Count Charles Gaëtan Corneille Marie François-Xavier Ghislain de Limburg-Stirum (15 September 1906 – 14 June 1989), a

Count of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

and Knight of the Golden Fleece (Austrian branch), was a member of the House of Limburg-Stirum. During his life he was a Belgian Senator and Grand Master of the Royal Households of King Leopold III.

Life

Charles was born in Huldenberg,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and was the second son of Count Evrard Philippe de Limburg Stirum (29 October 1868 – 8 May 1938) and Louise, Baroness Gericke d'Herwijnen (17 April 1881 - 6 September 1969). He was later adopted by his aunt, Countess Marie de Limburg-Stirum who was without descent, to inherit the castle of Bois Saint Jean in the South of

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he fought as a captain with the Belgian panzer troops and was made prisoner by the Germans. After being released, he took an active part in the armed

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

against the occupier. Bois Saint Jean became an important drop point of material and arms to the Belgian resistance. During the

Von Rundstedt Offensive The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

in the Winter of 1944, Bois Saint Jean was overtaken by the Germans and used as local headquarter. The US Army Air Force bombed it to the ground in January 1945. After the war, he rebuilt the castle of Bois Saint Jean, though in a different style than the original building. Charles de Limburg Stirum served as

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, then was appointed Grand Master of the King Leopold III after King Leopold's abdication. He held this office until 1971. He died in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

on 14 June 1989.

Marriage and Descent

On 13 June 1932 in Křimice (Bohemia) he married Marie Kunigunde, Princess of Lobkowicz (1906-2005), a daughter of Jaroslav, 11th

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

of Lobkowicz, Duke of

Roudnice Roudnice is a municipality and village in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. Etymology The name is derived from the red shades of color (in Czech ''rudá'') of the water in ...

(26 March 1877 - 24 October 1953) and Countess Marie-Thérèse of Beaufort-Spontin (6 August 1885 - 22 February 1942). They had eight children: *''Countess'' Marie Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1935. In 1956, she married Count Gobert-Leopold d'Aspermont Lynden and they have seven children: **''Count'' Jean d'Aspermont; born in 1957. He married Dominique Lamarche and they have two children: ***''Count'' Gobert d'Aspermont; born in 1986. ***''Countess'' Diane d'Aspermont; born in 1990. **''Countess'' Elizabeth d'Aspermont; born in 1958. **''Count'' Philippe d'Aspermont; born in 1959. **''Count'' Geoffrey d'Aspermont; born in 1962. **''Countess'' Sophie d'Aspermont; born in 1964. **''Countess'' Clothilde d'Aspermont; born in 1967. In 1993, she married Philippe Haeglsteen. **''Count'' Cristoph d'Aspermont; born in 1979. *''Countess'' Gabrielle Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1936. In 1958, she married Count Didier Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy and they have three children: **''Count'' Etienne Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1959. He married Dominique de Wasseige and they have four children: ***''Count'' Gaël Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1989. ***''Countess'' Muriel Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1991. ***''Count'' Brieuc Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1994. ***''Countess'' Valentine Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1996. **''Count'' Xavier Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1961. In 1985, he married Baroness Joëlle de Crombrugghe de Looringhe and they have three children: ***''Count'' Cristophe Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1988. ***''Countess'' Marie-Caroline Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1991. ***''Countess'' Sophie Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1992. **''Countess'' Beatrice Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy; born in 1965. *''Count'' Bernard Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1938. In 1970, he firstly married Countess Nathalie de la Boissiere-Thiennes and they have two children: **''Count'' Charles-Philippe Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1971. **''Count'' Leopold Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1978. He then married Régine Roberti. *''Count''

Emmanuel Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...

Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in Huldenberg in 1940. In 1968, he married Countess Nadine d'Ursel and they have three children: **''Countess'' Eleonore Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1970. **''Count'' Wolfgang Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1971. **''Count'' Arnaud Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1974. *''Countess'' Sibylle Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1942. In 1964, she married Pietro del Vaglio Rosati and they have four children: **''Miss'' Christiana del Vaglio Rosati; born in 1966. **''Miss'' Marina del Vaglio Rosati; born in 1968. In 1992, she married Comte Cedric de Lalaing. **''Miss'' Gabriella del Vaglio Rosati; born in 1970. **''Miss'' Natalia del Vaglio Rosati; born in 1975. *''Countess'' Jacqueline Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1943. In 1989, she married Baron Bonifatius von Twickel. *''Count'' Jean Keijsers of Limburg-Stirum; born in 1946. *''Countess'' Louise Keijsers; born in 1949. In 1976, she married Count Engelbert von und zu Westerholt und Gysenberg.

Honours and awards

Belgian honours

*Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown *Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II *Knight of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

Belgian awards

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with bronze lion * Volunteer's Medal 1940-1945 *

Commemorative Medal of the War 1940-1945 A commemorative is an object made to memorialize something. Commemorative may refer to: * Commemorative coin, coins that issued to commemorate something * Commemorative medal, a medal to commemorate something * Commemorative plaque, a plate typic ...

with crossed swords *Prisoner of War Medal 1940-1945 * Resistance Medal 1940-1945 *Honorary Insignia of Work

Foreign honours

*Knight of 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 ...

( Austrian Branch) *: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

) (GCVO) *: Grand Cross of the Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Great (

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

) (GCSG) *: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Oak Crown The Order of the Oak Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne de chêne, german: Eichenlaubkronenorden, lb, Eechelaafkrounenuerden) is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. History The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by Grand ...

(

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 ...

) *: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Southern Cross Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 1822) ...

(

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) *: Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

(

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) *: Grand Cross of the

Order of the House of Orange The Order of the House of Orange (Dutch: ''Huisorde van Oranje''), sometimes referred to as the House Order of Orange, is a dynastic order of the House of Orange-Nassau, the royal family of the Netherlands similar to the Royal Victorian Order in ...

(

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) *: Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

(

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) *: Grand Cross of the

(

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

) *: Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star (

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

) *: Grand Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

(

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

) *: Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

*: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Thailand *: Grand Officer of the

Order of the Yugoslav Flag Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

Foreign awards

* French Liberation Medal *Various foreign awards

Honorific eponyms

* Mount Limburg Stirum

Ancestry

References

External links

ODIS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Limburg Stirum, Charles de 1906 births 1989 deaths

Charles de Limburg Stirum Count Charles Gaëtan Corneille Marie François-Xavier Ghislain de Limburg-Stirum (15 September 1906 – 14 June 1989), a Count of the Holy Roman Empire and Knight of the Golden Fleece (Austrian branch), was a member of the House of Limburg-Stirum ...

Counts of Belgium People from Flemish Brabant Belgian military personnel of World War II Belgian resistance members Knights of the Golden Fleece Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Grand Crosses of the Order of the House of Orange Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Belgian prisoners of war in World War II Belgian Roman Catholics Belgian Army officers World War II prisoners of war held by Germany