Princely Count (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "cou ...

Charles of Arenberg, duke of Aarschot (''jure uxoris''), baron of

Zevenbergen Zevenbergen is a Dutch city which is a part of the municipality of Moerdijk. Zevenbergen is located in the northwest of the province of North Brabant near Breda. History Zevenbergen (literal translation: Seven Mountains) is presumably named aft ...

, knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, (22 February 1550, in

Vollenhove Vollenhove is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, southwest of Steenwijk. Until the Noordoostpolder was drained, it was located on the coast of the Zuiderzee. Vollenhove received cit ...

– 18 January 1616, in

Enghien Enghien (; nl, Edingen ; pcd, Inguî; vls, Enge) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1January 2006, Enghien had a total population of 11,980. The total area is , which gives a population de ...

) was the second Princely Count of

Arenberg Arenberg, also spelled as Aremberg or Ahremberg, is a former county, principality and finally duchy that was located in what is now Germany. The Dukes of Arenberg remain a prominent Belgian noble family. History First mentioned in the 12 ...

and a leading aristocrat of the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands was the Renaissance period fiefs in the Low Countries held by the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. The rule began in 1482, when the last Valois-Burgundy ruler of the Netherlands, Mary, wife of Maximilian I of Austr ...

, who served as a courtier, soldier, minister and diplomat.

Background and early years

Charles of Arenberg was the eldest son of

Jean de Ligne Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Je ...

and Margaretha von der Mark, countess of

. As his mother was the sister and sole heiress of Robert III von der Marck-Arenberg, the marriage contract of his parents stipulated that he would bear the title, name and arms of

. On 5 March 1576, Emperor Maximilian II raised his mother and her heirs to the rank of Princely Counts, thereby promoting them to the

Council of Princes The Imperial Diet ( la, Dieta Imperii Comitium Imperiale; german: Reichstag) was the deliberative body of the Holy Roman Empire. It was not a legislative body in the contemporary sense; its members envisioned it more like a central forum where it ...

of the Imperial Diet. Apart from the immediate princely county of Arenberg, the family owned extensive properties in the duchy of Brabant (the lordships of

Vorselaar Vorselaar () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Vorselaar proper. In 2021, Vorselaar had a total population of 7,995. The total area is 27.62 km2. Famous inhabitants * ...

, Loenhout and

Humbeek Humbeek is a small town in Belgium with approximately 3,985 inhabitants. It is located in the municipality of Grimbergen, in the province of Flemish Brabant. Humbeek has an area of 7,87 km2 and a population density of 506 inhabitants per k ...

), the duchy of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

(the lordship of Mirwart and half of Neufchâteau) and the county of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

(the barony of

and the lordships of Terschelling and

Naaldwijk Naaldwijk () is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 10 km southwest of The Hague. Naaldwijk lies in the heart of Westland. The largest economic sector is greenhouse ...

). At the age of ten, Charles of Arenberg was sent to the court of

Albert V of Bavaria Albert V (German: ''Albrecht V.'') (29 February 1528 – 24 October 1579) was Duke of Bavaria from 1550 until his death. He was born in Munich to William IV and Maria Jacobäa of Baden. Early life Albert was educated at Ingolstadt by Catholic ...

, where he remained for three years. In 1566 he set out on a

grand tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

, visiting

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Palermo,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

and Strasbourg and studying law at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

. He returned to the Netherlands shortly after the outbreak of the Dutch Revolt and the death of his father in the battle of Heiligerlee. His mother wanted him to stay neutral in the revolt and used her influence to have him sent on diplomatic missions. In 1570 he joined Archduchess Anna of Austria and her two brothers, the Archdukes

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

and

Wenceslaus Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are german: Wenzel, pl, Wacław, Więcesław, Wieńczysław, es, Wenceslao, russian ...

on their journey to the court of

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

. From there, the king sent him on a mission to

Charles IX of France Charles IX (Charles Maximilien; 27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574) was King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II in 1560, and as such was the penultimate monarch of the ...

to salute the birth of Marie Elisabeth of Valois. On his way back from a pilgrimage (1573) to Rome and Loreto, Charles of Arenberg accompanied the widowed Elisabeth of Austria from Nancy to the Imperial Court in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

(1575–1576). During his stay in Vienna Arenberg was raised to a princely county. In the meantime, the rebellious States of Holland had confiscated his estates in 1572. After a brief restitution in 1577, they were once again seized in 1579. In the process these properties suffered considerable damage.

In service of the House of Habsburg

In August 1581,

Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to: * Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome *Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew * Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), ...

appointed Charles of Arenberg colonel of a regiment of German cavalry. He saw action during the Cologne War (1582–1584), notably in the

Siege of Godesberg The siege of Godesberg, 18 November – 17 December 1583, was the first major siege of the Cologne War (1583–1589). Seeking to wrest control of an important fortification, Bavarian and mercenary soldiers surrounded the Godesberg, and the villa ...

