The Beginnings of the Thun Family

The Beginnings of the Thun Family

The origins of the Thun family (known as the Thun-Hohensteins from 1628 onwards) have not yet been fully explored, and no fully satisfying answer should be expected in future as a result of the extensive searches in standard genealogical works [1] that have already been performed, not least due to the scarcity of sources from the 11th and 12th centuries. The best that can be hoped for is to get somewhat closer to the truth as the family's history is placed in the wider historical regional and supra-regional context.

The original home of the Thun family, contrary to diverse theories and legends, to be found in the Val di Non, in modern Trentino. The Thun family first appears in the records that have survived to date in the second half of the 12th century, at the entrance to the valley on the right bank upstream of the Noce, where the Rocchetta bottleneck (the former Puntelepyn or Ponte Alpino [2]) is located on a hill. This area used to form the parish of Ton, which was composed of the small villages of Vigo [3], Novesino (now known as Masi Nosin), Toss, as well as some others. There probably was not a village named Tono. Pinamonti [4] writes that he had personally held a document in his hands, in which a commoner named Toni appears in the year 1145; however, this document has not survived. Nonetheless, the parish in Vigo is still known as "Ton" today, as has been the case since time immemorial.

On the hill where the Thun family's original family seat, the Santa Margherita Chapel, which the Thuns built when they moved their residence to the hill near Vigo where Castel Thun now stands. Names of streets and towns still recall the era when the hill on the entrance of the broad Val di Non was still the family seat. [5]

Evolution of the family name [6]

The origins of the name "Tono" are similarly uncertain. The records show a variety of different forms of the name, such as Tunno, Tonno, Thunne, and Tunn. Only in the course of the 14th century did the "German version" of Tono, "Thunn," start to appear, which can be explained by contact with German speaking areas and the expansion of the family, principally in central Europe. The name "Thun" then prevailed from 1407 onwards, with the induction of five members of the family into the "Elefantenbund" noble federation. [7] Inhabitants of Val di Non continue to refer to the family as "Ton." [8]

Further issues related to the problem with the origins of the family and the family name can be found in the twelfth-century annals in the form of references to the well known Tonale Pass, which contains the same root word. These references date back to 1127, with the donation of the San Bartolomeo Hospice at the Tonale Pass[9]: as such, they predate the first surviving reference to a family member, Bertoldus de Tonno, which dates from 1145, thereby proving that the name "Ton" was already widespread in the area around the Val di Non and the Val di Sole. The pass, which served as an important medieval trade route [10] was not located directly at the location of the family homestead at the Rocchetta. In the Middle Ages, it was also normal for people to be named after the place where they lived, rather than the other way round. [11]

Any suspicion that the Thun family is descended from the Swiss Thuns or the town of Thun [12] can be put into context by an etymological and historical analysis. The town of Thun, on the shores of Lake Thun, first appears around the year 700, when it is known as "Lacum Dunensis" [13]. The name is derived from the Celtic word, "dunum" for a system of fortifications or palisades. The root word in the Thun family name is different, specifically "Ton." The fact that the Thuns' original coat of arms is similar to that of the city of Thun is also not a convincing argument: the options for heraldic depictions in the Middle Ages were limited, and thus there was a great deal of overlapping.

The origins of the Thun family in the Val di Non are therefore not disputed. However, there is plenty of room for speculation as to whether, when, and how the family made its way into the Valley. The noble family is most closely related to the Romanised population of Lombards in the Val di Non, and has developed over time into a highly respected family. When the Diocese of Trento was appointed a county by Emperor Conrad II in 1027, the family was initially engaged in the service of the nobility, then later in the service of the bishops (as "Ministeriale"). Through skillful diplomacy and notable encounters, they were able to expand their power further. [14]

The first members of the family

In his work on the Thun-Hohenstein family, Armando Friedenfels of Prague, a Premonstratensian Catholic priest, introduces an Albertinus de Tono , who lived in the Trento area in the year 1050, where he was already a highly respected man and who, for a long time, was placed at the head of the Thun family tree. [15] Nonetheless, the author of this work was not particularly concerned with historical accuracy; instead, it was a hagiography of the Thun family and his personal patron, Romedio von Thun. While the name Albertinus recurs regularly in the family's history, this is not convincing proof of any relation.

The first documented mention of a member of the Thun family is found in the articles establishing St. Michael's Monastery on the Adige in 1145 [16], in which a Bertoldus de Tunno is named as a witness to the foundation. Bertoldus appears once again, in 1155, when he is witness to a document by Bishop Eberhard of Trento (1154-116) in Riva. [17] Whether the name "de Tonno" was a true surname, or merely an indication of a place of origin, can no longer be determined with any certainty; and this is a problem that is constantly encountered in the field of genealogical research. Nevertheless, Berthold appears as a second witness after Eberhard von Flavon, which allows the assumption that it was already a respected family name at this point.

