The Dietrichstein family originated in Carinthia (Austria), named after Dietrichstein Castle. They rose in the 16th century when Siegmund von Dietrichstein (a Habsburg courtier) was elevated to Freiherr and married into Maximilian I’s family. Their real ascent came under Adam von Dietrichstein, Habsburg ambassador to Spain, who acquired large Moravian estates including Mikulov (Nikolsburg) Castle. In 1624, Cardinal Franz Seraph von Dietrichstein, Archbishop of Olomouc and Governor of Moravia, was created the first Prince of Dietrichstein. The family became one of the leading noble houses of Moravia, major patrons of the Counter-Reformation, and protectors of Mikulov’s important Jewish community.

Their holdings included Mikulov, Hollenburg (Carinthia), and the Barony of Tarasp (Switzerland). They intermarried with prominent dynasties like Liechtenstein. The princely line ended in 1864, but through heiress Alexandrine, the title passed to the Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein branch, which lasted until 1964. The Dietrichsteins left a lasting cultural, political, and religious legacy in Central Europe, especially in Moravia.