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Oliver Rost has prepared an index listing all the tables in Europäische Stammtafeln at http://www.oliver-rost.privat.t-online.de/Europaeische-Stammtafeln.pdf. Thank you Oliver. The Europäische Stammtafeln is a collection of genealogical tables for important families that played a role in European history. Many genealogists researching Medieval noble, royal, and imperial families find it a valuable reference tool. Due to it being a German work, many English-speaking genealogists are either unaware of it, have been unable to find a copy of it, or shy away from it due to the language issue. My notes on the Europäische Stammtafeln are offered here to help you work with this useful well-done set of family trees. The full citation for this work is:
However, this complex citation actually over simplifies this work that has been published in four distinct series. The above citation refers to the most recent series, which is the set most people using it are familiar with. The newest, fourth, series is entitled Eurpäische Stammtafeln: Neue Folge and Detlev Schwennicke is the sole author. This fourth series started with vol. 17 and is now being published at Frankfurt am Main, Germany, by Verlag Vittorio Klostermann. According to the publisher, the third series "is no longer valid" (Baumann 1988a). Schwennicke was in the process of updating, improving, and reissuing the first volumes for the new fourth series. Please note that some people abbreviate the Europäische Stammtafeln as ES in their notes and discussions on the soc.genealogy.medieval Usenet News group. Unfortunately, Detlev Schwennicke died on 24 December 2012. I do not know if anyone else will be continuing his work. The following topics are covered on this web page:
General NotesIn the course of working on the Baillon and Le Neuf research projects I have come to appreciate Schwennicke's Europäische Stammtafeln (1978-1995). I am particular indebted to René Jetté, my friend and colleague, for introducing me to the value of this work. He has used this reference tool extensively in tracing the pedigree of Catherine Baillon. Of course, he follows up the use of this printed secondary source by tracking down original primary documents, or publications citing such documents, to support the statements he finds in the Europäische Stammtafeln. This reference tool is a collection of stammtafeln, that is, family trees, or genealogical tables if you prefer, showing descent from a common ancestor. This is in contrast to ahnentafeln, which are genealogical tables showing the ancestry of a particular person (Reitwiesner 1996). It is possible to use the Europäische Stammtafeln to trace a person's noble, royal, and imperial ancestry if they connect back to one of the families on a genealogical table. In the course of your genealogical research, if you stumble upon a connection to an important European family, then you will probably find citations mentioning the Europäische Stammtafeln. In fact, this work is often cited in English language books on royal genealogy (for instance, Stuart 1992; Weis 1988). You might also observe it cited in scholarly articles. It is occasionally mentioned in postings on the Usenet News soc.genealogy.medieval group. In short, Europäische Stammtafeln has become a standard genealogical reference tool. On a project to trace the pedigree of your noble and royal ancestors, you will find that starting with the Europäische Stammtafeln is a good first step. It helps you layout the basic known facts of the case. It gives you an idea of the genealogical lay of the ancestral land for your project. The next steps involve identifying and locating the sources Schwennicke used in preparing the genealogical tables your ancestors appear upon. Other Series and EditionsLike many other valuable genealogical works, the Europäische Stammtafeln is the result of a long collaborative project involving several authors. There are now four distinct series, with multiple editions, of this reference work. Unless otherwise indicated, on this web page, when I mention the Europäische Stammtafeln I am referring to the third series (Schwennicke 1978-1995). For more information about the four series visit my Other Series and Editions page. AuthorsMost of what I know about these authors comes from Baumann (1998a, 1998b, 1998c), Bodine (1997a), and Klostermann (1998c). Basically, this reference work was started by Wilhelm Karl, Prinz zu Isenburg (1903-1956), continued by Frank, Baron Freytag von Loringhoven (1910-1977), and is now done by Rev. Detlev Schwennicke (1930-). The good reverend has based the first four volumes on the work of his predecessors. According to the publisher, Schwennicke kept the order of the volumes, but not their content, which he reworked (Baumann 1998a). Isenburg started the game by publishing the first volume of the first series in 1935. Previous attempts to create extensive genealogical tables for German, Dutch, and European families include the work of Voigtel (1811-1829) and Cohn (1871). As Isenburg explains in the bibliographic notes to his first two volumes, done in 1935 and 1936 respectively, he was inspired by the work of von Behr (1870) (Baumann 1988a). He published only two volumes before the war intervened in his plans to complete more volumes. After the war he reissued his out-of-print volumes. However, due to illness, he was unable to complete any further work. The baton was then passed to Loringhoven who created the second series in 1953 by revising Isenburg's work. He used libraries in Detmold, Hamburg, Marburg, Munich, Sigmarigen, Stutgart, Paris, and Vienna to correct and extend the genealogical tables. When he was done