County of Steinfurt

The County of Steinfurt (Grafschaft Steinfurt), originally the Lordship of Steinfurt, was a historic territory of the Holy Roman Empire in the Munsterland. It existed from roughly 1100 until 1806.

History


The Lordship of Steinfurt developed around Steinfurt Castle, first mentioned in 1129 but destroyed in feuds several times over the centuries. The name was originally ‘Stenvorde,’ referencing a stone ford on the nearby river Aa. In 1357, the lords of Steinfurt became immediate Imperial Counts when they acquired the County of Laer. Still, in 1396, they had to recognize the Prince-Bishop of Munster as the sovereign over Steinfurt.

The House of Bentheim came into possession of the Lordship of Steinfurt through marriage in 1421. In 1454, the various Bentheim lands were separated, with Count Arnold I zu Bentheim-Steinfurt taking the Lordship of Steinfurt. In 1495, Steinfurt was raised to the status of an immediate Imperial County by Maximilian I, removing Munster as overlord. Like the County of Bentheim, Steinfurt belonged to the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle.

In 1544, Count Arnold II converted the county to Lutheranism, introducing the Augsburg Confession. Three years later, Munster questioned Steinfurt's imperial immediacy in the Imperial Chamber Court; the case would take hundreds of years. Count Arnold IV invited Lutheran preachers to his lands, including Steinfurt, to help correctly convert the people to Protestantism. He established an academy in Steinfurt for teaching theology, law, philosophy, and medicine in 1590. In 1606, he died, leading to another splitting of the Bentheim lands.

In 1660, Munster invaded again, taking control of Steinfurt. In 1688, Count Ernst Wilhelm converted back to Catholicism and expelled the Protestant preachers. This status lasted until 1701, when his son, also named Count Ernst, converted back to Lutheranism.

In 1806, with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the county was absorbed by the Grand Duchy of Berg over the protestations of the Bentheim-Steinfurt family, then led by Count Louis William Geldricus Ernest. In 1810, the county became part of France, although they were driven out by the Prussians following the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. In 1815, following the Congress of Vienna, Steinfurt became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Count Louis and his descendants were recognised as mediatised princes.

Today, it is part of North Rhine-Westphalia. The castle itself is still owned by the princes of Bentheim-Steinfurt.

Counts of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1454–1806)

 * Arnold I (1454–1466)
 * Eberwin II (1466–1498)
 * Arnold II (1498–1544)
 * Eberwin III (1544–1562)
 * Arnold III (1562–1606)
 * Anna of Tecklenburg (1562–1577) (regent)
 * Arnold Jobst (1606–1643) with
 * William Henry (1606–1632) and
 * Frederick Ludolph (1606–1629) and
 * Conrad Gumbert (1606–1618)
 * Ernest William (1643–1693)
 * Ernest (1693–1713)
 * Charles Frederick (1713–1733)
 * Charles Paul Ernest (1733–1780)
 * Louis William (1780–1806) raised to Prince in 1817

(Mediatised) Princes of Bentheim and Steinfurt (1866–)

 * Louis William, 1st prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1817)
 * Alexius Frederick, 2nd prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1817-1866)
 * Louis William, 3rd prince of Bentheim Steinfurt (1866-1890)
 * Alexis, 4th prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1890-1919)
 * Viktor Adolf, 5th prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1919-1961)
 * Christian, 6th prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1961-