e.g. Haus Reuß).

The branch in Saxony merges in Westphalia with the Catholic branch of the powerful von Reck family.[4] This happens after Christoffel Falcken sells his castle in Triestewitz to the House of Saxony in order to leave the converted Lutheran Kingdom and move to West Germany to protect the Catholic Fbd. Münster on behalf of Charles V, who he advised together with the ancient noble family von Carlowitz, Christoph von Carlowitz. The Fal(c)ken "uradliger" family protects Fbd.Münster together with the Catholic branch of the von Reck (also von der Recke) family and together with the family von Raesfeld at the time when Bernhard von Raesfeld becomes the Regent of Münster (Fürstbischof of Münster in 1557). After the Holy Roman Empire lost power in Germany, the Fal(c)ken/Falkenreck noble family were not allowed to hold a governing position as long as they remained Catholic.

old seal ring of a family member of the noble Uradel family Fal(c)kenreck

The Falcken noble family (Uradlig) collaborated closely with:

  • House of Hesse
  • House of Wettin: the Falcken (Liborius and Mathis) were also based in Kliczschen, Triestewitz and Droferen in 1424, to protect the border of Saxony and Meissen and to take the lead in the Hussite Wars [5]
  • House of Griffins[6]

“Ritter” Heyso (and Konrad) founded the Falken in 29 Sept 1385.

Notable figures:

  • Heyso Falcken (1335–1393), Knight (Ritter) Falken (Ritterbund) at the Normannstein castle and at Burgruine Haineck.
  • Heinrich Falcken (1379–1428), Lord of Falken
  • Mathis Falcken (1406-1485), Count of East Saxony
  • Christoffel Falcken (1495-1578), Count of East Saxony and Advisor to Charles V and Moritz of Saxony (Räte der sächsischen Herzöge und Kurfürsten)[7] at Castle Triestewitz
  • Johann Falcken, Prime Minister of Pommern 1548-? (Pommerischen Kanzler) during the reign of Barnim XI, Duke of Pomerania
  • Johann Reinhard Falken (1530-1585), Lord of Treffurt (including Falken) [8]
  • Clemens Falcken, (Thür-Sachsischer Jägermeister & Amts Hauptmann 1580) at Moritzburg Castle
  • Anna Christine Falcken (1560-1602), married to Philipp Wilhelm von Hessen Kassel Herr von Cornberg Philipp Wilhelm von Cornberg
  • Elisabeth Fal(c)ken (?-1631), married to Johann Graf von Götzen Freiherr von Samplebem und Lawingen, Generalfeldmarschall Holy Roman Empire Johann von Götzen, [9]
  • Friederike Charlotte von Falcke(n) (* 26. Oktober 1715; † 6. Januar 1762), married to Carl Magnus von Schwerin
  • Johann Heinrich Falkenreck (1793-1838), Officer at Battle of Waterloo
  • Maurits Roland Falkenreck, advisor to the European Commission on the Digital Agenda (2010) [10] Also writer of the book: "An entrepreneurial answer to the decline of the Dutch welfare state."

References

  1. ↑ Falke , "Falke".
  2. ↑ Falken-Reck
  3. ↑ bastard son .
  4. ↑ "Wappenbuch der preussischen Monarchie" [Coat of Arms of the Prussian Monarchy]. dokumentyslaska.pl (in German). Wiesław Długosz. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  5. ↑ Lehnbrief Cristoffel Falcken "Voliant 5b – Kurfürst Moritz .- Lehnbuch E Blatt 1'
  6. ↑ Johann Falcken in Westphalen West Germany Pommerischen Kanzler Des Heil. Rom. Reichs Genealogisch-Historisches Adels-Lexicon, page 516.
  7. ↑ Lehnbrief Cristoffel Falcken "Voliant 5b – Kurfürst Moritz .- Lehnbuch E Blatt 1'
  8. ↑ Johann Reinhard Falken
  9. ↑ Elisabeth v. Falken
  10. ↑ Maurits v. Falkenreck
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