House of Metternich

The House of Metternich was a German noble house originating in Rhineland. The most prominent member of the House of Metternich was Klemens von Metternich, who was the dominant figure at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815).

The House of Metternich originated as a cadet branch of the rulers of Hemmerich (which today is a district of Bornheim, near Bonn). The head of the family rose to have the position of hereditary chamberlain of the Archbishop of Cologne. This branch of the family drew its name from the village of Metternich in Weilerswist beginning in the 13th century.

By the 16th century, the family had seven distinct branches:

Dieter von Metternich acquired Zievel by marriage in 1494, and came to be ruler of Burscheid. His son, also named Dieter von Metternich (died 1600) styled himself Lord of Mersch and Esch-sur-Sûre. His grandson, Wolfgang Heinrich von Metternich (died 1699) acquired Dodenburg, Neckar, Steinbach, and Densborn. Wolfgang Heinrich von Metternich's brother Lothar Friedrich von Metternich-Burscheid was Archbishop of Mainz.

A second line of the family, founded by Johann Reinhard Freiherr von Metternich, came to rule Chursdorf. This branch of the family converted to the Protestant faith. Johann Reinhard Freiherr von Metternich's son Ernst von Metternich, made a Graf in 1697, was a soldier in the service of Frederick I of Prussia and a member of the privy council of Brandenburg-Prussia. Ernst von Metternich was involved in the diplomacy that saw Frederick I granted the title King in Prussia, in Prussia's acquisition of Neuchâtel, and in the negotiating of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Ernst von Metternich's brother was a member of the privy council of the Principality of Ansbach and in 1726 became Chancellor of Schwarzburg. He was also an author on questions of theosophy and alchemy.

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