The House of Pálffy, also known as Pálffy von Erdőd, Pálffy de Erdőd, or Pálffy of Erdőd, is the name of an old Hungarian noble family, later incorporated into Austrian nobility. Members of the family held significant positions in the Habsburg monarchy. They became high nobility with the hereditary title of prince in 1807.
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History
The Hungarian name Pálffy derives from the Latin term Pauli filius (son of Paul), after the first known ancestor of the family.
Erdőd is the Hungarian name for Ardud, a town situated in Transylvania.
The Pálffy ab Erdőd family members bore as well the title of Baron or Baroness of Újezd, of the name of their Czech barony of Újezd.
The family crest is of a deer above a wooden wheel which was created supposedly after an incident in the forest. The legend says that members of the Pálffy family were travelling in a horse-drawn carriage in the forest at night and in the mist when a deer shot out from the forest and hit the side of the carriage, breaking a wheel and killing the deer. The entourage decided to stay there until morning to fix the wheel. When morning arrived and the mist had cleared, they had stopped just before a cliff edge so the family realised that deer had saved their lives. In its honour, the family crest was created.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the family owned many castles and large residences. It's said that they owned up to 99 castles.
Károly József Jeromos Pálffy was created Prince von Palffy 1807 by the emperor Francis II, with this moment the family became part of the highest part of society of the early 19th century.
Notable members
Paul Pálffy ab Erdöd (1580/1589–1653), Palatine of Hungary, Knight of the Golden Fleece
Nikolaus VI Graf Pálffy ab Erdöd (1657/67–1732), field marshal and Palatine of Hungary, Knight of the Golden Fleece
Johann Bernhard Stephan, Graf Pálffy ab Erdöd (1664–1751), field marshal, Knight of the Golden Fleece
Countess Maria Augustina Pálffy ab Erdöd (1714–1759), mother of Joseph, Count Kinsky and Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky
Leopold, Count Pálffy-Daun von Erdöd (1716–1773), field marshal
Karl, Count Palffy ab Erdöd (1735–1816), Knight of the Golden Fleece
Count Ferdinand Pálffy von Erdöd (1774–1840), mining engineer and civil servant of the Austrian Empire
Count Fidelius Pálffy ab Erdöd (1788–1864), Knight of the Golden Fleece
Count Moritz Pálffy ab Erdöd (1812–1897), Knight of the Golden Fleece
Count Paul Pálffy ab Erdöd (1890–1968), Hungarian sportsman
Count Fidél Pálffy ab Erdőd (1895–1946), Hungarian politician
Ferdinand Leopold Graf Pálffy-Daun ab Erdöd, honorary citizen of Vienna
Count Geza Pálffy ab Erdőd, Member of parliament and resistance fighter, highlighted in the Terror Museum
Possessions
Palaces in Vienna, Bratislava and Prague that bear the family name:
Palais Pálffy in Vienna, Innere Stadt, Josefsplatz
Palais Pálffy in Vienna, Innere Stadt, Wallnerstraße Street
Pálffy Palace in Bratislava, Old Town, Hviezdoslavovo námestie
Pálffy Palace in Bratislava, Old Town, Ventúrska Street
Pálffy Palace in Bratislava, Old Town, Panská Street
Pálffy Palace in Bratislava, Old Town, Podhradie, Zámocká Street
Pálffy Palace in Bratislava, Old Town, Laurinská Street
Pálffy Palace in Bratislava, Old Town, Gorkého Street (demolished)
Pálffy Palace in Prague, Malá Strana
Pálffy Palace (Pálffy-kastély) in Budapest, Hungary
The Pálffy family tomb:
Franciscan Monastery in Malacky
The castles and manors owned by the Pálffy family were:
Devín Castle, at the confluence of the Morava and Danube rivers, Slovakia (from 1635)
Pajštún Castle and Stupava Palace in Stupava, Slovakia, Slovakia
Červený Kameň Castle, Slovakia (1583 to 1945)