Kotzebue (noble family)

Kotzebue[lower-alpha 1] was a Baltic German noble family of Brandenburgish origin, tracing its origin back to Kossebau in Altmark. They held nobility status in the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Coat of arms of the untitled Kotzebue family of 1786, in the Baltic Coat of arms book by Carl Arvid von Klingspor in 1882.[1]
Coat of arms of the comital Kotzebue family of 1876, in the Baltic Coat of arms book by Carl Arvid von Klingspor in 1882.[1]

History
The grave of August von Kotzebue as in 2006.
A plague about August von Kotzebue in his residence in Mannheim.

The Kotzebue family was known around and mentioned as early as 1375. The first members of the family to appear was Henning Kossebu, a diplomat in Stendal and Arnd Cassebu, a councilor in Salzwedel.[2] The first ancestor of the modern family was Jakob Kotzebue (died 1597), a citizen and council treasurer in Magdeburg. His son Johann (1591–1629) was a Lutheran theologian, rector in Quedlinburg and minister in St. Jakob's church in Magdeburg. Johann's son of the same name, was also a Lutheran theologian and an abbot in the Loccum Abbey.

The most famous and prominent member of the family was the world famous playwright, writer and librettist August von Kotzebue, renowned for his drama works that involved around politic that got attentions from all around over world including famous composers and writers such as Beethoven and Goethe. Such that he was ennobled into Russian nobility in 1786. However, he also made a lot of enemies which made him a much hated man in the eyes of many Germans, whom all seen him as a reactionary and spy. He was murdered by Karl Ludwig Sand in 1819, his murder allowed Prince von Metternich to issue the Carlsbad Decrees that imposed political restrictions in universities all over Germany.

Almost all descendants of August von Kotzebue entered Russian service since he worked as a consul general in Russia and Germany. Some entered military service, including the famous explorer Otto von Kotzebue, others included Moritz and Paul Demetrius von Kotzebue, who was granted Russian comital title in 1876. In 1878, Paul Demetrius's daughter Countess Alexandrine Mathilde was married to Theodor Kotzebue-Pilar von Pilchau, because Paul Demetrius did not have any male descendant, he chose Pilar von Pilchau to inherit the primogeniture, thus creating the joint family of Graf Kotzebue-Pilar von Pilchau.[3]

Many others also became diplomats or painters, which included Alexander von Kotzebue, whose son Wilhelm was incorporated into Bavarian nobility in 1906.

Genealogie
  • Portrait of August von Kotzbue in Weimar, c. 1802.
  • Portrait of Otto von Koztebue, c. 1830.
  • Paul Demetrius von Koztebue, from the "Portraits of persons distinguished by their merits and commanding active units in the war of 1853-1856.", c. 1860.
  • Alexander von Kotzebue, 1857.
  • Wilhelm von Kotzebue, from the National Archives of Estonia, c. 1870.

Born before August von Kotzebue
  • Jakob Kotzebue (died 1597), council treasurer in Stendal.
    • Johann Kotzebue (1591–1629), Lutheran theologian, rector in Quedlinburg and minister in St. Jakob's Church in Magdeburg.
      • Johann Kotzebue (1616–1677), Lutheran theologian, abbot in the Loccum Abbey.
        • Georg Carl Kotzebue (1668–1730), abbot in the Bursfelde Abbey from 1700 until his death in 1730.
      • Jakob Franz Kotzebue (1621–1685), physician, personal doctor in Sweden.

Descendants of August von Kotzebue[4]

August von Kotzebue married three times and had a total of 18 children, of whom 1 son and 3 daughters died during childhood.

First in 1785, he married Friederike Julie Dorothea von Essen, the daughter of the commandant of the Reval Castle Lieutenant-General Reinhold Wilhelm von Essen and his wife Baroness Anna Eleonora von von Saß. They had 4 children together:

After Essen's death in 1790, Kotzebue's second marriage was with Christine Gertrude von Krusenstern, daughter of Karl Adolf von Krusenstiern and Anna Magdalena von Brümmer the cousin of the famous explorer Adam Johann von Krusenstern, they had children together:

In 1805, August von Kotzebue was married the third time to Wilhelmine Friederike von Krusenstiern after his second wife's death in 1804, Krusenstiern was the daughter of officer Otto Wilhelm von Krusenstiern and Friederike Marie Ulrich, she was another cousin of Adam Johann von Krusenstern, she and Kotzebue had 8 children, of whom 2 died during childhood:

Properties
  • The Meks Manor in 2012.
  • The Kirna Manor in 2011.
  • The Orrenhof Manor during the 1930s, now destroyed.

The Kotzebues were not as big landowners as other Baltic families did like the Wrangels and the Rennenkampffs, but they did own several manor house in the Baltics, mostly located in Governorate of Estonia:[3]

  • Kau Manor (Kõue)
  • Kirna Manor (Kernu)
  • Meks Manor (Ravila)
  • Schwarzen Manor (Vardi)
  • Orrenhof Manor (Oru)
  • Parkhof Manor (Pargi)
  • Pallfer Manor (Palvere)

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the untitled Kotzebue family of 1786 according to the Genealogical Handbook of the Baltic Knighthoods, Part Estonia by Baron Otto Magnus von Stackelberg:

The shield showed 3 roses. Crest: over the crown a white-bearded monk standing in a brown robe, holding a scourge in his raised right hand. Mantling: blue-silver.[3]

Notes
  1. The earlier spellings varies included Kossebu, Cassebu, Kotzebw and Kotzebuw.[2] While the Russian spelling is Коцебу́, which is transliterated as Kotsebú.

Reference
  1. Klingspor 1882, p. 58.
  2. Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst 1982, pp. 666.
  3. Stackelberg 1930, pp. 148.
  4. Stackelberg 1930, pp. 149.

Sources
  • Stackelberg, Otto Magnus (1930). "Genealogische Handbuch der baltischen Ritterschaften, Teil Estland, Band I, seite 147–154 (Genealogical Handbook of the Baltic Knighthood, Part Estonia, Band III, page 147-154)". personen.digitale-sammlungen.de. Starke Verlag, Görlitz.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, Franz Josef (1982). "Genealogisches Handbuch des in Bayern immatrikulierten Adels, Band XIV, seite 666 (Genealogical handbook of the nobility enrolled in Bavaria, Band XIV, page 666)". Starke Verlag, Görlitz. Missing or empty |url= (help)CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Klingspor, Carl Arvid (1882). "Baltisches Wappenbuch Wappen sämmtlicher, den Ritterschaften von Livland, Estland, Kurland und Oesel zugehörigen Adelsgeschlechter, seite 87 und 164 (The coat of arms of the coat of arms is the coat of arms belonging to the knighthoods of Livonia, Estonia, Courland and Oesel, page 87 and 164)". personen.digitale-sammlungen.de. Stockholm.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Deutschbaltisches Biographisches Lexikon, seite 409–411 (Baltic German Biographical Dictionary, page 409-411)". bbld.de. Buchhandlung v. Hirschheydt, Wedemark. 1998.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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