Hanisch is a derivative word from Johannes Fitz, Hans Fitz, Hänfitz or "Son of John" in old german-bohemian language. The appended surname Greifenthal probably was granted and used at first during the last crusades. Greifenthal is rather a honor than a geographic place. Original latin "Valgrifonis" was later translated to Austrian "von Greifenthal" that means from Griffins Valley. Griffins were typical heraldic symbols from Bohemia, Silesia, Brandemburg and Pommerania. The Austrian Hanisch surname could be written in Silesian: Hänisch; Saxon: Hanitsch; Rhinlander: Hansch; Czech: Hanis; Hansen in Schleswig-Holstein or in Polish: Hanisz and Hanisek, but the longer Hanisch von Greifenthal was used only by noblemen of Austria and Prussia.

There are few documents about the history of the Hanisch von Greifenthal family before the XV century and how they got the Bohemian Crown Guardians title (Tutoris Bohemiae) is yet an unknown historic fact. Curiously, the title was referred to St. Stephen´s crown, (saint patron of Austria during the Babenberg´s rule) instead of the Bohemian kingdom´s crown, which had St. Wenzel´s patronage. Surely the first Hanischs accompanied duke Leopold to crusades, and subsequently were honored with the red and white stripes in their coat of arms. The surname is found in old parrish registries in Upper Austria, Bohemia, Sudetenland and Silesia. According to their marriages, they were linked with the high nobility of Prague, Breslau and Vienna and their belongingness to the empire ritterstand give us certain idea of their social rank. Famous German-Austrian heraldry books depict their coat of arms preceding their surnames with Edleherr, Freiherr, Edler or Ritter titles. Hanisch family ladies were treated as Domina Domina.

There are several familiar documents about how the protestant reform and the subsequent Catholic counter-reformation brought huge changes not only in Bohemia but within the family life as well. After the Jan Hus disastrous experience, the religion sensitivity was a permanent issue that troubled the relationships between the local nobility and the Habsburg Empire´s court.

The so-called "Second Defenestration of Prague" was an event central to the initiation of the Thirty Years' War in 1618. Some members of the Bohemian aristocracy led by count Thurn (including Nicklaus von Hanisch von Greifenthal) effectively revolted following the 1617 election of the Catholic Ferdinand, duke of Styria as king of Bohemia to succeed the aging emperor Matthias. In 1617, Roman Catholic officials ordered the cessation of construction of some Protestant chapels on land which the Catholic clergy claimed belonged to them. Protestants, who claimed that it was royal land and thus available for their own use, interpreted this as a violation of the right of freedom of religious expression granted in the Letter of Majesty issued by emperor Rudolf II in 1609. They feared that the fiercely Catholic Ferdinand would revoke the protestant rights altogether once he came to the throne.

At Prague Castle on May 23, 1618, an assembly of Protestants tried two Imperial governors, for violating the right of freedom of religion, found them guilty, and threw them, out of the high windows of the Bohemian Chancellery. They landed on a large pile of manure in a dry moat and survived unharmed. Roman Catholic imperial officials claimed that the men survived due to the mercy of angels assisting the righteousness of the Catholic cause. The Thirty Years' War was sparked by the second Defenestration of Prague, and started as a war along religious frontlines. In the end it was no more a war of religion. The Catholic French funded and traded the Protestant Dutch, Protestant Princes in the Holy Roman Empire, as well as other non-Catholic nations such as Sweden, Denmark, and Turkey, since all of these nations were fighting the Habsburgs.

After the Thirty years war, the Hanisch family split in those who remained as Roman Catholics within the Habsburg´s Austrian Silesia borders, and those who embraced the Lutheran faith that moved to Upper and Lower Silesia (Öberschlesien und Niederschlesien) under the rule of Prussians, applying themselves the quote "Cujus Regus, ejus religio", risen after the Peace of Augsburg. Nicklaus von Hanisch von Greifenthal, conducted the conversion to Lutheranism while his brother Adolph von Hanisch von Greifenthal, former chamberlain (hofmeister) of Altenburg, led the permanence under the Habsburg´s Catholic rule, provoking a hard struggle of lands, rights and nobility titles. As of the division of the family, the Austrian branch was entitled as Knights of Greifenthal (Ritter von Greifenthal) and called themselves Reyl-Hanisch Ritter von Greifenthal. The Prussian branch was entitled as Lords of Greifenthal (Edler von Greifenthal) and called themselves von Schubärth-Hanisch Edler von Greifenthal. During the hard Austrian occupation of Bohemia under Albrecht von Wallenstein´s rule, both branches lost their former title of Bohemian crown guardians (Kronenwächter von Böhmen)*