he had modified eighty percent of Isenburg's tables. However, according to Baumann (1998c), with vol. 1, he only added two new tables for the Grafen von Orlamuende (which was revised and improved by Arnold Berg) and the Grafen Hohneberg/Hohenzollern. He published a total of four volumes before his death. Schwennicke was asked in 1977 to continue the publication of the work. The project has been his since that year. Schwennicke has gone well beyond the work of his previous colleagues and the Europäische Stammtafeln can rightly be claimed as his. The publisher, J. A. Stargardt, had Schwennicke edit and publish Loringhoven's first volume as it was found in his estate, without any changes. This is the volume that was published in 1978 as vol. 6. Like other genealogists (Bodine 1997b), I wished Rev. Schwennicke a long and productive life. Unfortunately, he died on 24 December 2012. I understand that he retired from church service in 1992 (Baumann 1998b). Between his retirement and his death he added fifteen more volumes! I do not know if anyone is going to carry on his work. I certainly hope before he died he took on an apprentice to carry on his work (or perhaps a team of apprentices). Location and AvailabilityDespite the value of the Europäische Stammtafeln, it is not widely available in North America. You will find it at larger genealogical and university libraries. However, it is still not commonly found in most genealogical libraries. I have made an effort to locate libraries that hold some of the volumes. Visit my Location and Availability page for more details. OrganizationEuropäische Stammtafeln is organized into volumes consisting of genealogical tables. All the volumes up to 1995 are the same elongated size of 35.5 by 25.5 centimeters. However, since 1998, the format has been changed to 25 by 35. Some of the volumes are printed in multiple parts. In German, a volume is a band and a part is a teilband. There are no page numbers. However, each genealogical table is assigned a number. Instead of using page numbers it is customary to cite just the volume and the table number. Some people even go so far as to indicate the generation. For example, using the author year method of citation, I would have something like (Schwennicke 1978-1995, 2: table 175) to indicate the second volume and the 175th table in that volume (which is for the Komnenos, or Comnenus Byzantine family). The notes I have on the various volumes are based on my observations when I have used them at the Family History Library, comments I have seen on soc.genealogy.medieval Usenet News group, or advertisements I have received from the publisher. The set is organized into the following volumes:
EvaluationMy evaluation is based on Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln (1978-1995), the third series, however, some of the following points apply to the earlier versions as well. An essential fact you must remember when using the Europäische Stammtafeln is that it was a resource originally written for historians and not genealogists. According to Bodine (1997a), it was written to be a quick and ready reference to genealogical information regarding families that played significant roles in European history. For most genealogists, the standards of documentation used are insufficient. Although most of the tables do have supporting documentation, these citations are too vague from a genealogical point of view. They document the table in general, and not specific genealogical facts. It is unclear where each fact comes from in the documentation. Controversial problems over relationships or other facts are not discussed, nor are the solutions Schwennicke displays justified. Furthermore, Schwennicke uses secondary published references and not original primary documents in his citations. Like many other works done out of a concern for history and not genealogical accuracy, Schwennicke often ignores younger children, deceased children, and women in general. However, this is also a pattern that can be observed in many of the original documents concerning Medieval families. Certainly, he offers more coverage of these missing links than many other resources, but it is still an issue. Despite the lack of adequate documentation, from a genealogical perspective, Schwennicke does appear to try and use the most up-to-date printed sources of information. Moreover, as evidenced by the corrections he publishes, Schwennicke tries not to pass on mistaken pedigrees. Though corrections and additions only appear haphazardly in subsequent volumes. Still, he has been accused of being too conservative in what he presents (Reitwiesner 1996c). His failure to report a genealogical fact might be due to conservatism, but it might equally be due to his not knowing about a recent publication. Alternatively, it might be that he has considered this recent publication, but rejected it for some reason. What we are missing are his justifications for drawing some controversial conclusions. Naturally, given that it is a German work, there is an emphasis on German and Austrian noble families. Nevertheless, the international nature of royalty results in all most all royal and imperial houses across Europe being included. Most of these royal families are traced back to the Middle Ages, and in some cases to the Dark Ages. Noble families in non-Germanic countries are not as well detailed. Fortunately, for the French noble researcher, the coverage of many important French families is helpful. This also seems to be the case with Spain, Portugal, and Sweden. However, there is a serious gap in the coverage of English, Scottish, Italian, Polish, and Russian families (Lavallee 1996b). Hopefully, these gaps will be