Mensdorff-Pouilly is a noble family

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 originally from Lorraine. It derives its name from the barony of Pouilly

Pouilly-sur-Meuse

Pouilly-sur-Meuse is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meuse department...

 at Stenay

Stenay

Stenay is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It was one of the last villages to experience fighting during World War I. Stenay was captured on 11 November 1918 by the American 89th Division under General William M. Wright only hours before the Armistice went into...

 in Meuse

Meuse

Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

.

In 1790, during the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, 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

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

.

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
  Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly
  Emmanuel, count of Mensdorff-Pouilly was an army officer in the Imperial and Royal Army of the Austrian Empire, and vice-governor of Mainz....
  
   (1777–1852), Vice Governor of the Fortress of Mainz
• Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
  Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
  Princess Sophie Fredericka Caroline Louise of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was a princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and the sister of Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and King Leopold I of Belgium, and aunt of Queen Victoria...
  
   (1778–1835), married to Emmanuel, the sister of both Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
  Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
  Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
  
   and King Leopold I of Belgium
  Leopold I of Belgium
  Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
  
  , aunt of Queen Victoria
• Alexander von Mensdorff-Pouilly, Prince Dietrichstein von Nicolsburg
  Alexander von Mensdorff-Pouilly, Prince Dietrichstein von Nicolsburg
  Count Alexander Mensdorff-Pouilly , was an Austrian general, diplomat and politician, including two years as Minister of Foreign Affairs and one month's service as Minister-President of Austria....
  
   (1813–1871), son of Emmanuel and Sophie, Austrian Foreign Minister 1864–1866;
• Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein
  Count Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein
  Albert Count von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein , was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat serving as Ambassador to London at the outbreak of the World War I.- Life :...
  
  (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.