Mensdorff-Pouilly


Mensdorff-Pouilly is the name of a noble family originally from Lorraine. The family derived its name from the barony of Pouilly at Stenay in Meuse. Through Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, wife of Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly, the family is closely related to the royal families of Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom.

History

In 1790, during the French Revolution, Albert Louis de Pouilly emigrated with his family. His sons Albert and Emmanuel changed the family name to Mensdorff-Pouilly, named for a place in the county of Roussy in Luxembourg.
In 1818, Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly received a comital title from the Austrian Emperor, and he was recognized as noble in Bohemia in 1839. The family motto is Fortitudine et caritate. The Mensdorff-Pouilly family succeeded the extinct House of Dietrichstein, one of Europe’s most distinguished noble families.
Through Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, wife of Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly, the family is closely related to the royal families of Belgium, Sweden, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Notable members

Literature