Gemen
Territory of the Holy Roman Empire
The rule Gemen (also Gehmen ) was a small, imperial immediacy only since 1700 territory of the Holy Roman Empire, located in Westmünsterland. She was first in the possession of the Lords of Gemen before it passed to other owners.
Lords of Gemen
Originally there was a royal court in Gemen. This transferred Queen Matilda in the 10th century to the pin Nordhausen. Since 1092, the Lords of Gemen are occupied. These were based on the Gemen. Beset by the Bishopric of Münster they wore in 1250, the castle of the Duke of Cleves fief on. The noblemen were at times also stewards of the pen Vreden.
Under Henry III. started since 1370 the expansion of the country's sovereignty. This process was continued under his son John II. This was given as a pledge and the Vest Recklinghausen by the Archbishop of Cologne. This possession was lost again under Henry IV. He was by marriage the glory Wewelinghofen that brought his daughter and heiress Catherine to Count II Eberwin Bentheim Steinfurt († 1498). With him the family of noblemen died out.
Further development
Gemen came through the marriage of John IV († 1527) with Cordula von Gemen († 1528), a daughter and heiress of Henry IV, in 1492, the Counts of Schaumburg and Holstein - Pinneberg. The rule was Protestant in 1560. As Jobst Hermann unmarried died of Schaumburg in 1635, broke a succession dispute between the families of Holstein - Schaumburg ( Count Otto V ) and Limburg- Styrum to the rule Gemen, since 1591 Countess Maria, daughter of Otto IV of Holstein- Schaumburg had married and cousin of Henry V of Holstein - Schaumburg- Gemen, Count Jobst of Limburg- Styrum. Here, Agnes von Limburg- Styrum could enforce its mark, abbess of Elten pins, Vreden, Borg Horst and Freckenhorst. Her family now kept two centuries the rule Gemen. Agnes joined a short time later from their heritage to her nephew, Hermann Otto I of Limburg- Styrum. Its second son, Adolf Ernst occurred in 1644 at the Heritage in Gemen. After his marriage to Isabella, daughter of Field Marshal Earl Alexander II of Velen, he resided in Gemen and again tried unsuccessfully to introduce Catholicism.
Count Hermann Otto II of Limburg- Styrum succeeded in 1700, the enforcement of imperial immediacy. His son Otto Leopold Ernst von Limburg- Styrum came in 1733 to the rule Raesfeld.
The rule Gemen consisted of the castle of the same name and the location (now part of the city of Borken ) and two farming communities. It was in 1784 only 0.5 square miles.
After the recognition of imperial immediacy Gemen belonged to the Lower Rhenish - Westphalian Circle. The owners were members of the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Count College.
In 1801, the government fell, after the extinction of the Gemener line of the Counts of Limburg- Styrum, Alois of Boineburg - Bömelberg. July 12, 1806 lost control due to mediatization their imperial immediacy and fell under the provisions of the Act of Confederation of Frederick IV of Salm- Kyrburg and thus became a part of the Principality of Salm. December 13, 1810 was annexed the Principality of France, at the Congress of Vienna it was awarded Prussia. The territory of the former rule Gemen was from 1815 to 1920 based on a caste domination, which was sold in 1822 to the Counts von Landsberg - Velen, which today are still the owner of the castle.
List of Men of Gemen
- -1467: Lords of Gemen 1455-1458: John III. of Gemen ( is 1455 with Gemen fief ) and Henry IV of Gemen
- 1458-1467: Henry IV of Gemen ( ca.1420 *, † 1492), passes Gemen 1467 to his nephew Henry IV of Nassau- Beilstein
His cousin Otto V. von Holstein - Schaumburg- Gemen († 1640) is real heritage. After an inheritance dispute Agnes inherits from Limburg- Styrum which passes on the rule of Hermann Otto I of Limburg- Styrum (1592-1644)
- Baron Alois Sebastian of Bömelberg to Erolzheim
1806 falls the rich Gemen direct control by the provisions of the Act of Confederation to the Prince Frederick IV of Salm- Kyrburg, then in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna to Prussia.