More of France
Ancient History
Ile de France is an ancient historical region of France situated in the center of the Paris Basin.
It is believed that this is where the surname More originated. It comprised all the actual
provinces of the Paris region and part of the provinces of Oise, Aisne and Maine. Ile de
France was the birthplace of the Capetian Monarchy. The dialect which was spoken there
superseded over all other dialects in the neighborhood and thus became the language of the
Kingdom of France. Hugues I was the founder of the third dynasty of the Kings of France:
the Capetians.
Before the arrival of the Capetians, the region was once ruled by Robert le Fort succeeded by
his two sons, Eudes who reigned from 888 to 898 and from 922 to 923 the other son, Robert I
took over. The son-in-law of the latter, Rodolphe of Bourgogne fought for the throne with
the Carolingians and they reigned under the name of 'Robertiens'. The Capetian dynasty then
settled with Hugues Capet, son of Hugues le Grand and grand-son of Robert I. Their leader
was at first chosen through vote but soon every sovereign elected and crowned his eldest son
until 1179. In 987 the Capetians inherited a much diminished domain. The name More was
found in Ile-de-France, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.
Spelling Variations
Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes in spelling, for
many different reasons. Many spelling variations arose during the times when names were
first being recorded in written form: scribes, priests, or other recorders, would phonetically
represent names as they heard them, according to their own spelling preferences and
interpretations of various accents and dialects.
Prefixes or suffixes attached to names came and went through the centuries; in some cases to identify a distinct family branch; sometimes to signify a political or religious adherence. Hence, there exist many variations of this name,More, including Moret, Morez, Moré, Morais, Morey, Moraie, Moraies, Mauret, Maurez, Maurais, Maurey, Mauraie, Mauraies, Morret, Maurret, Morrez, Morré, Morrais, Maurrais, Morrey, Maurrey, Morraie, Maurraie, Morraies, Maurraies, Mouré, Mouret, Mourez, Mourière, de Moret and du Moret, but these all seem to have evolved from the same basic origins.
The family name More was found in Ile-de-France, where the family originated from the
little town called Moret. This noble family produced several honored and noted members.
Antoine de Bourbon, Count of Moret, was the illegitimate son of King Henri IV and
Jacqueline de Bueil, born at Fontainebleu in 1607, and was likely killed at the Battle of
Castelnaudary in 1632. The family included the Lords of Moret, from the Houses of Bec-
Crespin and Mascureau, and Pierre, Sieur of La Fayolle, a noted scholar, who was born in 1630
and died near the end of the seventeenth century. The family branched to Pourthenu in
Dauphiné, Bournonville in Ile de France, Pagas in Languedoc, and Valbonnais in Dauphiné
where several members held the title of Marquis Valbonnais.
Settlers Early History
During the reigns of Philippe I (1060-1108), Louis VI le Gros (1108-1137) and Louis VII le
Jeune (1137-1180) the small domain of the Capetians grew larger. They annexed the Gatinais in
1069, the French Vexin in 1082, and Berry in 1100. From 1180 to 1223 Philippe II Auguste
continued the extension and the latter acquired Artois in 1180 through marriage. In 1191 he
took away the Vermandois and the land of Auvergne from the Plantagenets. From the
Plantagenets he also acquired Anjou, Maine, Normandy, Poitou, Saintonge and Touraine in
1203. He additionally arranged for the marriage of the heiress of Brittany with Pierre I of
Dreux thus setting up the Capetian House in Brittany.
In the meantime Orient Pierre II de Courtenay, grand-son of Louis VI became the first Oriental Emperor of the Capetian House. The Capetian branch of Bourbon originated from the marriage of Robert de Clermont with Beatrice of Bourgogne-Bourbon. From 1295 to 1314 Philippe le Bel extended the royal domain up to Champagne, Navarre, Angoumois and to the County of Lyon, thus reinforcing the regal authority.
The family name More was found in Ile-de-France, where the family originated from the
little town called Moret. This noble family produced several honored and noted members.
Antoine de Bourbon, Count of Moret, was the illegitimate son of King Henri IV and
Jacqueline de Bueil, born at Fontainebleu in 1607, and was likely killed at the Battle of
Castelnaudary in 1632. The family included the Lords of Moret, from the Houses of Bec-
Crespin and Mascureau, and Pierre, Sieur of La Fayolle, a noted scholar, who was born in 1630
and died near the end of the seventeenth century. The family branched to Pourthenu in
Dauphiné, Bournonville in Ile de France, Pagas in Languedoc, and Valbonnais in Dauphiné
where several members held the title of Marquis Valbonnais.
More of Austria- Germany
Origins
The region that comprises the modern state of Austria is the ancient homeland of the More
family. Austria, which was originally home to a Celtic people, was conquered by the Roman
Empire in about 15 BC. Following the fall of Rome, Austria was repeatedly invaded by
barbarian tribes, such as the Vandals, Visigoths, and Huns, who swept in from the east.
During the 5th and 6th centuries, the Alemanni, Avars and Slavs settled Austria. The Avars
were defeated in 785 by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne, who set up the East Mark, which
later became known as the Österreich. Austria was ruled by the Babenburger dynasty until
1278, when they were succeeded by the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria until the 20th
century.
Ancient History
The distinguished surname More has been traced to Austria, which was occupied by the Celts
and then the Romans. Between the 3rd and 5th centuries a series of invasions by the Vandals,
Goths, Huns, and Alemans swept in from the east and from the north. In the 9th century, the
Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne made this territory an eastern border region, as a
bulwark against the determined Hungarian and Slavic invasions. Otto the Great finally
defeated the Hungarian forces in 955, and Austria, a word meaning "Kingdom of the East,"
became a Bavarian protectorate.
