Rintelen Family Association

History and Symbolism of the Family Crest

The following statements are based on relevant passages of the family history study “The Patrician Family of Rintelen”, published in 1922 by Wilhelm v. Rintelen, and the preface by his son Enno to the second edition.

The use of signets first became common in the circles of the German nobility during the 13th century. From the second half of the thirteenth century seals were also found on documents, especially by persons who participated in certifications such as judges, jury members and councilors. The oldest still well-preserved seal of the von Rintelen is that of Albert von Rintelen (v. R), the progenitorial father of the Markingtroper line, on a certificate from 1328. It consists of a round mirror face with a house sign with the circumscription „S(igillum). Alberti de Rentelen“:

While the house signes were still prevalent in Westphalian cities in the first half of the 14th century, unknighted gentry followed the knightly custom of adopting a coat of arms in the second half of the century. The already existing house sign was then often included in the new coat of arms. Next to knights, patricians were also granted a coat of arms. In 1682, however, Emperor Leopold issued a ban on unauthorized coats of arms by citizens, which was also directed against the patricians, since the patricians had long since lost its character as city nobility. Presentation of coats of arms to commoners by the emperor had taken place since the middle of the 14th century. In the 15th century a number of interdictions were issued to accept a coat of arms without imperial permission. As mayors, councilors and/or ministerial of their princes or princesses, members of the families v. R. were granted a coat of arms. These seals generally incorporate elements of the princely coat of arms, in the family v. R., for example, the star of the houses Schaumburg, Waldeck and Sternberg.

The mark of the house of Rintelen from the seal dating to 1328 is also found on the coat of arms of Albert v. R. From 1398:

In this coat of arms, a main element of the Rintelen’s history appears: the head of John the Baptist, the patron of the Herforder Neustadt. Following the traditional depiction, the face of the Baptist is shown with curly hair and presented on a plate. In later versions, the plate is replaced by a circle around the face without curls due to space limitations; to the circle, six to eight rays are attached. In the coat of arms seal of the Volksmarsen mayor Franz Anton v. R. from 1748 this is interpreted as a sun with a face and is repeated over the shield, under a tournament helmet between open wings. Underneath the sun in the shield, an ornament referred to as a “transverse, down flaring firestar” is described. This description can also be found in description of the coat of arms in the letter of nobility of Wilhelm v. R. from 1913: “A blue shield, with a radiant, golden sun set over a transverse, down flaring firestar. Above the shield rests in shining gold, crowned with a golden crown, lined in red with golden brackets and mounts, and adorned with a golden gem a steel tournament helmet with blue and gold mantling and crowned with a golden sun with opened blue wings.”

In the Family Association bulletin from 1928 Wilhelm v. R. comments on the “transverse, down flaring firestar” critically: “We have also adopted the sparking firestar, which to my knowledge of the creation of our coat of arms maybe should have been omitted.” In the coat of arms of Johann v. R. from 1523 and his great-grandson Johann from 1671 this object can be seen as a scalloped shell, which experts have interpreted as the shell of St. James:

The St. James’ Shell was used as a cup and as a symbol worn on the pilgrims hat or travel bag for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella to the grave of the apostle James, a major Pilgrimage of the 11th to 15th Century. In northern Germany, Herford was a gathering place for St- James pilgrim, as is evident by the depiction of the St. James shell on the south western buttress of the Radwiger Church in Herford.

The shield of arms of the Baltic von Renteln is described as follows: "Shield in blue, a golden pole covered with three red five-leaved (Lippical) roses. On the helmet a red rose between two buffalo horns, each decorated with three peacock feathers, right blue, left golden, helmet covers: blue-gold. “ (Brandt v. Renteln, „Geschichte der Familien von Renteln“, Hamm 2000, page 19)

The oldest depiction of the coat of arms is found in a silver cake mould from the year 1453 (noted by the Association for Lübish History and Antiquity Pamphlet 13, Table 3). However, the essential elements of the coat of arms appear earlier on the grave plate of the progenitor of the Renteln, Thidericus de Rintelen, who died in 1321 (see homepage). Engraved in the plate is a life sized male figure, "a man in his prime" with thick curly hair, wearing a wide cloak-like coat. In his left hand he holds the shield with his coat of arms showing a pole with three five-petalled roses. The uppermost rose is now difficult to recognize because the epitaph has already been worn heavily as a grave plate.