Dalberg, the name of an ancient and noble German family which long held by hereditary right the office of chamberlain to the archbishopric of Worms. So great was the renown of the Dalberg family, that at every coronation of a German emperor the royal herald exclaimed: 'Is there no Dalberg here?' whereupon the representative of the family kneeled, and received from the new emperor the dignity of 'first knight of the empire.'
One of the most eminent members of this family was Karl Theodor (1744–1817), the last prince-bishop of Mainz, who, trained for the church, held numerous high offices, and ultimately became elector of Mainz, chancellor of the empire, and primate of Germany. He was a friend of Wieland, Herder, Goethe, and Schiller, and wrote works on history, philosophy, and aesthetics.