filled in with the volumes of the new fourth series. The selection criteria for including families in a volume is sometimes a little confusing, especially for someone who does not yet understand the complexities of German history. However, the online index to the Europäische Stammtafeln makes this point moot. In general, the further removed from Germany and Austria a family is, the more likely Schwennicke might make a mistake. Several people on the soc.genealogy.medieval Usenet News group mention errors they have found in English and Spanish families (Baldwin 1996; Reitwiesner 1996b, 1996c). Mistakes can be found on some of the Germanic charts as well (Reitwiesner 1996b). Whether a Germanic or a non-Germanic family, the information he provides must be carefully double-checked and verified. Like all published works, the Europäische Stammtafeln contains its share of typos, incorrect names, wrong place names, mistaken dates, chronological impossibilities, etc. These volumes are of course in German, but relatively easy to read with the help of a German/English dictionary and the translation of the advice and legend that accompanies every volume. The information is organized in family trees, a pattern of presenting genealogical data that cuts across language barriers once you know the basic format. Despite some drawbacks, the Europäische Stammtafeln is an essential genealogical reference work. It summarizes the widely accepted and reasonably certain information regarding noble and royal families of Europe. Although I and others use this set mostly for its coverage of Medieval families, it is important to realize that it covers some families up to the early twentieth century. This tool is an excellent resource for starting a project to trace your ancestry if you make contact with one of the families it lists. However, as with any published resource, you must still go to the effort to verify the facts in original documents. Tracking down the published works the Schwennicke uses, in hopes that they in turn cite original documents, should be part of your project. Lastly, when working with this set it is always important to track down the most recently issued table for a family since it will contain additions and corrections. Regarding my evaluation of his work, Rev. Schwennicke has made the following observations (given to me indirectly through Baumann (1998a)):
Obviously, Rev. Schwennicke is correct that the logistics of the situation would make the complete documenting of every genealogical fact so time consuming that he would be unable to make much progress. I would rather see him continue to make progress and cite just the general sources he uses for each table. Nevertheless, the responsibility for documenting specific genealogical facts does not disappear. Rather, it is passed on to the individual genealogist using Schwennicke's data. It is up to you to verify the information found in his tables by starting with the sources he cites, moving on to the sources mentioned in these works, and then on to other resources and original documents. You will also have to find any other relevant sources that might contradict Schwennicke's position and judge for yourself what is the most logical genealogical conclusion. The Europäische Stammtafeln should only be considered the starting point of your research and not the unquestioned end point. Legend and Advice for the Use of the Genealogical TablesMy notes that explain what I understand about the legend and advice that appears at the beginning of each volume of Europäische Stammtafeln can be found at my Key page. Please be patient, this is a large file, due to the table of abbreviations, and will take a few minutes to load. ReferencesAltaVista. 1998. "AltaVista Translation with Systran [web page]." Web page available at http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/translate (13 June). This appears to no longer be available. You can use the Google Translation service at http://translate.google.com. Baldwin, Stewart, sbald at auburn.campus.mci.net. 1996. "Re: Which Flavor of Stammtafeln?" Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (28 December). Baumann, Sabine, mail at klostermann.de. 1998a. "Subject: ES." Email to John P. DuLong (27 July). Baumann, Sabine, mail at klostermann.de. 1998b. "Subject: ES abbreviations and other information." Email to John P. DuLong (11 August). Baumann, Sabine, verlag at klostermann.de. 1998c. "ES last questions." Email to John P. DuLong (24 September). Bodine, Ronny, rbodine996 at aol.com. 1997a. "HISTORY OF E. STAMMTAFELN {PART I]." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (13 January). [I regret that Bodine has not submitted a Part II, and any additional parts he envisioned, to this news group. This is a nicely done summary of the German introduction to the third series.] Bodine, Ronny, rbodine996 at aol.com. 1997b. "Re: HISTORY OF E. STAMMTAFELN {PART I]." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (15 January). Bodine, Ronny, rbodine996 at aol.com. 1997c. "RE: question on ES date." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (5 February). Bodine, Ronny, rbodine996 at www.aol.com. 1998. "Re: More Europaische Stammtafeln Date Questions." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (20 June). Bodine, Ronny, rbodine996 at aol.com. 2000. "ES ??." Email to John P. DuLong (6 March). Borthwick, Richard, rgbor at CYLLENE.UWA.EDU.AU. 1997. "Re: question on ES date." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (4 February). Carlin, Mats, Mats.Carlin at ecy.sintef.no. 1996. "Re: EUROPAISCHE STAMMTAFELN." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (19 August). Cohn, Ludwig Adolf. 