county · Germany and Central Europe

Lordship of Limpurg

1230 CE – 1713 CE (approx.) · capital Gaildorf

Franconian-Swabian lordship of the Schenks of Limpurg, hereditary imperial cupbearers, ruled from Gaildorf until the line died out in 1713.

Origins

The Schenks of Limpurg were imperial ministerials who held the hereditary office of cupbearer of the Empire. Around 1230 they built Limpurg castle above Schwäbisch Hall, and they acquired lands in the Kocher valley and the forests of the Limpurg uplands, forming a lordship held directly from the Empire.

Rule and society

The lordship was rural, with forests, farms and small towns such as Gaildorf and Obersontheim. Relations with the Free Imperial City of Schwäbisch Hall were tense, and in 1541 the Schenks sold Limpurg castle to the city. The family adopted Lutheranism and divided into branches with residences at Gaildorf and Sontheim. The imperial cupbearer title gave them a ceremonial role at coronations.

Decline and legacy

The last male Schenk died in 1713, and the lands were divided among female heirs and their families, with Prussia claiming part of the inheritance. The fragmented Limpurg lands were mediatised and passed to Württemberg in 1806.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Limpurg. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-limpurg
MLA
“Lordship of Limpurg.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-limpurg. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Limpurg.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-limpurg.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Limpurg’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-limpurg (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