Who is who at the princely Family de Ligne

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One of the oldest Belgian noble families is without no doubt the House of Ligne. The family was named from the village of Ligne, located between Ath and Tournai (nowadays the Hainaut province of Belgium). 




Some Royal History


At the time of the Crusades, the lords of Ligne belonged to the  entourage of the Count of Hainaut. 
In the Battle of Bouvines, which took place in 1214, they were described as "great name and men of honour". Thierry de Ligne was mentioned than for the very first time. 

In 1544 Jacob of Ligne was granted by Emperor Charles V as Count of Ligne. 

On 20 March 1601 Lamoral I of Ligne received from Emperor Rudolf II the title prince of the Holy Roman Empire. This was granted for himself and for all his descendants both male and  female. 

King Willem I of the Netherlands granted on 13 March 1816, Eugène of Ligne as prince for him and all his descendants. In 1923, King Albert I of Belgium granted Ernest of Ligne the right to use his old titles of Prince of Amblise and Prince of Épinoy. All his descendants were granted to use the title Highness.  






Now


There are nowadays cadet branches of the House of Ligne:
- Brabançon;
- Brabançon-Arenberg;
- Moy;
- Ham;
- Arenberg;
- La Trémoille. 

Who is/was who?


Jan IV of Ligne was Lord of Ligne and Beloeil (1435-1491) . He was chamberlain of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Jan of Ligne  also was knight of the Golden Fleece. 

Claude Lamoral, the 3rd. Prince of Ligne (1618-1679) was a soldier and diplomat of King Philip IV of Spain and King Charles II of Spain.



Charles-Joseph de Ligne (1735 - 1814) was married to Princess Franziska of Liechtenstein. He devoted himself to the literature. He wrote about the Congress of Vienna. Apparently he would have said the famous words: "The Congress would not move forward, it dances".






Eugène de Ligne (1804-1880) represented Belgium at the coronation of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1855. He also represented Belgium at the Coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. 




Another Eugène de Ligne (1893 - 1960) became the Belgian ambassador in India. 


His son Antoine 1925 -2005) married to Princess Alix of Luxembourg. 


Princess Sophie de Ligne (born in 1957) married Phillippe de Nicolaÿ. He is the director of the Rothschild group. He is the great-grandson of Salomon James de Rothschild. 


To Conclude


Nowadays the family de Ligne, still is important in Belgium, they also have interesting family ties. 
It is always a pleasure to read and study more about these noble, princely and royal families. 



Source pictures: Wikipedia

Location: Ligne, 7812 Aat, België

Comments

Vallypee said…
How interesting, Kathleen. It seems there is still a place for these ancient families in today’s world.
January 29, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Kathleen Van Lierop said…
Thank youuuuu so much for your comment. It is interesting how those families are melting in today's world.
January 30, 2025 at 12:31 PM
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