1871. Stammtafeln zur geschichte der deutschen Staaten und der Niederlande [Genealogical Tables of the German States and the Netherlands]. Ed. by Heinemann. Braunschweig, Germany: C. A. Schwetschke und Sohn. Only one volume was published in projected series of five volumes. Family History Library. 1991. German Genealogical Word List. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fleury, Christian, genealogie.normande at free.fr. 2016. "About Europäische Stammtafeln." Email to John P. DuLong (26 April). Klostermann, Vittorio E.. 1998a. "Europäische Stammtafeln im Verlag Vittorio Klostermann" [Home Page]. Web page available at: http://www.klostermann.de/stamm/st_text.htm (14 June). Klostermann, Vittorio E.. 1998b. "Europäische Stammtafeln. Lieferbare Titel" [List of Available Titles]. Web page available at: http://www.klostermann.de/stamm/st_titel.htm (14 June). Klostermann, Vittorio E. 1998c. "Stammtafeln Info English." Web page available at: http://www.klostermann.de/stamm/st_eng.htm (9 June). Klostermann, Vittorio E. 1998d. "Stammtafeln Order Form." Web page available at: http://www.klostermann.de/stamm/st_best.htm (14 June). Klostermann, Vittorio E. 1998e. "Stammtafeln Register" [Online Index]. Web page available at: http://www.klostermann.de/stamm/schw_reg.htm (7 June). Lavallee, Steven, Steven_Lavallee at brown.edu. 1996a. "Re: Europaischen Stammtafeln." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (28 October). Lavallee, Steven, Steven_Lavallee at brown.edu. 1996b. "Re: Which Flavor of Stammtafeln?" Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (23 December). Malachowski, Kaj. 1998. "ES-SENCE: My Guide to ES (=Europaische Stammtafeln)." Web page available at: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/2739/es-sence.html (7 June). Online Line Computer Library (OCLC). 1998. "FirstSearch: Electronic Collections Online." Available at http://medusa.prod.oclc.org (7 June). Note: You must have an account to use this system. An individual account is prohibitively expensive, but your local public or university library might have access to this system. Reitwiesner, William Addams, wrei at erols.com. 1996a. "Re: EUROPEAN HISTORY ANCESTRY-TABLES." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (29 October). Reitwiesner, William Addams, LA69133 at IBM2.LOC.GOV. 1996b. "Re: Which Flavor of Stammtafeln?" Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (23 December). Reitwiesner, William Addams, wrei at 127.0.0.1. 1996c. "Re: Which Flavor of Stammtafeln?" Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (28 December). Rost, Oliver. 2000. "Fw: New ES Volumes." Email to Leo van de Pas (6 March). Sasse, H.-C., J. Horne, and Charlotte Dixon. 1986. Cassell's German and English Dictionary. New York: Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co. Schwennicke, Detlev. 1978-1995. Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge. First series by Wilhelm Karl, Prinz zu Isenburg, continued second series by Frank, Baron Freytag von Loringhoven.. 16 vols. Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt. Stuart, Roderick W. 1992. Royalty for Commoners: The Complete Known Lineage of John of Gaunt, Son of Edward III, King of England, and Queen Philippa. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Taylor, Nathaniel, ntaylor at fas.harvard.edu. 1996. "Europaische Stammtafeln." Usenet News group soc.genealogy.medieval (28 October). Thode, Ernest. 1992. German-English Genealogical Dictionary. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Tuchman, Barbara W. 1978. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. New York: Ballantine Books. Voigtel, Traugott Gotthelf. 1811-1829. Genealogische Tabellen zue Erlaeuterung der Europaeischen Staatengeshichte fuer freunde der Wissenschaft und sutdierende auf Universitaeten und Schulen [Genealogical Tables Illustrating European State History for Friends of Science and Students at Universities and Schools.]. 2 vols. Halle, Germany: C. A. Schwetschke und Sohn. On FHL microfilm no. 1051694. van de Pas, Leo. 2000. "Re: Dutch Term." Email to John P. DuLong (7 March). von Behr, K. 1870. Genealogie der in Europa regierenden Fürsenhäuser. 2. Auflage Leipzig, supplement 1890. Weis, Frederick Lewis. 1988. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England between 1623 and 1650. Edited by Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr., assisted by David Faris. 6th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Wickham, Barbara, RETFTRDOC at aol.com. 1998. "Euro Stamm." Email to John P. DuLong (24 December). Note: To access the Usenet News group postings I cite from soc.genealogy.medieval you can do a Power Search at DejaNews at http://www.dejanews.com. Please contact me with any additions or corrections at dulongj at habitant.org. Frankly, I am going beyond sharing my knowledge to sharing my ignorance. I have no knack for language. Using English, my native tongue, is a daily effort for me. That I can haltingly read French after years of struggle is somewhat miraculous. That I have the gall to translate German with no real training or exposure to it is amazingly foolish. However, I have grown tired of waiting for someone else to present a guide for working with this valuable set of genealogical tables. I am confident that I have made mistakes in translating German words, or in understanding how to use the Europäische Stammtafeln, therefore please let me know when I have gone astray. I figured that the only way I was going to overcome my ignorance was to make it clear and let others correct me. Please be kind in your comments. Thank you. This page, and all contents, are Copyright © 1998 by John P. DuLong, Berkley, MI. Created 7 June 1998. Last modified 12 May 2016. |