In the twelfth century, we continue to encounter isolated references to members of the Thun family, which cannot be combined into a clear line of succession due a lack of sources, as is also the case with Berthold. As such, a Pietro di Tonno in 1165, who is reported to have witnessed the will of Beatrice d'Este [18],[break] or the brothers, Adelperus and Anselmus, who appear together in a document in the chapter of Trento Cathedral in 1170. [19] As they lived at the same time as Bertoldus, the assumption is that they must have been close relatives such as nephews or brothers. A more accurate context for family names can only be derived when people appear more frequently in the records around Trento, preferably with reference to their father's name.

These first references mostly feature the various family members as witnesses to legal documents. While there is, admittedly, little social status into the rank of witnesses to documents in the early Middle Ages [20], it can however be said that the order in which witnesses were ranked is likely to have reflected their social standing. Research shows that it was no unusual for witnesses to be listed in order of ranking in the Alto Adige region, but that this practice was by no means universal.[21]

Representatives of the Thun family are generally to be found among the first ranked witnesses in the twelfth century sources [22], from Bertoldus in the founding articles of St. Michael's Monastery on the Adige, and later in the Riva document, which gives rise to the assumption that these individuals were already considered to be established and honourable, leading to the conclusion that the family enjoyed considerable repute in the area around Trento.

However, there is no way to know, in the present day, how large the family was at that time. The only other comment to make is that, in the 1190 "Carta de Collonellis" [23], in which Bishop Conrad of Trento raised five groups of soldiers in tribute to Emperor Henry VI, the Thun family was named as the fourth group, "illi de Tun" (those [men] of Thun) together with the Lords von Ivano, von Flavon, Rumo, and Spaur. The phrase "illi de" is used specifically in this document as distinct from "domus", though some are mentioned without specifying anything - i.e., with just their names alone. "Domus" was understood in the Middle Ages as a large household, which would encompass not only the core family, but also extended family members as well as servants, and maids. The term "illi de" was used in a distinct sense, as "domus" was a firmly established term. It is therefore highly likely that this was a small family community. [24] This allows us to presume that the Thun family, in the second half of the twelfth century, while a larger family that attracted a certain amount of respect, had not yet attained the status of a "domus." Unfortunately, there is insufficient source material from the period in the Trento area to carry out a comprehensive sociological study and address any lingering doubts. Undoubtedly, the carta de colonnelli demonstrates that the family had already achieved a certain standing at this point, to the extent that they had been named as leaders of the fourth army column (of the Val di Non).

From the time of the famous carta dei colonnelli, the source material dealing with the Thun family becomes more abundant. An unbroken order of succession can be established from Manfredinus onwards. He is mentioned as a witness in a document of Bishop Albert of Trento that dates from 1187. [25] In 1199, there follows a further mention of Manfred, alongside his brother, Albertinus de Tonno, in an episcopal document from that year that is highly significant for the family history: members of the family were granted fiefdom of the Rocchetta bottleneck to build a castle, which would become the first seat of the Thun family. [26] In the deeds of the fiefdom, Albertinus is named first, and was thus presumably the older of the two brothers; however, his family line extends only until the early 14th century. Manfredinus and his direct descendants, however, are regarded as the founding fathers of the Thun family.

At third recipient of the fiefdom, a Liutus de Marostega, is also mentioned, who was perhaps brother-in-law to the pair. All three received the fiefdom not only for themselves, however, but also on behalf of Brunatus, Petrus, Adelperus and Ottolinus, who were presumably still minors. Only the latter, and his father Marsilius, who was already deceased as this point, can definitively be regarded as members of the Thun family at first glance: ("[…] nec non et Ottolini, quondam Marsilii, de suprascripto loco Tonni […]"). However, as a Brunatus, Petrus and Adelperus can all be found in other documents, the assumption may be made that the designation "de loco […] Tonni" applies to all the individuals listed.

Pinamonti, who was often able to access documents that are lost today, refers to a declaration of serfdom from 1218 [27] in which Manfredinus and Brunatus are named as proprietors of Lord Pellegrini of Tegnarolo's people. This would not only mean that Manfredinus, who is now placed at the head of the family tree, was still alive in 1218, but also that the Thun family already had holdings that reached beyond the Val di Non as early as the beginning of the 13th century.

Manfredinus had a son named Warimbert I., in respect of whom source material is significantly richer. This shows that, in the first half of the 13th century, Warimbert was already a representative of the family to the outside world: in addition to his appearance as a witness to a number of different fiefdoms, he was in attendance as a vassal of the Bishop at judgements, decrees, and the like. [28]

The family's lands seem not to have been especially large at the outset, with the Thuns as vassals to the Counts of Flavon and Eppan in Lehen. The family appears to have already accumulated some wealth; for example, in 1261, Bishop Egno of Trento received a substantial loan from the House of Eppan from Oldericus and Enricus de Visione.[29] [30] However, the family could really only flourish after the line of the Eppans died out [31], as they were able to obtain fiefs, which they had originally received via the Counts of Eppan, directly from the Bishop or the local Prince, thus serving as ministers in the service of the Bishop.

[MT] Read about the rise of the Thun family >here<.