| Betha | |
| Other Names: | Bethe |
| Type: | Noble family |
| Coat Of Arms: | Écu des Barons de Betha.png |
| Parent Family: | House of Anjou (agnatic) House of Brienne (enatic) |
| Country: | |
| Etymology: | from the Lordship of Bethsan-Bethanie |
| Origin: | Pomerania, and the Crusader States |
| Founded: | 1332 |
| Founder: | Louis de Béthanie of Naples |
| Titles: |
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| Heirlooms: | Anjou Bible (lost) |
| Estate: | Château de Krobnitz Markendorf Conitz |
The House of Betha or Bethe is a cadet branch of the Anjou, and thus descendants of the House of France. In order to avoid persecution by other successors, the Bethas resettled in Pomerelia near Anjou-ruled Poland during the late 14th century, and later were classified as Uradel.
Louis de Bétha (German: Ludwig von Bethe) was believed to be the son of Robert the Wise and Marguerite of Brienne. Her family claimed rulership of the crusader fiefs of Bessan and Bethany. These lordships were inherited from the House of Béthune, leading the Bétha arms to be differenced by 3 fleur de lis to signify their French royal lineage.
The House of Anjou at this time had vast possessions, stretching from Naples to the borders of Poland. After the death of King Robert, the family dealt with many internal quarrels due to opposing claimants and extramarital offspring.
During adolescence, the Prince Louis followed his father's advisor and possible relative Nicholas of Alife and fled Naples ruled by Queen Joanna for the court of his elder cousin, Louis I of Hungary. After Louis arrived at the kingdom's border in Prussia, the family solidified ties by marrying established noble families such as the Nostitz.
The next notable person to hold the name was Caspar von Bethe, a knight of the Teutonic Order who led the Polish-Teutonic wars.[1] After the conquest, he was granted lordship of Conitz for his service. In later centuries, his descendants in Austria and Brandenburg-Prussia went on to establish a noble lineage, entitled as Freiherr and Ritter von Bethe in the Prussian and Austrian nobility.[2]
The elder branch additionally later bore the style Erlaucht ("Illustrious Highness") with the title of Prince de Bétha. This is signified in the full achievement due to the Neapolitan crown along with the chief of Principato Ultra being included in the original arms.[3] Another cadet branch of the family remained in Austria-Hungary,[4] losing their title and legal status after the First World War. Most remaining members in Central Europe descend from the Prussian and Hungarian cadet branches respectively, along with the senior branch residing in the United States.