Origin of the Southern Line

The representative of the Schillings v. Canstatt who has been proved to be the oldest in a direct line is Heinrich I, who received the Erbschenkenamt, a very high Imperial office, in Swabia from the last Hohenstaufen Duke Konrad of Swabia (Konradin) in 1260.

However, Heinrich no longer lived in Cannstatt1 but moved to Neuffen in about 1270, where he had gained extensive possessions through his marriage to noblewoman Willibirg v. Neuffen.

There is a distinct possibility that Heinrich I is identical with Heinrich II Bowe v. Lahnstein, a grandson of Heinrich III Schilling v. Lahnstein, who is the oldest ancestor of the present-day Schilling lines according to Heinar Schilling.

Cannstatt in Swabia was recognized as a town by the Emperor and, as a document dated June 28th 1330 shows, already had gates at that time and was probably walled too. As early as the 12th century, there were several members of a family calling themselves «v. Cannstatt». Their ranking is not mentioned anywhere. The «v. Cannstatt» in the 13th and 14th century, who were lower aristocracy, were very probably their descendants. In the time between the mid-12th and mid-13th century, there was a split into three branches, namely the Grammen v. Cannstatt, who also called themselves «v. Uffkirch(en)», the Känlin v. Cannstatt and the Schilling v. Cannstatt.

In their shield, the three branches had a jug (German: Kanne) as a common "eloquent" coat-of-arms. That of the Grammen and the Känlin was – probably – silver on red and that of the Schillings gold on red. In most cases, the jug has a spherical body, a base, a long pouring spout, a ring- or hook-shaped handle and a ring-shaped piece over the spout. The shape of the jug varies on the seals but is not an indication of the different branches of the family.

There is evidence that the Schillings were property owners at their oldest residence at the Altenburg Fortress near Cannstatt.

Incidentally, the last names of the three Cannstatt branches - Gramm, Känlin, Schilling – are still to be found today as ordinary family names in Cannstatt and its surrounding area.

Coat of Arms of the Southern Line

Southern Line Coat of Arms


1) It was decided by family decree that the spelling of the family name is Schilling von C a n s t a t t; the city itself is spelled C a n n s t a t t.