Lords of Falkenstein (Freiburg)

The Lords of Falkenstein in the Höllental (German: Herren von Falkenstein im Höllental) already so-called in von Knobloch's Upper Baden Family Book (Oberbadischem Geschlechterbuch) of 1898 to 1919, had its main family seat at Falkenstein Castle on a steep hill spur where the narrow Höllental valley opened up into the broad Dreisam valley. The name Falkenstein was borne by many noble families; Kindler of Knobloch counted six in the Upper Baden region alone: "im Höllenthale", "auf dem Schwarzwalde", "zu Rimsingen", "am Bodensee", "im Buchsgau", "im Wasgau".

The Falkensteins, named after their castle above the Höllental, were closely related to, and probably descended from, the lords of Weiler, who had their centre of gravity in a predecessor building of today's Schloss Weiler in Stegen at the mouth of the Witten and Eschbach valleys in Dreisamtal. If one looks at the undated notes in the Rotulus Sanpetrinus, an index of goods belonging to the Abbey of St. Peter in the Black Forest, then a Reynard of Weiler was the first to name himself von Falkenstein after his new castle, Burg Reinhard, in 1152. Like the lords of Weiler, the Falkensteins were ministeriales of the dukes of Zähringen. The Reynard mentioned is accordingly called de domo ducis, "of the duke's retinue." The lords of Weiler had already advised the Zähringens on the choice of place for their family monastery of St. Peter in the Black Forest in 1093. They and the Falkensteins supported the Zähringens against the counts of Haigerloch, whose possessions included Wiesneck Castle and the vogtei east of Stegen enfeoffed by St. Märgen's Abbey founded before 1121.

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