House of Dahn

Dahn, also Tan, Tann or Thann, is the surname of a noble family from the Palatinate region of Germany.

The name , Tan, Tann or Thann often occurs in these variations as a surname. For example, there is also a Franconian aristocratic family, the von Tanns. The person who is often named in the literature as the progenitor of the lords of Dahn, Anshelmus de Tannicka, is clearly not connected to the Palatine Dahns, but just bore a similar name.

It is probable that the Dahns who resided in the southern Palatinate Forest had not migrated there from elsewhere, but were a long-established family. They appear several times in late 12th century records as imperial ministeriales, but later acted more often as ministeriales for the bishops of Speyer. A ministerialis was someone appointed to work for an important clerical or secular lord. They were originally unfree knights who were used by their masters to manage their estates. Some of them made careers in the management and administration for their masters and rose in social standing, leaving their former unfree status behind them. An old fief of the Dahns was mentioned in 1285, which the family was granted by the Bishopric of Speyer in Hinterweidenthal, near the town of Dahn and which came from the imperial abbey of Hornbach. It is therefore quite possible that the southwest Palatine or Wasgau Dahns originally came from the retinue of the abbey at Hornbach. This connexion may be the reason that the Dahns were initially employed as imperial ministeriales and then increasingly as ministeriales to the bishop.

To begin with, the family seat of the Dahns was probably Altdahn Castle. The first record of a castle seat on 3 May 1285, however, relates to Neudahn Castle (also enfeoffed by Speyer), as is evident from a list of the estates. The three castles at Dahn, especially Altdahn and Tanstein must have been older than that, however. Until 1327, all the castles on the ridge above Dahn were referred to as "Than Castle" (Burg Than); only later were they given separate names. Occasionally even Tanstein was referred to as Old Than (Alt-Than). In 1288, four knights of Dahn at the burg zu tan were mentioned in a deed: Conrad III Mursel, John I, Henry IV Sumer and Conrad IV of Dahn. The amount of space they needed must have been considerable, which is why all five castle rocks were built on; Altdahn and Tanstein probably being the oldest elements, hence why there are fewere references to them.

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