Prince of Ligne is a title of

Belgian nobility The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility. History ...

that belongs to 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 t ...

, which goes back to the eleventh century. It owes its name to the village in which it originated, between

Ath Ath (; , ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, Irchonwelz, Isières ...

and

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

. The lords of Ligne belonged to the entourage of the

Count of Hainaut The Count of Hainaut (; ; ) was the ruler of the county of Hainaut, a historical region in the Low Countries (including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany). In English-la ...

at the time of the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

. The Ligne family began a progressive rise in the nobility, first as

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

s in the twelfth century, then counts of Fauquemberg and princes of

Épinoy Épinoy (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southeast of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the Pas ...

in the sixteenth century. Lamoral I received the titles of Prince of Ligne and

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

in the early seventeenth century from

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

. The Princes of Ligne are also

Grandees of Spain Grandees of Spain () are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its Spanish Empire, former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held by extend ...

, but this dignity is held personally rather than in conjunction with the title.

Barons de Ligne

* ''Jean II'', Baron of Ligne and Brabançon, Lord of Beloeil (died 1442) ** Jean III, Baron of Ligne 1442–1469 (died 1469) *** Jean IV, Baron of Ligne, Lord of Roubaix 1469–1491 (died 1491) **** Antoine I, Baron of Ligne and Beloeil 1491–1532, Count of Fauquemberg, created 1st Prince de Mortagne 1513 (died 1532) ***** Jacques I, Baron of Ligne and Beloeil, Count of Fauquemberg 1532-1545 (died 1552), created 1st Count of Ligne 1545 *** ''Guillaume'', inherited Brabançon, ancestor of Dukes of Arenberg in male line (died c.1519)

Comtes de Ligne (1545–1601)

* Jacques I, 1st Count of Ligne in 1545–c. 1552, Count of Fauquemberg, Prince de Mortagne, Baron de Belœil (died c. 1552) ** Philippe, 2nd Count of Ligne c. 1552–1583, Count of Fauquemberg, Baron de Wassenaer et de Bailleul, Vicomte de

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

(1533–1583) *** Lamoral, 3rd Count of Ligne in 1583–1601, created 1st Prince d'Épinoy 1592 (1563–1624), created

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

von Ligne 1601

Princes de Ligne (1601–present)

* Lamoral I, 1st Prince 1601–1624 (1563–1624) ** ''Florent, Hereditary Prince, Marquis de Roubaix (1588–1622), created Prince d'Amblise 1608'' *** Albert Henri, 2nd Prince 1624–1641 (1615–1641) *** Claude Lamoral I, 3rd Prince 1641–1679 (1618–1679) **** Henri I Louis Ernest, 4th Prince 1679–1702 (1644–1702) ***** Antoine II Joseph Ghislain, 5th Prince 1702–1750 (1682–1750) ***** Claude Lamoral II, 6th Prince 1750–1766 (1685–1766) ****** Charles-Joseph, 7th Prince 1766–1814 (1735–1814) ******* ''Charles Antoine Joseph Emanuel, Hereditary Prince (1759–1792)'' ******* ''Louis Eugene Marie Lamoral, Hereditary Prince (1766–1813)'' ******** Eugène I, 8th Prince 1814–1880 (1804–1880) ********* ''Henri Maximilien Joseph Charles Louis Lamoral, Hereditary Prince (1824–1871)'' **********

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

, 9th Prince 1880–1918 (1854–1918) **********

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...

, 10th Prince 1918–1937 (1857–1937), great-grandfather of current Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg *********** Eugène II, 11th Prince 1937–1960 (1893–1960) ************

Baudouin Baudouin () is a French masculine given name and surname, related to Baldwin. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Baudouin of Belgium (1930–1993), King of the Belgians from 1951–1993 * Prince Baudouin of Belgium (1869–1891), ...

, 12th Prince 1960–1985 (1918–1985) ************ Antoine III, 13th Prince of Ligne 1985–2005 (1925–2005) ************* Michel IV, 14th Prince of Ligne 2005–present (born 1951) ************** Henri II Antoine,

Hereditary Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

(born 1989) ************* Prince Wauthier Philippe of Ligne (1952-2022) ************** Prince Philippe Michel of Ligne (born 1977) *************** Prince Jean-Charles of Ligne (born 2010) ************* Prince Antoine Lamoral of Ligne (born 1959) ************** Prince Louis of Ligne (born 2003) ********* ''Prince Charles Joseph Eugene Henri Georges Lamoral of Ligne (1837–1914)'' ********** '' Prince Henri Florent Lamoral of Ligne (1881–1967)'' *********** ''

Prince Jean Charles of Ligne-La Trémoïlle 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. The fema ...

(1911–2005)'' ************

Prince Charles-Antoine Lamoral of Ligne-La Trémoïlle 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. The fema ...

(born 1946) ************* Prince Edouard Lamoral Rodolphe of Ligne-La Trémoïlle (born 1976) ************** Prince Antoine Tau Édouard Adrien of Ligne-La Trémoille (born 2019) ************* Prince Charles Lamoral Joseph Malcolm of Ligne-La Trémoïlle (born 1980) ************** Prince Amadeo Joseph Gabriel of Ligne-La Trémoïlle (born 2012)

Knights of the Golden Fleece

Many of the Princes de Ligne have also been knights of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

. The following list is of those princes, along with their year of investiture: * 1599 -

Lamoral, 1st Prince of Ligne Lamoral, 1st Prince of Ligne (19 July 1563, in Château de Belœil – 6 February 1624, in Brussels) was a diplomat in the 17th century. Early life Lamoral, Count and after 1601 first Prince de Ligne and Prince d'Épinoy, was the son of P ...

* 1646 - Claude-Lamoral, 3rd Prince of Ligne * 1684 - Henri, 4th Prince of Ligne * 1721 -

Claude Lamoral, 6th Prince of Ligne Claude Lamoral, Prince of Ligne (7 August 1685 – Chateau de Beloeil, 7 April 1766) was a Generalfeldmarschall, Field marshal and sixth Prince in the House of Ligne. A state councilor, he reorganized the army in the newly conquered Austrian ...

* 1772 -

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 ...

* 1846 -

Eugène, 8th Prince of Ligne Eugène François Charles Joseph Lamoral de Ligne d'Amblise et d'Epinoy (28 January 1804 – 20 May 1880), 8th Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire was a Belgian diplomat and liberal politician. Early life He was born in Brussels on 2 ...

* 1930 - Ernest, 10th Prince of Ligne * 1954 - Eugène, 11th Prince of Ligne * 1960 -

Baudouin, 12th Prince of Ligne Baudouin de Ligne, 12th Prince of Ligne, GE (''Baudouin Marie Lamoral de Ligne, Prince de Ligne et du Saint-Empire, Prince d'Amblise et d'Epinoy, Grand d'Espagne''; 1918–1985) was the head of the princely House of Ligne. Prince Baudouin was ...

* 1985 -

Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne Antoine Maria Joachim Lamoral de Ligne, 13th Prince of Ligne, Prince of Épinoy, Prince of Amblise, GE (8 March 1925 – 21 August 2005) was the son of Eugène, 11th Prince of Ligne, and his wife, Philippine de Noailles. Life and career Prin ...

* 2011 - Michel, 14th Prince of Linge

References

External links

* {{in lang, fr}
lycos.fr

Eupedia.com
House of Ligne House of La Trémoille Belgian noble princes Ath