Princely Count (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

Charles of Arenberg,

duke of Aarschot The Duke of Aarschot (or ''Aerschot'') was one of the most important aristocratic titles in the Low Countries, named after the Brabantian city of Aarschot. The title was held by the House of Croÿ and the House of Arenberg. The present Duke is Leo ...

(''jure uxoris''),

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 ...

of Zevenbergen, knight 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 ...

, (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 ci ...

– 18 January 1616, in

Enghien Enghien (; ; ; ) 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 density of 295 inhabitants per km2. ...

) 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 12th c ...

and a leading aristocrat of the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...

, 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 * Jean ...

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 (; ) 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 was more important to negotiate than to decide. Its ...

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), the duchy of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

(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 provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

(the barony of Zevenbergen, the Free Lordship of Zuid-Polsbroek and the lordships of

Terschelling Terschelling (; ; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland. ...

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 (6 miles) southwest of The Hague. Naaldwijk lies in the heart of Westland. The largest economic sector is g ...

). 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 Catholi ...

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

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and studying law at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

. He returned to the Netherlands shortly after the outbreak of the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...

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 and

Wenceslaus Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Slavic names#In Slovakia and Czech_Republic, Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are , , , , , , among others. It origina ...

on their journey to the court of Philip II. 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 List of French monarchs, King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II of France, Francis II in 1560, an ...

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 Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

(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 appointed Charles of Arenberg colonel of a regiment of German cavalry. He saw action during the

Cologne War The Cologne War (, ''Kölnischer Krieg'', '' Truchsessischer Krieg''; 1583–1588) was a conflict between Protestant and Catholic factions that devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Em ...

(1582–1584), notably in the Siege of Godesberg (1583), participated in the sieges of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

(1585) and of

Sluis Sluis (; ; ) is a city and municipality located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western Dutch province of Zeeland. The current incarnation of the municipality has existed since 1 January 2003. The former municipalities of Oostb ...

(1587) and joined Farnese's campaign in France (1590). In 1582 marriage between him and Sibylle of Julich-Kleve-Berg, aunt of

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–16 ...

and cousin of

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

was promoted by Arenbergs mother Marguerite.The marriage never came into fruition because of the class differences between the two houses and the difficult political situation. On 27 April 1586, Charles of Arenberg was awarded the

. 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

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

at Bourbourg in 1587, in a feigned attempt to end hostilities between England and Spain. At the accession of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella, 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 legal confirmation of an act of its agent. In international law, ratification is the process by which a state declares its consent to be bound to a treaty. In the case of bilateral treaties, ratification is usuall ...

of the Treaty of Vervins by

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

. He returned to the French Court two years later, to congratulate the king on his marriage with

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...

. 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 King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...

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. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

. 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 and

Bye Plot The Bye Plot of 1603 was a conspiracy, by Priesthood (Catholic Church), Roman Catholic priests and Puritans aiming at toleration, tolerance for their respective denominations, to kidnap the new English king, James I of England. It is referred to ...

s. In the summer of 1604, he headed the archducal delegation that negotiated the Treaty of London. He visited

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

and

Wanstead House Wanstead House was a mansion built to replace the earlier Wanstead Hall. It was commissioned in 1715, completed in 1722 and demolished in 1825. Its gardens now form the municipal Wanstead Park in the London Borough of Redbridge. History Construc ...

. During his time in London he suffered from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

. At his departure, Anne of Denmark gave him a jewel with her initials, "A.R". 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 Habsburg Spain, Spain and the Dutch Republic, agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609 and ended on 9 April 1621. While European powers like Kingdom of France, France began tre ...

. 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, north of London, was a significant stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries. Set in extensive ...

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, 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

(Barbançon 18 October 1587 – Madrid 25 September 1640):
''Married to Isabelle Claire de Berlaymont''. ###

Philippe François, 1st Duke of Arenberg Philippe François de Ligne, (30 July 1625 - 17 December 1674), 7th Duke of Aarschot, 1st Duke of Arenberg, a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, was the first son of the second marriage of Philippe Charles, Comte d'Arenberg and Isabell ...

:
''married to Magdalena de Borja y Doria''. ### Charles Eugene, 2nd Duke of Arenberg:
''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 #######

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 No ...

#######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 Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

.'' ## 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 ### 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 nobility, 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 (b. 1948). The main residence ...

(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 friar 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 friar 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'' #### Eugen Alexander Franz, 1st Prince of Thurn and Taxis: married to Anna-Adelheid of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg. #####

Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis, (30 January 1681 – 8 November 1739) was the second Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Postmaster General of the Imperial Reichspost, and Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis from 21 February 1714 until his de ...

:''married to Maria-Ludovika, Princess of Lobkowicz'' ######

Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: ''Alexander Ferdinand Fürst von Thurn und Taxis'' (21 March 1704 – 17 March 1773) was the third Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Postmaster General of the Imperial Reichspost, ...

##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 Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

Knights of the Golden Fleece Lords of Zuid-Polsbroek Charles de Ligne Military personnel from the Netherlands in the Spanish army during the Eighty Years' War Princes of Chimay