 The feud was named after the knightly House of Dernbach, a powerful "Ganerbschaft" (jointly-owned inheritance) with almost sovereign rights.The Dernbachers, along with the Lords of Bicken (the present-day administrative center of Mittenaar), carried the primary burden of opposing Nassau’s quest for the territorial dominion of the area.In the middle of the 12th century, the emerging House of Nassau greatly expanded its possessions.