Research into the history of this name brings us to Austria and the Rhineland, where the name
became noted for its many branches within the region, each house acquiring a status and
influence which was envied and enrolled by the princes of the region. In their later history the
family became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew
into this most influential family.
Spelling Variations
Throughout history most surnames have gone through changes in spelling, even between
generations. Often a name was recorded by a scribe simply by its sound, thus changing the
name's written form. If the name change had been recorded in contracts or legal proceedings,
this spelling often became a part of standard usage. Depending on the region, a name's
spelling may vary quite considerably. Among such variations of the name are Mohr, More,
Morher, Mohrer, Mor and Moor, to name a few examples.
Austria faced in the 16th century the religious troubles of the Reformation and the expansion
of the Turkish Empire. Austria became the Catholic center of the Counter-Reformation, and
despite Ferdinand's expanding power, the Turks laid siege to Vienna in 1529. The Treaty of
Westphalia (1648) put an end to the Thirty Years War and divided up the Empire. The Turks
invaded Austria again in 1699, only to be driven back by Prince Eugene of Savoy, who
conquered large parts of the Balkans, acquiring Transylvania. However, after the Spanish and
Austrian lines of Habsburg died out in 1700 and 1740, Maria Theresa became the only woman
to be Empress on a German throne. They also became Kings of Hungary, which became the
basis for the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Meanwhile, the surname More has been traced to the Rhineland and Austria, which were
established as the primary origins of the family name. The more ancient branch stemmed from
Austria, and their origins are shrouded in mystery and legend. Johann Conrad Mohr was a
major in Steinsberg in 1299 and from him stemmed the dynasty of counts von Mohr in Tirol.
Joseph Mohr was bishop of Chur in 1627, and Johann Mohr was a general who achieved great
fame at the end of the 16th century in the Hungarian wars. Rhineland chronicles first mention
the Mohr von Wald family as early as the 14th century. By the 17th century they were very
prominent in the military, for instance Johann Friedrich Mohr (d.1704), who was General of
the garrison of Coblenz and Comthur of the Teutonic Order.
In Austria, another prominent branch was Mohr von Mohrenhelm, who later moved to Erfurt and were ennobled in 1665 in Frankfurt. The family was brought to Frankfurt from Erfurt by Jost Mohr, a Doctor of Law and Notarius, who died in 1613. His brother, Johann Mohr, was High Chamberlain of Erfurt and was raised to the nobility by King Gustav Adolph of Sweden. Another branch that remained in Austria was Mohr von und zu Sonnegg. They were ennobled by the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I in 1557 in the person of Hieronymus Mohr.
Early History
The Babenberger dynasty ruled Austria until 1278, when the house of Habsburg rose to power
and began its territorial expansion, not by going to war, but by going to the altar; by
marrying into various influential houses, the Habsburgs acquired Tyrol, the Krain region,
Styria, Trieste, and the Alemanian Voralberg. They also gained the Netherlands from the
Dukes of Burgundy in 1482, and married into the Spanish royal family. Charles V left his
Austrian territories to his brother Ferdinand I, who acquired Hungary and Bohemia in 1526.
Early Notables
Notable among the name More in this early period are J.C.B. Mohr, who founded a well-
known publishing house in 1801. Karl Friedrich Mohr (1806-1879) was the leading scientific
pharmacist of his time in Germany. He invented various new analytical processes and the
"Mohr's balance" for determining specific weights and measurements. Charles Theodore
Mohr (1824-1901), a U.S. botanist, was born in Wuerttemberg, Germany. Among various
accomplishments, he explored Dutch Guiana and joined the California gold rush.
The Great Migration
Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Vienna was chosen as the site of the famous
Congress of Vienna, at which the victors decided how the nations of Europe were to share the
spoils. Following this period Austria reached the peak of its prestige. Vienna loosened its hold
on its widespread possessions, particularly in the rebellious Balkan regions. In 1914, the
assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Serbia, started the Great War. The
empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, when Austria became a republic, its
Sudeten Germans now citizens of the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Hitler's forces annexed
it in 1938 and made it a part of greater Germany, and after the war Austria became a
democratic republic.
Spain:
1. The Tower of Hercules ( Galicia)- Built by the Milesian tribe. The Muir clan are descendants from the Milesian royal line.
2. Castell de Mur Castle- Around 1055 Ramon V from Pallars gave the castle to the Mur family in which they occupied and controlled for several centuries.
3. Toledo Castle- owned by the Moore family.
4. Montsona Castle- At one time, the Moore family owned this castle.
5. Guardia de Noguera Castle- At one time, the Moore family owned this castle.
Belgium:
1. Male Castle- The castle was consecrated in 1166 by Thomas Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury, and served mainly as a court for the Counts of Flanders.
Italy:
1. Taranto Castle- from 1699 the Counts von Mohr and later on the Giovanelli.
France:
1. De la Mare Castle- owned and built by the de la Mare
Germany:
1. Mittelmuhr Castle- Built by Herrn von Mur and controlled by the Mur family.
2. Neuenmuhr Castle- One of many castle control and built by the Mur family and this castle was affected by the thirty years war.
3. Altenmuhr Castle- Built by Herrn von Mur and controlled by the Mur family.
4. Turmhugelburg Castle- Herren von Mur build first castles of the Mur family.
5. Kellerhaus Castle- Built by Herrn von Mur and controlled by the Mur family.
