Kotzau

Kotzau, also known as the House of Kotzau, was a minor German noble family whose name originated from the village of Kotzau, now Oberkotzau, in the Hof district of Upper Franconia. The family belonged to the regional aristocracy of Franconia and maintained connections with several other noble houses, including the Houses of Guttenberg, Sparneck, and Zedtwitz. Its members appear in the political, military, and ecclesiastical history of the region from the late medieval period through the early modern era. The family is associated with several religious figures. Members served as abbesses in the abbeys of Himmelkron and Hof, reflecting the role that noble families played in supplying leadership to regional religious institutions. The family also produced military and administrative figures. Hans von Kotzau fought against the Hussites at Wunsiedel in 1430. During the Second Margrave War, Georg Wolf von Kotzau initially served among the followers of Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, but later changed allegiance and supported Henry IV, Burgrave of Plauen. When the town of Hof was besieged and captured in 1553, Georg Wolf was appointed governor, giving the family a significant, if temporary, role in local administration. A separate noble line was later created under the name Freiherren of Kotzau by the House of Hohenzollern. This dynasty was not genealogically related to the earlier knightly Kotzau family. The title arose from the morganatic marriage of Georg Albrecht, a son of Georg Albrecht, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach. His wife, Regina Magdalena Lutz, and their descendants received the title and were granted a castle and land at Oberkotzau. This later line therefore shared the Kotzau name and territorial association but represented a distinct dynastic creation. The original knightly family ended when its last knight died in a duel in 1661. The later Freiherren line continued for several centuries before becoming extinct in 1976. Kotzau is consequently best understood as a historical noble house rather than a modern commercial brand, corporation, or consumer-facing name. Its historical significance is local and regional, centered on Oberkotzau, Hof, Franconia, and the political relationships among neighboring noble families and territorial rulers.

The House of Kotzau was a minor noble family of Franconia that took its name from Kotzau, the settlement now called Oberkotzau in the Hof district of Upper Franconia, Germany. The family formed part of the local knightly and landed aristocracy and was connected by marriage and kinship to the Houses of Guttenberg, Sparneck, and Zedtwitz. The family had both military and ecclesiastical associations. Members served as abbesses in the abbeys of Himmelkron and Hof, institutions in which regional noble families commonly exercised influence. Hans von Kotzau is recorded as having fought against the Hussites at Wunsiedel in 1430. During the Second Margrave War, Georg Wolf von Kotzau was initially a knight in the fellowship of Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. He later turned against his prince and supported Henry IV, Burgrave of Plauen. In 1553, during the siege and capture of Hof, Georg Wolf was appointed governor of the town. This episode represents the most prominent recorded moment of the family’s involvement in the territorial conflicts of sixteenth-century Franconia. The name was subsequently used for a distinct baronial dynasty created by the House of Hohenzollern. Georg Albrecht, a son of Georg Albrecht, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach, entered into a morganatic marriage with Regina Magdalena Lutz. Her descendants received the title Freiherren of Kotzau and were granted a castle and lands at Oberkotzau. Although this later line bore the Kotzau name, it was not related to the earlier knightly family. The original knightly line ended with the death of its last knight in a duel in 1661. The later Freiherren line survived until 1976, when it also became extinct. The historical record therefore contains two distinct Kotzau lineages: the medieval and early modern knightly family associated with Oberkotzau, and the later Hohenzollern-created baronial dynasty that adopted the same territorial name.

• 1976

  Extinction of the Freiherren line

  [1]Kotzauen.wikipedia.org

  The later baronial line known as the Freiherren of Kotzau became extinct.

• 1661

  End of the original knightly line

  [1]Kotzauen.wikipedia.org

  The last knight of the original Kotzau family died in a duel, bringing that lineage to an end.

• 1553

  Georg Wolf von Kotzau becomes governor of Hof

  [1]Kotzauen.wikipedia.org

  After Hof was besieged and captured during the Second Margrave War, Georg Wolf von Kotzau was appointed governor of the town.

• 1430

  Hans von Kotzau fights at Wunsiedel

  [1]Kotzauen.wikipedia.org

  Hans von Kotzau is recorded as taking part in fighting against the Hussites at Wunsiedel.

Historical Franconian noble house; not a modern commercial brand.

1. 1Kotzauen.wikipedia.org