Keyserlingk

Keyserlingk is an old noble family from Westphalia. It is first mentioned with Hermann Keselinch on 16 November 1300. The direct line began with Albert Keserlink (mentioned 1443–1467), mayor at Herford.

In 1492 his son Hermann von Keyserlingk fought in Livland for the Teutonic Order. For this Wolter von Plettenberg gave him fiefs in Courland. In Prussia, tsarist Russia and the Electorate of Saxony his descendants worked for the state and in 18th century four of them gained the title of Graf. From this 4 Graf-lines 2 still exist. It was Count Carl Keyserlingk who was responsible for inviting Rudolf Steiner to his estate in Koberwitz (Kobierzyce) in 1924 to present the Agriculture Course which led to the founding of the biodynamic agriculture. There is also a Freiherr-line. There are a number of interesting articles on Keyserling(k) as well as an extensive bibliography on the family website.

Count Hermann Carl von Keyserlingk (1696–1764), a Russian ambassador to Saxony, helped Johann Sebastian Bach to get the title Court composer to the King of Poland and the Elector of Saxony, received from Frederick Augustus I of Saxony in 1733.

After 1945 all property in the Baltics and East Prussia had to be abandoned. Since then around 1700 descendants live all over the world, mainly in Germany, United States, Canada and Australia.

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