The House of Arnim is the name of an ancient German noble family, originally from Altmark, part of the mediaeval March of Brandenburg. Members of the family occupied many important positions within Holy Roman Empire, Saxony, Prussia, German Empire and the German Reich.
They are one of the oldest extant Prussian noble families, being first attested to in 1204. On 2 October 1786, one branch of the family was raised to the title of Count in Prussia by King Frederick William II, while a second branch was raised to the same title in 1870 by King William I of Prussia.[1] The Count von Arnim-Boitzenburg was one of the hereditary members of the Prussian House of Lords from 1852-1918, when it was dissolved.[2] Numerous branches of the family still exist today. Perhaps the most famous member of the family was the novelist, Countess Elizabeth von Arnim-Schlagenthin.
