Origin and Spread

The documented lineage of the Freiherren von Hoyningen (Hoiningen) gen. Huene begins with Johann von Hoynge(n), also known as Hu(e)ne, who is recorded in 1500 and 1501 as being enfeoffed with lands in Courland. His great-grandson Barthold stated in 1620, upon entry into the first class of the Courland Knighthood, that Johann’s father, Jo(b)st, had come from Germany and settled in the Diocese of Dorpat.

The appearance of Henricus de Hoyngen as a juror in Bonn in 1447, bearing a seal with three rings in the coat of arms, likely linked to Johann von Hoingen, a juror in Ahrweiler recorded between 1351 and 1383, suggests the family’s origin from the namesake town of Hönningen in Rheinland, due to the similarity in name and heraldry.

Since the family’s entry into the Courland Knighthood in 1620, they have expanded significantly throughout the Baltic region.

Martin, a brother of Barthold, whose heraldic genealogy was painted in 1646 based on documents presented to the Courland Knighthood in 1620, moved to Estonia. His great-grandson Karl Friedrich (1698–1779) of Heimar and Addila was admitted to the Estonian Knighthood in 1729 and registered in its matriculation records in 1746. Karl Friedrich’s grandson, Eduard (1779–1851) of Kadvel, was enrolled in the Oesel Knighthood in 1808. When Eduard’s grandsons, Ernst (1872–1946) and Emil (1876–1919), moved to Livonia due to their marriages, establishing the estates of Alt-Ottenhof and Rawlitz, their descent from the aforementioned Karl Friedrich was entered into the matriculation of the Livonian Knighthood in 1905, based on their affiliation with the Estonian Knighthood.

Otto Eberhard (1730–1788) of Lechts, a descendant of Christoph, Martin’s brother, was enrolled in the Estonian Knighthood around 1780. He is the progenitor of the branches at Matzal, Echmes, and Paulsruhe. His son Hermann (1772–1845) joined the Livonian Knighthood in 1818, founding the branches at Nawwast and Lelle. Otto Eberhard’s great-grandson Friedrich (1843–1921) of Lechts was enrolled in the Livonian Knighthood in 1898.

During the Bolshevik Revolution of 1918-1920, most estate owners were largely expropriated, and their property was reduced to a small so-called “residual estate.”

Following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 24, 1939, and the German-Soviet Border and Friendship Treaty of September 28, 1939, the Baltic states fell under Soviet control. The German-Baltic estate owners in the region were relocated and received substitute estates in Poland (mainly in the Wartheland). After Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the German Balts were prohibited from returning to the now German-occupied Baltic region.

By the end of the war, many family members were forced to flee from the Wartheland westward, were taken as prisoners of war, or were deported or murdered.

Between the end of World War I and the end of World War II, nearly all family members emigrated from the Baltic region. The majority resettled in Germany, while others emigrated to the USA and Canada.

References and literature on the origin can be found under Additional Information.