Honor, fides et fidecitas
The Chronicle of the Counts Greif von Greifenstein
The last scion of the House of Greifenstein, one Friedrich by name, fell in the year of Our Lord 1386, fighting on behalf of the Habsburg cause against the Swiss Confederates in the fateful Battle of Sempach. He perished without leaving lawful male issue.
In his final testament, however, he did acknowledge and legitimize his natural son, Tassilo, elevating him to the rank and dignity of a count—yet bequeathing to him neither lands nor fortune.
Thus it came to pass that Tassilo, though not born of knightly lineage, received a most rigorous and, as events would prove, exceptional training in the martial arts of knighthood—much to the satisfaction and pride of his father.
In due course, Tassilo resolved to heed the summons of the Teutonic Order, which called upon men of valor to bring the Christian faith to the pagan lands of Eastern Europe. In the year 1390, he set forth for Marienburg, the grand seat of the Order in what was then East Prussia (now Malbork in Poland). At that time, the Order was cloaked in an aura of invincibility, believed to stand under the divine protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and undefeated in all its campaigns.
Though Tassilo was received with courtesy, he was regarded with a measure of scrutiny, for doubts lingered as to whether he possessed the requisite experience and fortitude for the trials that lay ahead.
Yet the Grand Master, Konrad von Jungingen, resolved to grant the young firebrand an opportunity—and it was not long before he was put to the test.
Assigned to the Livonian branch of the Order, Tassilo was tasked with securing the flank against an anticipated Lithuanian incursion into Livonian territory.
As history so often teaches, fortune favors the capable.
By keen instinct, Tassilo discerned a vulnerability upon the left flank of the Order’s formation and petitioned to be stationed there. In the ensuing battle, concealed Lithuanian light cavalry suddenly emerged from the forest to the left, seeking to throw the Order’s ranks into disarray.
This very maneuver Tassilo had foreseen.
With swift tactical brilliance, he wheeled a contingent of heavily armored cavalry into the enemy at full gallop, scattering and overwhelming them with decisive force.
For this deed, he earned the highest esteem within the Order and the profound respect of its Grand Master.
Nor was this his sole distinction. Following numerous daring and successful engagements, Tassilo was bestowed the battle-name “The Griffin”, in recognition of his calculated composure, strategic acumen, and his ability to strike with unexpected and unfathomable force—ever to the triumph of the Order.
Yet even amidst the fury of war, he upheld the noble virtues of chivalry, forbidding, for instance, the despoiling of the wounded or fallen, provided they had fought honorably.
From this legacy arose our family name and title: from Greifenstein to Greif von Greifenstein, thus distinguishing our line from others of similar name.
Tassilo’s final and greatest service to the Order came in the aftermath of the disastrous defeat at Tannenberg in 1410. With a small but fiercely loyal company of warriors—trained by his own hand and sworn unto death—he safeguarded the retreat of the last surviving high dignitaries of the Order, including the Grand Hospitaller Werner von Tettlingen, the Komtur of Danzig Johann von Schönfels, and the Komtur of Balga Friedrich von Zollern.
Together with the forces of Heinrich von Plauen, later Grand Master and defender of Marienburg, Tassilo enabled the fortress to withstand the advancing Polish and Lithuanian armies.
Thereafter, he humbly petitioned to be released from the Order’s service, desiring to found a family of his own.
In recognition of his extraordinary merits to the Order and to Christendom, he was granted by the Grand Master the hereditary title, in the male line, of an Honorary Knight of the Livonian Order.
Alas, due to the absence of written records, it cannot be conclusively proven that Tassilo, like his father Friedrich, was inducted into the exclusive Order of the Braid of Duke Albrecht III of Habsburg—though oral tradition within the family holds this to be true.
We, the descendants of the House of Greif von Greifenstein, acknowledge without reservation that Tassilo stands not only as the founder of our lineage, but as its greatest exemplar and guiding figure to this very day.
Throughout the centuries, our forebears—guided by the maxim “Honor, fides et fidecitas”—served as esteemed military leaders, participating decisively in numerous battles.
Few are aware that the first cavalry charge of Blücher against Napoleon’s forces at Waterloo was led by a Colonel Count Greif von Greifenstein.
Many more battles followed—some dearly costly, yet ultimately victorious.
We likewise rendered military service in support of the rise of the Prussian King, later German Emperor Wilhelm I.
For more than six centuries, our line has endured in the male succession, and we bear with pride the name Greif von Greifenstein.
Since the days of Tassilo, the Counts Greif von Greifenstein resolved not to erect grand castles or palaces as ancestral seats. Instead, we conceived of ourselves as a loyal guard to our sovereigns, following them wherever they governed.
After the Second World War, we relocated from the Soviet-occupied sector of Berlin to Sankt Augustin. Following the reunification of Germany, we returned once more to our native Berlin.
It remains of great importance to us to instill in our children the spirit of German culture and identity.
In the year 1891, within the crypt of Friedrich von Greifenstein in the monastic church of Königsfelden, a richly adorned ceremonial golden belt was discovered—an exquisite example of late medieval goldsmith artistry.
A Knightly Extravagance to Be Worn.
This remarkable artifact came to light during restoration works, when the graves of the knights fallen at Sempach were opened. In the late 19th century, as awareness of historical heritage grew within the young Swiss Confederation, the discovery attracted considerable attention and was subsequently transferred to the Museum of Aargau.
The significance of the belt extends beyond its aesthetic value; it also stands as a testament to the history of the Habsburg dynasty, the former rulers of Aargau.
Measuring approximately one and a half meters in length and one centimeter in width, the belt is distinguished by its silver-gilt fittings in the form of hollow Halfspheres, as well as its finely crafted buckle and strap.
It is believed that the piece served primarily a ceremonial function. Some have even speculated whether it may have been an insignia of the exclusive Austrian chivalric Order “Vom Zopf.”
As previously noted, Friedrich von Greifenstein was among the 27 knights who fell in the Battle of Sempach in 1386 alongside Duke Leopold III of Habsburg. They were interred in the church of Königsfelden Abbey, the principal burial site of the Habsburgs since its founding in 1309.
Alongside knights from Swabia, Alsace, Aargau, Thurgau, and Tyrol, as well as Italian, French, and German mercenaries, the nobleman from South Tyrol had followed his liege lord into a conflict born of clashing territorial ambitions between Habsburg and Confederation.
The defeat at Sempach proved decisive for the expansion and consolidation of the young Swiss Confederation. Thirty years later, in 1415, Bern conquered Aargau, thereby depriving the House of Habsburg of much of its ancestral lands in what is now Switzerland.
We, the Greif von Greifensteins, stood firmly opposed to the Nazi regime, its insidious methods, and the dehumanization of war it wrought.
We upheld the principle that, if war must be waged, it should be conducted honorably—between soldiers, not against civilians.
For this stance, we became targets of Hitler’s agents. Amidst the turmoil of the Second World War, we suffered the loss of nearly all our movable possessions, records, and documents—whether through theft, confiscation, or destruction.
Yet our centuries-old commitment to the defense of Germany and its representatives endures to this day.
Within this long and storied lineage, I myself have cultivated not only a strategic and military inclination, but also an artistic talent in writing and painting, to which I have devoted myself in recent years.
My works may be viewed—and, should they find your favor, acquired—via Instagram: RalfGrafGreifvonGreifenstein.
To reveal one’s weakness is, in truth, a mark of great strength.