(1583), participated in the sieges of Antwerp (1585) and of Sluis (1587) and joined Farnese's campaign in France (1590). On 27 April 1586, Charles of Arenberg was awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece. In the same year, he made his entry in the Collateral Councils that advised the governor-general. Philip II appointed him a member of the Council of State and one of the heads of the Council of Finance. The following year, he was among the delegation that met with the envoys of Queen Elisabeth I at

Bourbourg Bourbourg (; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated in the maritime plain of northern France, in the middle of a triangle formed by Dunkirk, Calais, and Saint-Omer. Population In 1945 Bourbourg absorbed the fo ...

in 1587, in a feigned attempt to end hostilities between England and Spain. At the accession of the Archdukes Albert and

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

, Arenberg saw his loyalty to the House of Habsburg rewarded. He was maintained as a member of the Council of State (1598) and was appointed a gentleman of the archducal Bedchamber (1599), lieutenant-general and admiral of the Netherlands and president of the Council of Admiralty (1599) and finally grand falconer of the Netherlands (1600). For the next few years, Charles of Arenberg acted as the Archduke's most prestigious ambassador. In 1598 he was among the delegation that went to Paris to witness the

ratification Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inte ...

of the

Treaty of Vervins A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

. He returned to the French Court two years later, to congratulate the king on his marriage with Marie de' Medici. In June 1603 Charles of Arenberg was sent on an embassy to congratulate King

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

upon his accession to the English throne. On 4 October he had an audience with

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

. The mission was meant to pave the way for an end to the Anglo-Spanish War, but almost backfired when Arenberg was wrongfully accused of involvement in the

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

and Bye Plots. The following year, he headed the archducal delegation that negotiated the Treaty of London. Increasingly suffering from gout, Charles of Arenberg thereafter withdrew from active politics. In 1607 he and his wife bought the domain at

from Henry IV of France. He recuperated the expense by selling off the Dutch possessions that had been restored to him by the

Twelve Years' Truce The Twelve Years' Truce was a ceasefire during the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609 and ended on 9 April 1621. While European powers like France began treating the Republic as a soverei ...

. The lordships of Naaldwijk and Terschelling were among the goods that were sold. In order to make Enghien their principal seat, the Arenbergs rebuilt the castle and made many improvements to the gardens, with Robert Cecil's gardens at

Theobalds House Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace) in the parish of Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire, was a significant stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries. Set in extensive parkland, it was a ...

allegedly serving as an example. In the town of Enghien they founded a Capuchin monastery that would henceforth serve as the dynasty's necropolis.

Marriage and descendants

Charles of Arenberg was the founder of the third and present House of Arenberg. On 4 January 1587 he married Anne de Croÿ, the eldest daughter of

Philippe III de Croÿ Philippe de Croÿ, 3rd Duke of Aarschot, 4th Prince of Chimay, Count of Porcean (Valenciennes, 10 July 1526Venice, 11 December 1595), was Stadtholder of Flanders, and inherited the estates of the ancient and wealthy family of Croÿ. Becoming a so ...

, 3rd duke of Aarschot. When his brother-in-law, Charles III of Croÿ, 5th Prince of Chimay, 4th duke of Aarschot, died without issue in 1612, most of his titles and estates passed to Anne and her descendants. They had 12 children:Tytgat (1994) p. 20. Most of the current high nobility of Belgium descends from him, his descendance contains major noble families. Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg
''married to Anne de Croÿ'' ## Philippe Charles of Arenberg, 6th duke of Aarschot (Barbançon 18 October 1587 – Madrid 25 September 1640):
''Married to Isabelle Claire de Berlaymont''. ### Philippe François, 1st Duke of Arenberg:
''married to Magdalena de Borja y Doria''. ###

Charles Eugene, 2nd Duke of Arenberg Charles Eugene, 2nd Duke of Arenberg (1633–1681), a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece since 1678, became 2nd Duke of Arenberg in 1674 on the death of his half-brother Philippe François, 1st Duke of Arenberg. The original title had be ...

:
''Married to Marie-Henriette de Cusance, marquise de Varambon.'' #### Philippe-Charles, 3rd duke of Arenberg ##### Léopold-Philippe, 4th Duke of Arenberg ######

Charles Marie Raymond, 5th Duke of Arenberg Charles Marie Raymond d'Arenberg (Enghien, 1 April 1721 – Enghien, 17 August 1778) was the fifth Duke of Arenberg, 11th Duke of Aarschot and an Austrian field marshal. Biography Charles Marie was the eldest son of Duke Leopold Philippe d'A ...

