Root-Line Mecklenburg
Mecklenburger Stammlinie
The Mecklenburg roots
shortcut
The most exciting reference to the roots of the Lorbers in northern Germany can be found in a poem by Christian Smiterlow from around 1580 [1]. There it is claimed that Christoph Lorber, Mayor of the city of Stralsund at the time of the Reformation, was born of "an old Danish knightly family". What at first sounds like an insidious family legend could have a true core. In fact, the first documentary references are in an area that was occupied by the Danes around 1202. Although not by classic knights, but by mounted fighters of the legendary King Waldemar II "the winner" of Denmark.
Progenitor
The progenitor could be a common ancestor (the grandfather?) Of Godike Lorbere in Rostock, Conradus Lorber in Mankmuß and Johannes and Hubertus Lorbere (s) in Kloster Wienhausen. Possibly a follower of King Waldemar II, who literally "made a name for himself" with the spice trade.
Godike Lorbere is the first namesake mentioned in a document. He sold real estate in Krämerstrasse in 1293, in the middle of the then rather young city of Rostock [2]. The name researcher Hans Bahlow deduces from the name and the street name, which at that time was still indicative of the structure of the residents, that Godike might have been a spice shopper.
Almost at the same time in 1294 a Conradus Lorber with half a fiefdom was called "Mankemus" [3]. The hamlet of Mankmuß near Karstädt in the Prignitz is probably meant, in which the hill of an earlier defense tower has been preserved to this day. Interestingly, the feudal lords were the counts of Schwerin, well-known opponents of the Danish king Waldemar II Kilometers from Mankmuss. An accident? Or was the Lorber a former Dane who swore allegiance to Schwerin?
Johannes Lorbere and Hubertus Lorberen are said to have lived in the area around Kloster Wienhausen near Celle as early as the 13th century [3]. A monastery in which Elisabeth, the daughter of the Prince of Mecklenburg, had moved from Rostock as the newly elected abbess in 1241. Had the two Lorbers accompanied them?
Werdegang
Es finden sich noch lange Lorber im Norden. Etwa in Hameln, wo sie im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert als Ratsmitglieder, Vikare und Schulzen auftauchen [4]. Auch in den Klöstern Lüne bei Lüneburg und Riddagshausen bei Braunschweig wurden Geistliche mit unserem Namen vermerkt.
Ein besonders schillernder Ast ist jener in Stralsund, wo die Familie zur Zeit der Reformation als eifrige Verfechter von Luthers Lehre, aber auch als eigenwillige Schurken große Spuren in der Stadtgeschichte hinterließen (> siehe Stralsunder Ast).
Outstanding biographies
- Hermann Lorbere, 1312 in Hanover [4];
- Härmen Lorber, 1437-1440 councilor in Hameln [5];
- Johannes Lorber, provost of the Benedictine convent in Lüne near Lünburg, wanted to resign time and again because of his weakness, but was always persuaded by the prioress to remain; was deposed in 1529 after 24 years in office by the Duke of Lüneburg, who had joined the Reformation [6];
- Johannes Lorber, 1557-1586 Abbot of the Riddagshausen Cistercian monastery near Braunschweig; is said to have come into the care of the monastery as a poor boy; Unlike his namesake in Lüne, the Reformation was completed there under his aegis, a school was set up in the monastery, he married and is said to have had eight children [7];
- Melchior Gerhard Lorber, from Hameln, 1685-1701 printer in Stuttgart [8]
Spread today
The direct traces of this trunk line in the north seem to be getting lost at the beginning of the 18th century.
However, it is quite possible that some of the early Thuringian branches, such as the Rastenberger branch
originated from this lineage. Not only is it evangelical, it also includes master tailors early on, which could suit the Stralsund cloth trade. In the absence of evidence, however, this must remain speculation so far.
The thesis that the Alsatian parent line, which is already mentioned in Strasbourg in 1316, is not a family of its own with a random name - it is an offshoot of the spice dealers from Rostock, who probably imported their eponymous "laurel" from the Mediterranean. It would therefore be obvious if members of the family had settled in Strasbourg, one of the trade hubs of the time. In this case the people of Mecklenburg would probably be described as the ancestors of all Lorbers living today.
The article in the family magazine Laurus
This branch was also covered in the family magazine "Laurus" in 2014. The corresponding article can be downloaded here (PDF in German).
Do not be surprised about deviations from the above text. The article reflects the state of research from 2014. In contrast, the text on the homepage is up to date with family research.
Do not be surprised about deviations from the above text. The article reflects the state of research from 2014. In contrast, the text on the homepage is up to date with family research.
Sources:
- [1] Christian Smiterlow: Auctoris Librorum Smiterlouiadum, 1580
- [2] Mecklenburg Document Book, Volume III, No. 2,331, p. 582
- [3] Wilhelm von Hammerstein-Loxten: The possessions of the Counts of Schwerin on the left bank of the Elbe, 1860, p. 146
- [4] Hans Bahlow: German dictionary of names
- [5] Dr. Erich Fink: History of Lower Saxony, Volume X, Document Book of the Abbey and the City of Hameln, 1903, Part 2
- [6] Schlotheuber, Eisermann, Honemann: Studies and texts on the literary and material culture of the women's monasteries in the late Middle Ages, 2004, pp. 373ff, 386
- [7] genealogienetz.de/Ortsfamilienbuch Riddagshausen
- [8] Christoph Reske: Book printers of the 16th and 17th centuries in the German-speaking area, 2007, p. 913