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Thuringia.] GERMANY.
557
mountain-citadel, and a fuperintendency. This town fuffered greatly by
fire in the years 1562, 1681 and 1744, and in former times, together
with its appurtenances, conditutcd a county.
2. Bibra, or Bebra, an inconfiderable Httle town, which in the year
1707 was fet on fire hy the Swedfs, and the greatelt part of it burnt down.
At this place is an eledtoral manor. Formerly there was alfo a cathedral
church here, of which the mod; certain and oldeft account extani occurs in a
record of the Emperor Hetiry V. bearing date in 1 107. But that fo early as
the year 768 one of the four fpiritual courts of Thuringia was, as fome affert
founded here, is difficult to be believed, and ftill more difficult to be
proved
3, The county of Beichlingeri has had formerly Counts of its own, who
were ftiled from it and formed a very ancient, confiderable and powerful
family who were hereditary marfhals in Thiiringia\ but gradually alienated
their efiates and became extindl in
1 567. A confiderable part of thefe
eflates the Lords of Werthern procured to themfelves by purchafe ;
Ham of
Werthern purchafing in 151 9 of Count Adam of Beichlingen the county of
Beichlingef2, with the town of Colleda, and in 1526 and 1528 two vilLiges
more in the fame county, after which in 1520 the above Lords received from
Duke George of Saxcny the inveftiture thereof The Elecftor John George 1.
alfo invefied George of Werthern in 1633 with the noble vafTals of the
county, whom Count Adam of Beichli?igen, at the time of his difpofing of
the county, had referved to himfelf. The family of Werthern divided itfelf
in the fifteenth century in the fons of Frederick of Werthern, named John
and Thilo, into two principal lines, of which that of Thilo became extinct
in 1
710. The John line was divided again, i. Into that of George, to
which again belongs, (i). That oi Frohndorf, which ftill continues in the
rank of nobles. (2). That ol Great-Neuhauj'en, and (3). That of i?f/t73-
lingen, both which lines, ever fince the year 1702, are polTefTed of the
dignity of Counts of the Empire. 2. Into that of George Thilo, which
ftiles itfelf of Werthern and Bnicken, and ffill continues in the rank of
nobles; And 3. Into that oi John Henry, to which belong three collateral
lines, viz. the Counts of Bachra, the Barons of Wiehe, and the noble
family of Lojfa. The Counts of Werthern are polfefled of the office of
hereditary door-keepers of the Empire. To the county oi Beichlingen, as
difpofed of in the manner above-mentioned, to the family of Werthern
belongs
Beichlingen, a citadel, {landing on a mountain : together with
The church-villages of Altenbeichlingen, Biirfgwenden, Hemmleben, Leuhingen,
and Stodten.
4. The feigniory of Wiehe has belonged to the Barons and Lords of
Werthern, ever fince the time that it was purchafed by Dieterich oi Werthern
in the year 1452 of the Counts of Schivarzbi/rg as a fub-fief thereof. This
feigniory is divided into two parts, and comprizes in it Wiehe ,