Notes
The dissertation discusses the genealogy of the old Eastern Styrian noble family Herberstein. The family can be traced in sources from the end of the 13th century. Its founder Otto came from the Aflenz line. When he leased the Herberstein fort's Stubenberg fief in 1290, he named himself after Hartberg, and in 1320, he named himself after his Herberstein fort for the first time. He and his successors were vassals of the Lords of Stubenberg for two more centuries. Besides them, the Herbersteins later also served the Lords of Ptuj, the Archdiocese of Salzburg, and the dioceses in Seckau, Krka, and Bamberg. Their military services gradually brought them reputation, so that from the 15th century onwards they also began to serve provincial princes. With Friedrich III of Habsburg, they began to serve the emperor. Under the auspices of the Habsburgs they slowly took on important tasks and services in the provincial administration, the military, and diplomacy, which brought them not only greater reputation but also financial security, which was the foundation of their subsequent power. The Herbersteins remained loyal to the Habsburg family until the dissolution of the monarchy. In 1427, the family was divided by a hereditary contract between brothers Georg II and Andreas into two lines, the older and the younger. The two lines experienced different destinies. The members of the older one, which had been split by the start of the 17th century into the older and younger branch with brothers Bernardin II and Georg Andreas, functioned after the principle of primogeniture until the last quarter of the 17th century. In the older branch, the eldest (living) son inherited or enjoyed the parent estate with Herberstein castle, while in the younger branch the eldest (living) son later (since 1670) inherited or enjoyed the Grafenort estate in Silesia. The male line of the younger branch died out with the death of Johann Leopold Erdman (1659-1729), and the enjoyment of its fideicommissum was transferred to the older branch. As early as the 16th century, the younger line was split into numerous main and side branches, which were named after larger or smaller seigneuries, estates, castles, and manors where they (at first) lived. Some of these were later divided further, while all of them eventually (in the male line) died out. Only the older branch of the older line from Herberstein castle, which has been considerably branched since the 19th century, has been preserved from both lines.