Claude Lamoral, 6th Prince Of Ligne

Claude Lamoral, Prince of Ligne (7 August 1685 – Chateau de Beloeil, 7 April 1766) was a

Field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and sixth Prince in the

House of Ligne The House of Ligne is one of the oldest Belgian noble families, dating back to the eleventh century.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XIV. "Ligne". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1991, pp. 495-500. . The family's name comes from the ...

. A state councilor, he reorganized the army in the newly conquered

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands nl, Oostenrijkse Nederlanden; french: Pays-Bas Autrichiens; german: Österreichische Niederlande; la, Belgium Austriacum. was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The p ...

, and in 1720 took possession in the name of the Emperor of the fortified cities of

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

and

Menen Menen (; french: Menin ; vls, Mêenn or ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Be ...

. This voyage through Flanders and Hainaut was accompanied by great pomp and celebration, many Te Deums and numerous receptions in every city. But arguably his greatest achievement is the domain of Belœil. He spent millions to give the castle and its gardens the splendour they have today. Prince Claude-Lamoral tried to rival

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

, and employed the Parisian architect

Jean-Michel Chevotet Jean-Michel Chevotet (11 July 1698, Paris – 4 December 1772) was a French architect. He and Pierre Contant d'Ivry were among the most eminent Parisian architects of the day and designed in both the restrained French Rococo manner, known as the ...

, grand architecture ''connaisseur'' at the time. Prince Claude-Lamoral married Elisabeth Alexandrine de Salm, daughter of

Louis Otto, Prince of Salm Louis Otto, Prince of Salm (24 October 1674 – 23 November 1738) was the Count of Salm-Salm from 1710, the only son of the Imperial chamberlain (''Reichskämmerer'') Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm (1645–1710) and Countess Palatine Luise Mari ...

, and was father of

Charles-Joseph, 7th Prince of Ligne Charles-Joseph Lamoral, 7th Prince de Ligne in French; in German Karl-Joseph Lamoral 7. Fürst von Ligne (also known as Karl Fürst von Ligne or ''Fürst de Ligne''): (23 May 1735 – 13 December 1814) was a field marshal, inhaber of an infantr ...

, Louise (1728–1784) and Marie (1730–1783). {{DEFAULTSORT:Ligne, Claude Lamoral, 6th Prince of 1685 births 1766 deaths #06 #06 Field marshals of Austria Military personnel of the Austrian Netherlands Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria