Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (née Albrecht; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician who has been the Minister of Defence since 2013, and is the first woman in German history to hold that office. A doctor by profession, she previously also served as the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs from 2009 to 2013 and as the Minister of Senior Citizens, Women and Youth from 2005 to 2009. Von der Leyen has been tipped as a possible future successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel due to personal loyalty to the Chancellor and her 'political instinct'.

Early life

Ursula von der Leyen was born in Brussels. She is the daughter of Ernst Albrecht, a prominent CDU politician and former European Commission official, as well as a long-time Prime Minister of Lower Saxony. Her brother is businessman Hans-Holger Albrecht.

She was born in Ixelles in Brussels, where her father worked for the European Commission (as a Director-General from 1969). She attended the European School until 1971, when the family relocated to Lehrte in Hanover after her father had become CEO of Bahlsen and involved in state politics in Lower Saxony.

House of Leyen

The House of Leyen (von der Leyen) is an ancient German family of high nobility, the origin of which can be traced to the middle of the 12th century, which had estates on the Moselle. Originally the family was named by its castle in Gondorf (Cunthereve). Since the 14th century it has called itself von der Leyen. Its members had the hereditary office of sénéchal in the bishopric of Trier. They also had Adendorf near Bonn, Leiningen on the Hunsrück, the Lordship of Arenfels and St. Ingbert.

Prior to 1660, Hugo Ernst (line Leyen-Adendorf) became Lord of Blieskastel and, in 1657, was created Reichsfreiherr (Imperial baron) von der Leyen. In addition to its scattered territories the family acquired the lordships of Burresheim and Blieskastel before 1660, where it built a residence around 1760. In 1697 Freiherr Karl Caspar received the county of Hohengeroldseck as a fiefdom from Austria. In 1711 he was created Reichsgraf (Imperial count) von der Leyen. With most of the count's territories lost to Napoleon France, Graf Philipp Franz still retained the county Geroldseck. Upon joining the Rheinbund in 1806, he was created Fürst (prince) von der Leyen. In 1819 the principality's holdings were mediatized under Baden, although the title is still being nominally held by House von der Leyen.

Ursula

Ursula may refer to: