Description
Information about the family history and the coat of arms
Family history
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Family history of Graf zu Stralesund
Family history of Graf zu Stralesund
The Counts of Stralesund
The Counts of Stralesund descend from an ancient Rügen-Pommerian knightly lineage that first appears in written records in the 13th century as lords of Plötz. Their ancestral seat was located south of the Strelasund, near present-day Devin, where they maintained a small fortification on the coastal road on behalf of the princes of Rügen. The name „to Stralesund“ did not appear until later, after the family became closely associated with the emerging Hanseatic city through trade, protective charters, and marriages.
Coat of arms It symbolized both their origins from the sea and their ancient patronage over fishing ports and saltworks on the coast.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the counts of Stralesund played an important role in the tension between the city of Stralsund, the Duchy of Pomerania, and the Principality of Rügen. Several family members appeared as voivodes, councilors, and leader of mercenaries. They were considered promoters of seafaring.
Towards the end of the 15th century, the decline began. The Hanse trade surpassed the income of the landed nobility, and the family gradually lost its fiefs to Stralsund patricians. With the death of Count Hinrik zu Stralesund in 1523, the lineage came to an end in the male line.
Coat of arms & Heraldry
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Family coat of arms Graf zu Stralesund
Heraldic description: In red, an upright, upward pointing silver arrowhead, topped by a silver cross.
The red Gothic shield bears a silver arrowhead pointing vertically upwards. Directly above it is a silver cross. A gilded frame with sapphire appliqués surrounds the shield.
Above the shield is a steel helmet with a silver crown. Expansive, deeply curved helm covers in crimson red and silver frame the composition. As a helmet ornament, a closed red arrow appears; on each of the two wings there is a silver arrowhead and above it the silver cross.
