The recorded history of the Armentrout family begins in 1319 when it was already among the oldest members of the German Nobility, forming part of the old tournament ring of Franconia.
To belong to any one of the four tournament circles of those days, it was necessary to prove descent from four noble families - all eligible on both paternal and maternal sides. In other words, the Knight had to prove his Quarterings. Several Ermentrauts took part in the tournament at Frankfort and in the celebrated Nurnberg tournament in 1433 during the first year of the reign of Emperor Sigismund. These proofs of eligibility are still preserved. In ancient documents and old genealogical notes the name is spelled Ehrendraut, Ehrendraud, Ermentraut, Ermtraut, Irmintraut, and Irmetraut.
They intermarried with other great families in their own and neighboring countries - Nassau, Franconia, Suabia, and the Palatinate. The present day descendants of these marriages include the Counts of Bassengeim in Bavaria, the Prince and Counts of Matternick in Austria, the Counts of Schnarzenburg in Austria, and the Baron Von Stein on the Rhine and in Prussia.
The Irmtrauts made their reputation as military men. Two were in Spanish-Moorish Wars. One member of the family was entrusted with a Diplomatic mission to the Duke of Burgundy and succeeded so well that he was rewarded by his Sovereign with the augmentation of his "Arms".
The earliest known seat of the family was located in Hadamar Nassau where the name is perpetuated in the little village of Irmtraut, situated on the outskirts of the Westerwald. There they had their feudal holdings and manor house, and in accordance with the customs of the day, the family name was given to the place. A great slave barn carved with the Irmtraut coat of arms was all that remained in 1864. The castle was but a mass of ruins.
The head of the house in Europe was living in 1899 at Monersazteska in Galicia near the Russian border. Carl Frederick Baron Irmtraut as the name is now found in Austria was born in Stuttgart, Germany on December 29, 1810. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Imperial Austrian Army and Knight of the Military Order of Merit. He married a relative, Anna Baroness Von Irmtraut. There were no children.