As a consequence of the Napoleonic wars, the first world war and especially after the World War II, the Prussian-Silesian branches lost their lands and their titles, shortening their name to Hanisch or Hänisch. During the XIX century as millions of Germans, they migrated to North America (Canada, Minnesotta, North Dakota and Texas), South America (Brazil and Chile) and Australia. The Austrian family branch is almost extinguished after the creation of the Republic , so their descendents have mostly shortened their surnames as well. The Adelsaufhebungsgesetz of 1919 (Law on the Abolition of Nobility) abolished nobility as well as all noble privileges and, noble titles and names. Thus, no citizen of Austria could have since then any noble titles or even particles such as von and zu in his or her name. The name of the grandson of the last Austrian emperor, Archduke Karl of Austria officially called Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam von Habsburg-Lothringen became simply Karl Habsburg, the then Austrian Federal President Michael von Hainisch (1858-1940), became Michael Hainisch. Similarly, Freidrich Wilhelm Augustus Maria von Hanisch Ritter von Greifenthal became just Friedrich Hanisch.

Portrait Gallery Until XIX Century

Allies during the World War I

Heroic death of Austrian Colonel Josef Reyl-Hanisch Ritter von Greifenthal (by Ludwig Roth)
Deputy Commander at X. Prussian Army Corps General Karl Heinrich von Hänisch.

Prussian Army Liuetenant-General, Division Commander and general-Inspector Karl von Hanisch Edler von Greifenthal

(*) Osterreichisches Historisches Staatsmuseum

Fine Artists

Selfportrait and portraits of his mother and sister
Herbert Reyl-Hanisch Ritter von Greifenthal, 1898-1937, Famous Austrian painter of the neo-Romantic period and of the New Objectivity.

Heraldry and Family Symbols

The XII century style coat of arms, has the bohemian double-tailed lion over the Saint Leopold´s red and white stripes oblicually set. The crowned golden lion holds a bow and three arrows. It is the lion of the arms of Bohemia, which became a Kingdom in 1196 and was acquired by the Dukes of Austria, which remained part of Austria-Hungary until 1919. The double-tailed lion was introduced by King Ottokar II in 1249. Ever since the double-tailed rampant lion remained as the symbol of Bohemian monarchy because it is noble, brave and fierce, and as such is a fitting symbol for a ruler, who seeks to emulate the lions nature. The red and white stripes represent the coat of arms of the house of Babenberg, the Franconian family which held the duchy of Austria before the rise of the house of Habsburg. The red stripes are said to derive from the blood-stained tunic of Leopold, duke of Babenberg after the battle of Ptolemais in 1191, during the crusades. The White color symbolizes the spiritual or sacerdotal power holding the Knowledge of the principles, which has authority over the temporal or royal power associated with the red color. The bow and three arrows held by the lion means its readiness for battle and its ability to hit a target. The royal crown upon the helmet is a honor granted to the Roman-German Empire Ritterstand knights as St. Stephen´s Crown guards.

XII Century Coat of Arms

 

Coat of Arms by Strohl

 

Stone carved Coat of Arms in Glatz, Upper Silesia

 

Gold plate Coat of Arms found in Trebnitz, Silesia
(Ca. XIII Century)

 

Sacred Roman-German Empire´s knights Counsil

(Das Heiliges Römisch-Deutsche Königtum Ritterstand)

 

Heraldry by Rolland-Rieptaps

 

Heraldry by Siebmacher

 

Heraldry by Siebmacher (Illuminated version from Salzburger Collection)

 

Heraldry by Antons

 

Bavarian Heraldry (Unknown, XIV Century)

 

Silesian Heraldry (Unknown, XIV Century)

 

Czech Heraldry (Unknown, 1602)

 

Austrian Heraldry (Unknown, ca. 1490)

 

Family Tree (Austria - Unknown, XV century)

 

Heraldry by Brunner (1792)

 

 

Wine bottles special coat of arms, Barossa Valley, Australia

 

Austrian wines, Vienna

 

Other modern heraldry, Germany 2009

 

 

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hanisch-genealogy@TXU.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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