#######

Louis Engelbert, 6th Duke of Arenberg Louis Engelbert of Arenberg (3 August 1750 in Brussels – 7 March 1820 in Brussels), nicknamed ''the blind duke'', was between 1778 and 1801 the sixth Duke of Arenberg and 12th Duke of Aarschot. Between 1803 and 1810 he ruled a Duchy in Nor ...

#######Marie-Flore d'Arenberg:
''married to Wolfgang-William, 3rd Duke d'Ursel.'' ########

Charles-Joseph, 4th Duke d'Ursel Charles-Joseph, 4th Duke d'Ursel and of Hoboken, Prince of Arches and Charleville and Count of Grobbendoncq (9 August 1777 – 27 September 1860) was a statesman and minister in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and later Belgium.

## Charles of Arenberg (Barbançon 13 November 1588 – Rome 21 April 1613):
''canon of the cathedral chapter of St Lambert in Liège, provost of Sainte-Waudru in Mons.'' ## Ernestine of Arenberg (Brussels 31 October 1589 – Abbeville 12 June 1653):
''married to Guillaume III de Melun, Prince of Espinoy. ### Alexandre-Guillaume de Melun:
''married 2nd to Jeanne Pélagie de Rohan-Chabot'' ####Louis I de Melun, Prince of Epinoy: married to

Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

### Anne de Melun ### Louise-Eugenie de Melun, married to Maximilien III Emmanuel de la Woestyne, 1st Marquess of Becelaere.'' ## Alexander of Arenberg,

prince of Chimay Prince of Chimay is a title of Belgian and Dutch nobility associated with the town of Chimay in what is now Belgium. The title is currently held by Philippe de Caraman-Chimay, 22nd Prince de Chimay. The main residence of the princely family is Ch ...

(Brussels 15 December 1590 – Wesel 16 August 1629):
''married to Madeleine of Egmont'' ###Anne-Caroline, Princesse of Arenberg and Chimay;
''Married to Eugène de Hénin, 6th Count of Bossu''. ####Philippe de Hénin, 7th Count of Bossu and Prince of Chimay ##### Thomas de Hénin, Cardinal d'Alsace ## Salentin of Arenberg (Brussels 16 December 1591 – Brussels 15 August 1592). ## Antoine of Arenberg (Brussels 21 February 1593 – Brussels 5 June 1669):
''became a Capuchin monk under the name of Charles of Brussels.'' ## Claire of Arenberg (Brussels 20 August 1594 – Brussels 1670):
''married 1st to Bertin Spinola, count of Bruay and 2nd Ottavio Visconti, count of Gamalero.'' ## Alexandrine-Albertine of Arenberg (Brussels 28 May 1596 – Brussels 19 July 1652):
''married Herman Philippe de Merode, Marquess of Trelong.'' ###Albert de Merode, Marquess of Trelong: married to Marie-Célestine de Raye ####Claude-François de Merode, Marquess of Trelong ###Philippe-Antoine de de Merode, Count of Bocarmé. ###Alexandre de Merode, Baron of Haeren ## NN (stillborn, Brussels 16 July 1597). ## Eugene of Arenberg (Brussels 12 July 1600 – Zaragoza 18 September 1635):
''became a Capuchin monk under the name of Desiré of Brussels.'' ## Dorothée of Arenberg (Ghent 26 November 1601 – 1655):
''married Philippe, count of Hornes.'' ###Philippe-Eugène of Hornes: Married to Eleonore de Merode ###Albert of Hornes: Bishop of Ghent. ###Françoise-Eugène of Hornes:
''Married to

Lamoral II Claudius Franz, Count of Thurn and Taxis Lamoral II Claudius Franz, Count of Thurn and Taxis (14 February 1621 (baptized) – 13 September 1676) was a German nobleman and Imperial Postmaster. He took over the post of Imperial Postmaster General from his mother when he came of age in 1 ...

'' ####

Eugen Alexander Franz, 1st Prince of Thurn and Taxis , image = Eugen Alexander von Thurn und Taxis.jpg , caption = , reign = 13 September 1676–1695 , reign-type = Period , predecessor = Lamoral II Claudius Franz , successor = himself as Prince , succes ...

: married to Anna-Adelheid of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg. ##### Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis:''married to Maria-Ludovika, Princess of Lobkowicz'' ###### Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis ##Caroline Ernestine of Arenberg (Brussels 6 September 1606 – Enghien 12 September 1630)
''married her cousin Count Ernst von Isenburg-Grenzau.''

Sources

* * * *

Notes

References

Worldroots

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arenberg, Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of 1550 births 1616 deaths People from Steenwijkerland Charles de Ligne Charles Knights of the Golden Fleece Lords of Zuid-Polsbroek Charles de Ligne Dutch people of the Eighty Years' War (Spanish Empire)