Rainer zu Rain

Rainer zu Rain was an old noble family of Lower Bavaria, also recorded under forms such as von Rain, Rainer, and von Rain zu Sommeregg. The family was associated with Rain and belonged to the lower nobility, although contemporary classifications regarded it as tournament nobility, a distinction that conveyed greater prestige than that of many other lower-noble houses. Its members held the hereditary office of chief chamberlain or chief treasurer of the Duchy of Bavaria, placing the family within the administrative and courtly structures of the Bavarian state. The family’s history extended beyond Bavaria through the career and marriage of Hayman, or Haymeran, IV von Rain zu Sommeregg. A member of the Bavarian line, he entered imperial service under Ferdinand I and served the Habsburg ruler as a field captain in Italy. He married Rosina von Graben zu Sommeregg, heiress of the von Graben family’s Sommeregg possessions. Through this marriage, the Sommeregg estate, other properties, and the blue-and-white Graben arms passed into the Rainer family in 1513. This succession created the Carinthian branch commonly associated with the name Rainer zu Sommeregg. Haymeran and his brother Christoph Rainer, also styled von Rain, were elevated to the baronial rank of Rain zu Sommeregg by Emperor Charles V on 10 November 1530. The elevation recognized their service and formalized the family’s standing among the regional and imperial nobility. The Carinthian branch therefore combined a Lower Bavarian dynastic origin, inherited territorial rights, a marriage-based succession, and imperial military service. The family remained connected with Rain until the middle of the sixteenth century. Haymeran’s marriage produced at least three daughters, including Beatrix von Rain, and a son, Hans Joachim von Rain zu Sommeregg. Hans Joachim married Catharina Auwetia of Auburg and later became heir to his uncle Christoph II Rainer zu Rain. In 1548 he moved the center of the family’s rule back to Bavaria. Two years later, in 1550, he sold Sommeregg and the district of Töplitsch to Christoph Khevenhüller von Aichelberg. The transfer marked the end of the family’s effective territorial control in the Carinthian possessions. The family’s Bavarian inheritance was also absorbed through marriage. Ursula Freiin von und zu Rain, described as an heiress, married Paul, or Paulus, von Leublfing auf Hautzenstein and Salern zu Rain and Grafentraubach in 1573. Through this union, Rain Castle and its lordship passed into the marriage settlement. The Rainer zu Rain line itself died out shortly after Hans Joachim’s return to Bavaria, although its estates, heraldic associations, and genealogical connections continued through successor families and historical records. Rainer zu Rain is therefore best understood not as a modern commercial brand but as a historical noble house. Its significance lies in the family’s role in Lower Bavarian administration, its connection to the former von Graben lordship of Sommeregg, its service to the Habsburg imperial court, and the eventual transfer of its possessions through sale and marriage.

The Rainer zu Rain family originated in Lower Bavaria and was historically connected with Rain. It was regarded as old tournament nobility, a category that gave the house particular prestige within the lower nobility. Members of the family held a hereditary office in the Duchy of Bavaria, described in historical accounts as chief chamberlain or chief treasurer. This office placed the family close to the Bavarian court and helped establish its standing as a service and administrative dynasty rather than merely a rural landed house. A major change in the family’s history came through Hayman IV von Rain zu Sommeregg, also known as Haymeran. He came from Bavaria and entered the service of Emperor Ferdinand I, for whom he acted as a field captain in Italy. His marriage to Rosina von Graben zu Sommeregg brought the Sommeregg inheritance into the Rainer family. Rosina was the heiress of Ernst von Graben, the burgrave and lord of Sommeregg. In 1513, the Sommeregg estate, additional properties, and the von Graben family’s blue-and-white coat of arms passed to Haymeran’s family. This succession established the Carinthian branch of the house. Haymeran and his brother Christoph Rainer were rewarded for their service when Emperor Charles V elevated them to the rank of barons of Rain zu Sommeregg on 10 November 1530. Their ennoblement reflected the combination of inherited territorial rights, military service, and dynastic marriage that shaped the family’s sixteenth-century position. Haymeran and Rosina had at least three daughters, including Beatrix von Rain, and a son, Hans Joachim von Rain zu Sommeregg. Hans Joachim married Catharina Auwetia of Auburg. After inheriting from his uncle Christoph II Rainer zu Rain, Hans Joachim relocated the center of the family’s authority to Bavaria in 1548. The family’s Carinthian holdings were subsequently sold: in 1550, Sommeregg and the Töplitsch district passed to Christoph Khevenhüller von Aichelberg. This sale ended the Rainer family’s territorial control in that part of Carinthia. The Bavarian possessions likewise moved out of the family through inheritance and marriage. Ursula Freiin von und zu Rain, the family heiress, married Paul, also called Paulus, von Leublfing auf Hautzenstein and Salern zu Rain and Grafentraubach in 1573. Rain Castle and its lordship consequently entered the Leublfing marriage inheritance. Historical accounts state that the family itself died out shortly after Hans Joachim returned to Bavaria. Its memory survives through genealogical studies, records of Bavarian and Carinthian lordships, and the preservation of its association with Sommeregg and the von Graben heraldic inheritance.

• 1573

  Rain inheritance passes through marriage

  [1]Rainer zu Rainen.wikipedia.org

  The heiress Ursula Freiin von und zu Rain married Paul von Leublfing, bringing Rain Castle and its lordship into the marriage inheritance.

• 1550

  Sommeregg and Töplitsch are sold

  [1]Rainer zu Rainen.wikipedia.org

  Hans Joachim sold Sommeregg and the Töplitsch district to Christoph Khevenhüller von Aichelberg.

• 1548

  Rule shifts back to Bavaria

  [1]Rainer zu Rainen.wikipedia.org

  Hans Joachim von Rain zu Sommeregg moved the center of the family’s rule back to Bavaria after inheriting from his uncle Christoph II Rainer zu Rain.

• 1543

  Death of Hayman IV von Rain zu Sommeregg

  [1]Rainer zu Rainen.wikipedia.org

  Hayman IV, founder of the Carinthian branch through marriage and imperial service, died in 1543.

• 1530

  Elevation to the baronial rank

  [1]Rainer zu Rainen.wikipedia.org

  Emperor Charles V elevated the brothers Haymeran and Christoph Rainer to barons of Rain zu Sommeregg on 10 November.

• 1513

  Sommeregg inheritance enters the family

  [1]Rainer zu Rainen.wikipedia.org

  Through Hayman IV von Rain zu Sommeregg’s marriage to Rosina von Graben zu Sommeregg, the Sommeregg estate, related properties, and the von Graben coat of arms passed to the Rainer family.

Historical Lower Bavarian and Carinthian noble house associated with hereditary Bavarian court office, imperial service, baronial status, territorial lordship, and heraldic inheritance.

1. 1Rainer zu Rainen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rainer zu Rain: History of the Coat of Armshdbg.eu
3. 3Das Geschlecht der Rainer zu Rainverlag-pustet.de