House of Ligne
Encyclopedia
The House of Ligne is one of the oldest Belgian noble families, dating back to the eleventh century. It s name comes from the village in which it originated, between Ath
and Tournai
. The lords of Ligne belonged to the entourage of the Count of Hainaut at the time of the Crusades
. With the battle of Bouvines
in 1214, they were described as "great name and men of honour" by the chroniclers of the time. Their progressive rise in the nobility began as baron
s in the twelfth century, counts of Fauquemberg and princes of Épinoy
in the sixteenth century. Lamoral I received from the emperor
Rudolf II
the titles of Prince of Ligne and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
. There are cadet branches of this house: Brabançon, Brabançon-Arenberg, Moy, Ham and Arenberg
Princes de Ligne
List of the Princes of Ligne:
s to the Kingdoms of Jerusalem
, Cyprus
, Armenia
, and Naples
:
Ath
Ath is a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The Ath municipality includes the old communes of Lanquesaint, Irchonwelz, Ormeignies, Bouvignies, Ostiches, Rebaix, Maffle, Arbre, Houtaing, Ligne, Mainvault, Moulbaix, Villers-Notre-Dame, Villers-Saint-Amand, Ghislenghien...
and Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
. The lords of Ligne belonged to the entourage of the Count of Hainaut at the time of the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. With the battle of Bouvines
Battle of Bouvines
The Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, was a conclusive medieval battle ending the twelve year old Angevin-Flanders War that was important to the early development of both the French state by confirming the French crown's sovereignty over the Angevin lands of Brittany and Normandy.Philip Augustus of...
in 1214, they were described as "great name and men of honour" by the chroniclers of the time. Their progressive rise in the nobility began as baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
s in the twelfth century, counts of Fauquemberg and princes of Épinoy
Épinoy
Épinoy is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village situated southeast of Arras at the junction of the N43 and D21 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:* Traces of an old castle....
in the sixteenth century. Lamoral I received from the emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Rudolf II
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Hungary and Croatia , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria...
the titles of Prince of Ligne and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. There are cadet branches of this house: Brabançon, Brabançon-Arenberg, Moy, Ham and Arenberg
House of Arenberg
The House of Arenberg is an aristocratic lineage that is constituted by three successive families who took their name from Arenberg, a small principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the Eifel. The inheritance of the House of Croÿ-Aarschot made the Arenbergs the most influential and most wealthy...
Abbots and abbesses
Within this house there were the following abbots and abbesses:- Gérard de Ligne (+1270) Abott de CambraiCambraiCambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
- Mahaut de Ligne (c. 1275) Abbess d'Epinlieu
- Marie de Ligne (c. 1500) Abbess de MonsMonsMons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
- Marie de Ligne (c. 1550) Abbess de CambraiCambraiCambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
- Catherine de Ligne (+1581) Abbess de Thorn (La Thure)
Princes de LignePrince of LignePrince of Ligne is one of the most prestigious Belgian noble titles. It goes back to the eleventh century and owes its name at the village in which it originated, between Ath and Tournai. The lords of Ligne belong to the entourage of the Count of Hainaut at the time of the crusades...
List of the Princes of Ligne:- Lamoral ILamoral, 1st Prince of LigneLamoral I first Prince de Ligne , Count and since 1601 first Prince of Ligne and Prince d'Espinoy, was a Belgian diplomat of the 17th century.- Biography :...
, 1st Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1563-1624). - Albert Henri, 2nd Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1615-1641)
- Claude Lamoral I, 3rd Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1618-1679)
- Henri Louis Ernest, 4th Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1644-1702)
- Antoine Joseph Ghislain, 5th Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1682-1750)
- Claude Lamoral IIClaude Lamoral, 6th Prince of LigneClaude Lamoral II, Prince of Ligne was a Field marshal and sixth Prince in the House of Ligne....
, 6th Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1685-1766) - Charles-Joseph, 7th Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1735-1814)
- Eugène, 8th Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1804-1880)
- Louis, 9th Prince of Ligne (1854-1918)
- Ernest, 10th Prince of Ligne (1857-1937)
- Eugène IIEugène, 11th Prince of LigneEugene de Ligne, 11th Prince de Ligne was the eldest son of Ernest, 10th Prince de Ligne and Diane de Cossé-Brissac...
, 11th Prince of Ligne (1893-1960) - BaudouinBaudouin, 12th Prince of LigneBaudouin, 12th Prince of Ligne...
, 12th Prince of Ligne (1918-1985) - AntoineAntoine, 13th Prince of LigneAntoine Maria Joachim Lamoral, Prince of Ligne, Prince of Épinoy, Prince of Amblise, Grandee of Spain was born on 8 March 1925 in Brussels, Belgium. He was the son of Eugène, 11th Prince of Ligne and Philippine de Noailles...
, 13th Prince of Ligne (1925-2005) - MichelMichel, 14th Prince of LigneMichel Charles Eugène Marie Lamoral, Prince de Ligne, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Prince d'Épinoy, Prince d'Amblise, and Grandee of Spain, was born on 26 May 1951 in Château de Belœil, Belgium. He is the son of Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne and Princess Alix Marie of Luxembourg. He is thus the...
, 14th Prince of Ligne (1951-)
Other members of the House of Ligne
PretenderPretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
s to the Kingdoms of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, Cyprus
Kingdom of Cyprus
The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:...
, Armenia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
, and Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
:
- Charles-Antoine LamoralCharles-Antoine Lamoral, prince de Ligne de La TrémoïllePrince Charles-Antoine Marie Louis Eugène Lamoral of Ligne-La Trémoïlle co-founded a company, Larex, Inc., that promoted development along the riverfront of the Los Angeles River corridor, including a possible high-speed train from San Francisco to San Diego.-Background:Charles-Antoine was born in...
, prince de Ligne de La Trémoïlle (1946-), third cousin once removedCousinIn kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of MichelMichel, 14th Prince of LigneMichel Charles Eugène Marie Lamoral, Prince de Ligne, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Prince d'Épinoy, Prince d'Amblise, and Grandee of Spain, was born on 26 May 1951 in Château de Belœil, Belgium. He is the son of Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne and Princess Alix Marie of Luxembourg. He is thus the...
- Heir: Prince Edouard Lamoral de Ligne de La Trémoïlle (1976-)