Gerhard changed his name to Eppstein and already having control of the present-day district of Offenbach, became the first in the line which was soon to become one of the most influential families in the Rhine Main area.
Gerhard renamed himself Eppstein and, having already dominated the present-day district of Offenbach, rose to become the first in a lineage that would soon become one of the most powerful families in the Rhine Main region.