| Betha Bethe, Betha della Beta | |
|---|---|
| Noble family | |
 | |
| Country |  Germany United StatesFormer countries |
| Founded | 11th or 12th century |
| Titles |
|
| Connected families | House of Nostitz Zaccaria dynasty House of Concini House of Croÿ-Havré House of Dyhrn Marigny de Mandeville family Fulton-Livingston family House of McInnis-Stuart |
| Estate(s) | Mayenberg Castle Château de Krobnitz Markendorf Conitz |
The House of Betha or Bethe is an Austro-German noble family constituting a part of the Uradel. Noted in Prussian history since the early 14th century, the lineage has constituted various ecclesiastical and political roles, such as Crusader knights, clergy, and later minor political figures in the Herrenhaus.
Origins
There is debate among historians on the exact founding of this family, but all historians record the history dating back to at least the twelfth century.
The Crusader branch of the House of Saint-Omer, also known as Saint-Omér-Bethsan-Béthanie, often used the Latin family name Bethanius or de Bethsan to refer to their feudal holdings in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This branch of the family actively participated in the Sixth and Seventh Crusade under the leadership of the Capetian kings Louis IX and Charles of Anjou respectively. This likely explains the presence of three fleurs-de-lys on the family arms—an honor typically granted by royal warrant or reserved for those of royal birth.
Other historians cite Iberian origins, tracing the family to the lineage of Pelagius Bethanius, which had connections to the Asturian nobility and claimed Roman origin, arriving in Tyrol around 1080.
History
An early notable person to hold the name was Caspar von Bethe, a knight of the Teutonic Order who led the Polish-Teutonic wars. After the conquest, he was granted lordship of Conitz for his service. In later centuries, his descendants in Austria and Brandenburg-Prussia went on to establish a noble lineage, entitled as Freiherr and Ritter von Bethe in the Prussian and Austrian nobility.
A second military captain named Antonius de Betta (in German Anton von Betha) led the army of Louis I of Brandenburg in 1350. This branch also served in the Teutonic Order as Lords of Lana. This Catholic branch of the family was confirmed as ancient nobility in 1556 by Emperor Ferdinand I, and later elevated to the title of Reichsfreiherr, or imperial barons in 1790.
In the Cambrésis, the Catholic French-speaking branch of the family lived as clergymen and local gentry, preferring to use the gallicised spelling de Bétha.
The cadet branch of the family remained in Austria-Hungary, losing their title and legal status after the First World War. Most remaining members in Central Europe descend from the Prussian and Austro-Hungarian cadet branches respectively, along with the senior branch residing in the United States.
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Maienberg castle, held by the family in the Renaissance era.
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Markendorf, estate of the Prussian branch after the Renaissance.
Notable people with the surname Betha or Bethe
- Joseph Betha de Betta (ca. 1764), Tyrolean captain for the Imperial-Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars
- Albrecht Bethe (1872–1954), German physiologist and father of Hans Bethe
- Erich Bethe (1863–1940), German philologist
- Hans Bethe (1906–2005), German-American nuclear physicist
- Mason Durell Betha (born 1975), better known as Mase, American rapper
See also
References
- "Lignages d'Outremer", written 1270.
- Dizionario Storico-Blasonico delle Famiglie Nobili e Notabili Italiane Estinte e Fiorenti,
- Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels Adelige Häuser B (in German) (57th Volume ed.). Limburg: Starke Verlag. 1974.
- Kneschke, Ernst Heinrich (1859). Neues allgemeines Deutsches Adels-Lexicon (New general German Aristocracy Lexicon) (in German). Leipzig: Friedrich Voigt.
- S., F. A.; von Wurzbach, C. (1856–1891). "Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich enthaltend die Lebensskizzen der denkwurdigen Personen die seit 1750 in den Osterreichischen Kronlandern geboren wurden oder darin gelebt und gewerkt haben" [Biographical Lexicon of the Austrian Empire from 1750]. Taxon (in German). 35 (2): 456. doi:10.2307/1221338. ISSN 0040-0262. JSTOR 1221338.
- Catalogue général des manuscrits des bibliothèques publiques de France (Volume 17 ed.). 1891.
- Tötösy de Zepetnek, Steven (2010). "List of Historical Surnames of the Hungarian Nobility". Clcweb Library. Purdue University Press.
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