House of Alvensleben

The House of Alvensleben[1] is an ancient, Low German (niederdeutsch) noble family from the Altmark region, whose earliest known member, Wichard de Alvensleve, is first mentioned in 1163 as a ministerialis of the Bishopric of Halberstadt.

The family name derives from Alvensleben Castle (today Bebertal, district of Börde in Saxony-Anhalt).

The family line begins with Gebhard von Alvensleben, probably Wichard's son, mentioned between 1190 and 1216.

The family acquired many further estates, some located in the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Brunswick.

The family provided many heads of government in this province, as well as a number of ministers, generals and diplomats in different Northern German states.