Mensdorff-Pouilly

Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly

Mensdorff-Pouilly is a noble family originally from Lorraine. It derives its name from the barony of Pouilly at Stenay in Meuse.

In 1790, during the French Revolution, Albert Louis de Pouilly (1731-1795) emigrated with his family. His sons Albert and Emmanuel changed the name to Mensdorff-Pouilly, named for a place in the county of Roussy in Luxembourg.

In 1818, the Austrian branch of the family received a comital title from the Austrian Emperor and was recognized as nobles in Bohemia in 1839 (the Inkolat). The family motto is fortitudine et caritate.

Notable members

• Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly (1777–1852), Vice Governor of the Fortress of Mainz
• Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1778–1835), married to Emmanuel, the sister of both Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and King Leopold I of Belgium, aunt of Queen Victoria
• Alexander von Mensdorff-Pouilly, Prince Dietrichstein von Nicolsburg (1813–1871), son of Emmanuel and Sophie, Austrian Foreign Minister 1864–1866;
• Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein (1861–1945), a son of Alexander, a diplomat

Literature

• Eddie de Tassigny: Les Mensdorff-Pouilly. Le destin d'une famille émigrée en 1790. Le Bois d’Hélène, Bihorel 1998.