Zumbrun Genealogy

Life Sketch
Arnold Zumbrunnen, or Arnoldus, was born in the early-to-mid 1200s. He was among the first Zumbrunnen to be mentioned in the records of the famous church, the Fraumünster of Zürich. For much of the Middle Ages, the Fraumünster “owned” most of the land in central Switzerland. Arnold held something akin to a fiefdom to control this land on the Fraumünster’s behalf.

He lived until at least 1257, the year in which he’s mentioned in the Fraumünster’s records. Holding a fief of the Fraumünster was a position of prominence, though not as high as being a baron. That Arnold held such a fief is significant as he was not a member of the main line of the family, but rather a secondary branch. This shows that from the very beginning, the Zumbrunnen family’s influence did not only apply through primogeniture.

The Nobiliaire Militaire Suisse says that Arnold died without children, but other sources agree that he was the father of Conrad Zumbrunnen, who became a prominent abbot.

Vital Information

Name: Arnold Zumbrunnen
Sex: Male
Birth: Early-to-mid 1200s
Residence: Attinghausen area
Offices: Fief of the Fraumunster, 1257
Death: After 1257

Family Members

Father: Herman Zumbrunnen
Mother: Unknown
Siblings: None known

Spouse: Unknown
Children: Abbot Conrad Zumbrunnen

First cousins: Burkhard “Schüpfer” Zumbrunnen
Second cousins: Werner Von Attinghausen and Von Schweinsberg
Uncle: Burkhard Zumbrunnen
Grandfather: Walter Zumbrunnen

Sources

Arnoldus Zumbrunnen entry at FamilySearch.org (Free registration required). His year of birth is estimated here as 1236.

Arnold Zumbrunnen is mentioned in the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland

Arnold Zumbrunnen is mentioned briefly in the Nobiliaire Militaire Suisse

Arnold Zumbrunnen is in the land records of the Fraumünster of Zürich