Claude Lamoral, 3rd Prince of Ligne, Prince of Epinoy, Marquis of Roubaix and Count of Fauquemberg (8 October 1618 – 21 December 1679), was a nobleman from the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...

, a soldier and diplomat in the service of

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

and

Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War o ...

Biography

Born at Belœil, he succeeded his brother Albert Henry (1615–1641), as third

Prince of Ligne Prince of Ligne is a title of Belgian nobility that belongs to the House of Ligne, which goes back to the eleventh century. It owes its name to the village in which it originated, between Ath and Tournai. The lords of Ligne belonged to the ent ...

. He married in 1642 his brother's widow Claire Marie of Nassau-Siegen, countess of Nassau (Brussels, October 1621 – Belœil, 2 September 1695). He was a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

and Knight in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

(1646). Between 1649 and 1669, he was Captain General of the Spanish Cavalry in the

, which was the third highest military position after

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

and Governor of the Arms. In 1660, he was sent as representative of the Spanish King to the Royal court of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

as first foreign recognition of the newly restored English monarchy. He became

Viceroy of Sicily This is a list of viceroys of Sicily: Aragonese direct rule 1409–1516 * John of Aragon, Duke of Peñafiel, later king John II of Aragon, 1458–1479, acted 1409–1416. * Domingo Ram y Lanaja, Bishop of Lleida 1416–1419 * Antonio de Cardona ...

(1670–1674), where he fortified the coastal defences against Turkish pirates, who attacked the local population to abduct and sell them into slavery. Later he was appointed Governor of the Duchy of Milan (1674–1678). Claude Lamoral, and after his death, his wife Claire Marie, enlarged the Chateau of Belœil and its spectacular French-styled 25 ha garden, which has a 6 ha. lake in front of the castle. Today the gardens are partially open to the public. A description of the present gardens of Belœil in The Telegraph
/ref>

Children

Their daughter Louise Claire de Ligne married on 1 April 1644 the Portuguese nobleman Raimundo de Lencastre, 4th marquess of Torres Novas, 1st

duke of Torres Novas The Dukes of Torres Novas (in Portuguese & Spanish ''Duque de Torres Novas'') was an aristocratic Portuguese title granted by King Philip II of Portugal, also known as Philip III of Spain, by a royal decree of September 26, 1619, to George of Len ...

, 4th

duke of Aveiro Duke of Aveiro ( pt, Duque de Aveiro) was a Portuguese title of nobility, granted in 1535 by King John III of Portugal to his 4th cousin, John of Lencastre, son of Infante George of Lencastre, a natural son of King John II of Portugal. Joh ...

, ''Conselheiro de Estado''. In Spain he was also duke of

Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ; en, "Royal City") is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. History It was founde ...

, a Grandee of Spain in May 1664, 8th Duke of

Maqueda Maqueda is a Spanish town located 80 kilometers from Madrid and 45 kilometers from Toledo. Located within the autonomous community Castilla-La Mancha and the province of Toledo, Maqueda is located in the comarca of Torrijos. The town is best k ...

, marquess de Montemayor, marquess of

Elche Elche ( ca-valencia, Elx) is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants,Guadix Guadix (; Local pronunciation: aˈðih is a city and municipality in southern Spain, in the province of Granada. The city lies at an altitude of 913 metres, on the centre of the Hoya of Guadix, a high plain at the northern foothills of the Sierr ...

on 6 October 1666, aged 35. He had to flee to Spain after the Portuguese Secession of 1640. She married again the Spanish nobleman Iñigo Manuel Velez Ladrón de Guevara y Tassis, 10th count of Oñate, a

by king

to his ancestors in 1640 and a Knight of the

, Head of the Spanish Post Offices, deceased in 1699. She had no issue, apparently, in the first marriage but issue on the second.

Ancestry

References

External links

Genealogy of the Belgian house de Ligne, in French
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamoral De Ligne, Claude 1618 births 1679 deaths Viceroys of Sicily Knights of the Golden Fleece Spanish generals #03 #03 Grandees of Spain