Last Updated: 6 March 2003
Count Burchard I von Zolorin [Zolre] et Wezil
The first recorded family member was Count Burchard [Burkard] I who died in 1061. He is, also, listed as Burchardus et Wezil de Zolorin "occeduntut". His castle shown above is where the original family fortress was built on the Swabian hill of "Zolorin" or "Zolre" near Hechingen. No one is certain his ancestors. [A Burcharding Family link is probable but not proveable at this time.]
His issue was Frederick I von Zollern
There are several books published about this reconstruction of the castle which is, now, called BURG HOHENZOLLERN by Rolf Bothe. [In German only.]
On page 210 it states:
">>Burkard von Rothenburg, Graf von Zollern, traegt die Reiterfahne beim Kreuzzuge von Kaiser Friedrich Barbarossa"....
Evidently Count Burchard I [Burkhard I] et Wezil de Zolorin [von Zollern] had connections to the city of Rothenburg [on the Tauber] with the Emperor who had built in the city the Imperial Hohenstaufen Castle. Burchard I had served the Emperor Frederick I "Barbarossa" in the Third Crusades to the Holy Lands.
The name Wezil when translated means "learned man and leader" from the Old English root word of Wis.... Old English? Not German? I suppose it's possible we had an Englishman for an ancestor. Is there another root word in Old German we can we find? Wenzel? That seems close but not quite right. If not German then what? How about Woz? This is Polish from the Old Slavic root word pretaining to a baliff or summoner of court. Wozel to Woezil to Wezil? If Polish than the word Zollern could have been Zellin from the Old Slavic of Ziel meaning "a man from a green place".
In ANTON RITTHALER's book DIE HOHENZOLLERN wrote on page 7: ..."das Jahr 1061, dass Burchardus und Wezil (=Werner) de Zolorin gefallen seine" This tells us that Wezil is the same as Werner, which is German fro the r.w. Warin-hari which means "defending warrior". This book has an introduction from Prince Ferdinand von Hohenzollern of Prussia. It has excellent illustrations.
The name Burchard is from old German and means "a powerful castle owner" or "powerful protector". There are many spellings of the name Burchard: Burkhard, Burkhardt, Burkart, Burghard.
No records have been found which give us what the original structure or structures were.
Photographs of Burg Hohenzollern
Map showing location of Burg Hohenzollern #126
Burchard I's marriage or marriages have not been discovered at this time.
His issue was Frederick I von Zollern