| Native Name: | Herrschaft Frankenstein |
| Conventional Long Name: | Lordship of Franckenstein |
| Common Name: | Franckenstein |
| Era: | Late medieval |
| Status: | Lordship |
| Status Text: | State of the Holy Roman Empire |
| Empire: | Holy Roman Empire |
| Government Type: | Feudal Lordship |
| Year Start: | 13th century |
| Year End: | 1662 |
| Life Span: | 13th century—1662 |
| Capital: | Frankenstein Castle |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Common Languages: | Hessian |
| S1: | Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt |
The Lordship of Franckenstein was a historical territory in the northern Odenwald. It originated around 1230 from the possessions of the Breuberg, whose center was Frankenstein Castle. Konrad II of Breuberg and his wife Elisabeth of Weiterstadt called themselves Frankenstein after having build the castle henceforth. The dominion remained as condominium in the possession of the family until the year 1662. After the sale by the Frankensteis to Landgrave Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, it came into the possession of Hesse-Darmstadt.
See main article: article and House of Breuberg.
See main article: article and House of Franckenstein. Ludovic of Luetzelbach was the ancestor of the House of Frankenstein and is mentioned in documents for the first time in 1115.[1]
The latter's grandson Konrad I and his descendants built the eponymous Breuberg Castle around 1200 and subsequently called themselves Breuberg. Through the marriage of his son Eberhard I Reiz of Breuberg with Mechtild (Elisabeth?), one of the five heir daughters of the bailiff Gerlach II of Büdingen in 1239, the Lords of Breuberg could increase their power, property and interests into the Wetterau, where the Breubergs Arrois, Konrad, Gerlach and Eberhard III successively held the office of imperial bailiff of the Wetterau.
Konrad II Reiz of Breuberg -later Konrad I of Frankenstein- built the ancestral castle of the dynasty probably around 1240,[2] named himself after the castle from then on and thus became the founder of the Lordship of Frankenstein.
The domain of the Frankensteins included possessions in Nieder-Beerbach, Eberstadt, Ockstadt (with Ockstadt Castle) near Friedberg and the Hessisches Ried.Under Frankenstein overlordship (suzerain) were Eberstadt (today to Darmstadt), Nieder-Beerbach (today to Mühltal), Ober-Beerbach (today Seeheim-Jugenheim), Schmal-Beerbach (today to Lautertal), Stettbach today to Seeheim-Jugenheim), Allertshofen (today Modautal), Bobstadt, Ockstadt as well as parts of Weiterstadt.[3] In addition, the Frankensteins held further property and lordly rights as Burgraves in Zwingenberg (Schloss Auerbach), Darmstadt, Groß-Gerau (Dornberg Castle), Bensheim and finally Frankfurt am Main, which are still commemorated by Frankensteiner Place and Frankensteiner Street in the Sachsenhausen district.
The dominion in the northern Odenwald was with the beginning of documentary tradition in 1252[4] probably already formed. From the wording of the document "super castro in frangenstein" ("at the castle in Frankenstein"), however, it is clear that the castle was already built and used at that time. The exact time of origin is uncertain; conjectures go back to Frankish period.
In the course of the 14th century, the Frankenstein dynasty split into two lines. They then divided the castle according to a meticulously described castle contract of 1363. Nevertheless, constant legal disputes between the two lines were the result.[2]
Around the year 1400, the influence of the Frankensteins increased. The castle, which had become too small, was massively extended and modernised around the outer castle. In 1402, the castle, together with Nieder-Beerbach, became an Imperial estate.