| Helfenstein | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | County of Helfenstein |
| Founded | Around 1100 |
| Founder | Eberhard of Helfenstein |
| Current head | Ernst Heinrich von Helfenstein |
| Final ruler | Georg I (Helfenstein-Blaubeuren)/Rudolph II (Helfenstein-Wiesensteig) |
| Titles | Count, Freiherr, Herr |
| Dissolution | Helfenstein-Blaubeuren in 1517, Helfenstein-Wiesensteig on 20 September 1627 |
| Cadet branches | Helfenstein-Blaubeuren, Helfenstein-Wiesensteig |
The House of Helfenstein was a German noble family during the High and Late Middle Ages. The family was named after the family castle, Castle Helfenstein, located above Geislingen an der Steige in the Swabian Alb region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The family held the rank of Graf or Count and was very significant in the 13th and 14th Centuries, but fell into financial difficulties and the family lost its estate in 1627.
Later the main branch of the family emigrated to America and even today they are successor members of this German dynasty. Currently the German-Argentinean Ernst Heinrich von Helfenstein have the honorary title by inheritance of Baron and Count by subsequent to his Father.