The von Bassewitz Family
According to legend a knight named Bernd von Bassewitz saved the life of his feudal lord, the ruler of Mecklenburg, bringing him to safety while battle raged by following the tracks of a wild boar.
The arms granted by the prince gave rise to the family name. Basse was an early word for boar. More probably the name was taken from the family seat of the Wendisch line, Basse near Gnoien. The family is first mentioned in a document dating from 1308 that names Heinrich von Bassewitz as the builder of the church in Hohen Luckow. In the fourteenth century the family divided into two main lines, that of Mecklenburg and the Wendisch.
An especially prominent representative of the family is Henning-Friedrich von Bassewitz. Born in 1680 on the Dalwitz estate, he studied law in Rostock and Leyden (Netherlands) and became the closest advisor of Duke Carl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp. He went to the court of Tsar Peter I in St. Petersburg several times on behalf of his master and was instrumental in arranging the marriage of the duke with the tsar’s daughter Anna Petrovna. After the death of Peter I Henning-Friedrich became a close advisor of the tsarina Catherine I. Emperor Charles VI recognized his merits by raising him and his descendants to the rank of counts of the Empire. Further honors followed. He died in seclusion on his estate of Prebberede on January 1, 1749.
Estates:
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