MONTFORT

The Counts of Montfort were a noble family based at the Swiss border ancestral castle at Montfort Götzis in Vorarlberg. With their rulership of Feldkirch (until 1390), Bregenz (until 1523) and Tettnang (until 1779), they influenced the territorial development of Eastern Switzerland and Vorarlberg.

The first appearance of a Count of Montfort is Pfalzgraf Hugo of Tübingen († 1182). With his wife Elizabeth, he inherited the property of the Counts of Bregenz. This legacy went upon Hugo's death to his second son, Hugo I. († 1228), who in about the year 1200 was styled "Hugo von Montfort". His property consisted of the counties of Churrätien, Tettnang, Bregenz, Feldkirch, Sonnenberg, Werdenberg and Sargans.

After the death of Hugo I. the family properties split. As a result, the descendants of his older sons, Rudolf I were now counts of Werdenberg.

The family Montfort was until the 18th century among the most important high nobility inthe Lake Constance region. In many places, such as Feldkirch, or Bregenz Langenargen one finds evidence of the Montfort counts. The county of Tettnang Bregenz was sold to Austria in 1780 because of high debt, caused by the construction in the Baroque with numerous castles among other thingsa. The hereditary line died out with the 1787 death of the last male descendent, Count Anton IV.

In 1810 a part of the old county of Montfort, Langenargen and Tettnang, were exchanged with Württemberg after the Napoleonic rearrangements at Bayern. After the fall of Napoleon and the dissolution of the Kingdom of Westphalia, King Frederick I of Württemberg gave his daughter Catherine and her husband Jérôme Bonaparte the title of Prince and Princess of Montfort. They were never there, living instead mainly in Trieste.

Prominent personalities from the house of Montfort included spiritual men, especially the abbot of St. Gallen and the William I Churer or Bishop Rudolf III of Constance. This magnified their power potential in the service of the family. The reforms of Rudolf III, importantly dealing with legal and financial sectors in the diocese of Constance were carried out with success.

 

Counts of Montfort

* Hugo I. von Montfort (Gründungsvater der Grafen von Montfort † 1228)
* Heinrich III. von Montfort († 1272; Bischof von Chur; Dominikaner)
* Ulrich I. von Montfort (Graf von Montfort-Bregenz; † 1287)
* Friedrich von Montfort (Bischof von Chur; † 1290)
* Friedrich von Montfort (Domherr in Chur; † im 13. Jahrhundert)
* Rudolf I. von Montfort († im 13. Jahrhundert)
* Hugo II. von Montfort († im 13. Jahrhundert)
* Rudolf II. von Montfort (Graf von Montfort-Feldkirch; † 1302)
* Heinrich von Montfort (Dompropst in Chur; † 1307)
* Hugo III. von Montfort (Graf von Montfort-Tettnang; † 1309)
* Hugo IV. von Montfort (Graf von Montfort-Feldkirch; † 1310)
* Rudolf III. von Montfort (Bischof von Chur und Konstanz; Graf von Montfort; * um 1260; † 1334)
* Hugo V. von Montfort († 1338)
* Ulrich II. von Montfort (Graf Montfort-Feldkirch; * 1263?; † 1350); starb kinderlos
* Wilhelm II. von Montfort († 1354)
* Ulrich III. von Montfort (Graf von Montfort († 1367); 8 Giovanna di Carrara; starb kinderlos
* Wilhelm III. von Montfort († 1378 oder 1373)
* Rudolf IV. von Montfort (Graf von Montfort-Feldkirch; † 1375 oder 1379)
* Konrad von Montfort († 1399)
* Wilhelm VII. von Montfort († 1422)
* Hugo VIII. von Montfort (Dichter; Staatsmann; 1357–1423)


* Rudolf VI. von Montfort († 1425)
* Wilhelm V. von Montfort († 1439) * Hugo XIV. von Montfort (Johanniter; † 1444)
* Heinrich VI. von Montfort († 1444)
* Rudolf VII. von Montfort († 1445)
* Wilhelm VIII. von Montfort († 1483)
* Hugo XIII. von Montfort († 1491)
* Ulrich V. von Montfort († 1495)
* Hugo XV. von Montfort († 1519)
* Ulrich VII. von Montfort († 1520)
* Johann I. von Montfort († 1529)
* Hugo XVII. von Montfort († 1536)
* Georg III. von Montfort († 1544)
* Sibylle von Montfort-Rothenfels († 1551); Fürstäbtissin von Essen
* Hugo XVI. von Montfort († 1564)
* Ulrich IV. von Montfort (Diplomat; † 1574)
* Ulrich VI. von Montfort (* um 1530; † 1574)
* Georg IV. von Montfort († 1590)
* Johann III. von Montfort (1576-1619)
* Johann VI. von Montfort, (1557-1619; Reichskammergerichtspräsident)
* Hugo XVIII. von Montfort († 1662)
* Johann VIII. von Montfort († 1686)
* Anton III. von Montfort († 1733)
* Ernst von Montfort († 1755)
* Johann Nepomuk von Montfort († 1775, Domherr zu Köln und zu Konstanz)
* Franz Xaver von Montfort († 1780)
* Anton IV. von Montfort († 1787)

Key identification notes: Montfort's arms are very distinctive and appear prominently on almost all of its coins.

2 Kreuzers:

Kreuzers: