Eugène François Charles Joseph Lamoral de Ligne d'Amblise et d'Epinoy (28 January 1804 – 20 May 1880), 8th

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 en ...

and of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

was a Belgian diplomat and liberal politician.

Early life

He was born in Brussels on 28 January 1804. He was the son of Louis Eugene Marie Lamoral, Prince of Ligne, and Countess Louise van der Noot de Duras.

Career

He lived in Vienna from 1834 until 1837. After his return to Belgium, he was named ambassador and sent to London for the

coronation of Queen Victoria The coronation of Queen Victoria, Victoria as queen of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18. The ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey ...

. He had a successful diplomatic career. In 1849 he was elected as a member of the

Belgian parliament The Federal Parliament (; ; ) is the bicameral parliament of Belgium. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). It sits in the Palace of the Nation in the centre of the nation's capital, Brussels. ...

and was

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Belgian Senate The Senate ( ; ; ) is one of the two chambers of the Bicameralism, bicameral Belgian Federal Parliament, Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium), Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be ...

, in succession of Augustin Dumon-Dumortier, from 25 March 1852 until 18 July 1879. In 1863 the King named him

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

Personal life

Eugène was married three times. His first marriage was on 12 May 1823 to Amélie Mélanie de Conflans (1802–1833), a daughter of Charles Louis Gabriel de Conflans, Marquis d'Armentières and Amélie Gabrielle de Croÿ. Before her death in Florence in March 1833, they were the parents of: * Prince Henri Maximilien Joseph Charles Louis Lamoral (1824–1871), who married Marie Louise Marguerite de Talleyrand-Périgord, a daughter of Ernest de Talleyrand-Périgord. Ancestor of the elder branch of Ligne, and of Prince Charles of Luxembourg (born 2020). * Prince Louis (1827–1845), who died unmarried. After the death of his first wife, he married Nathalie Charlotte Auguste de Trazegnies (1811–1835) on 28 July 1834, a daughter of Georges Philippe de Trazegnies, Marquess of Trazegnies and Countess Marie Louise van Maldeghem. His second wife died a few days after giving birth to their only child: * Princess Natalie (1835–1863), who married Rudolf, 11th Duke of Croÿ, son of Alfred, 10th Duke of Croÿ and Princess Eleonore of Salm-Salm. His third, and final, marriage was on 28 October 1836 to Princess Jadwiga Julia Wanda Lubomirska (1815–1895), a daughter of Polish Prince Henryk Ludwik Lubomirski, who settled in Austria, and Princess Teresa Czartoryska (daughter of Prince Józef Klemens Czartorysk). Together, they were the parents of: * Prince Charles Joseph Eugène (1837–1914), who married Charlotte de Gontaut-Biron, a daughter of Etienne Charles de Gontaut-Biron and Charlotte Marie de Fitz-James (a daughter of the 7th Duke of Fitz-James). * Prince Edouard Henri Auguste (1839–1911), who married Princess Eulalia of Solms-Braunfels, daughter of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels and Princess Sophie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (widow of Prince Franz of Salm-Salm). * Princess Isabelle (1840–1858), who died young. * Princess Marie Georgine Sophie Hedwige Eugenie (1843–1911), who married Sosthène II de La Rochefoucauld, 4th Duke of Doudeauville, a grandson of Ambroise-Polycarpe de La Rochefoucauld. He died in Brussels on 20 May 1880 and was buried in Belœil, near

Château de Belœil A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaki ...

, the estate of the House of Ligne. As his eldest son predeceased him in 1871, he was succeeded as Prince of Ligne by his grandson,

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 ...

Descendants

Through his eldest son Prince Henri, he was a grandfather of Louis, 9th Prince of Ligne (1854–1918). Prince Henri also had an illegitimate child with the actress

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

, Maurice Bernhardt (1864–1921), who married Princess Maria "Terka" Jabłonowska (daughter of Prince Karol Jabłonowski). Through his daughter Princess Natalie, he was the grandfather of Princess Isabella of Croÿ (1856–1931), who married

Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen (Friedrich Maria Albrecht Wilhelm Karl; 4 June 1856 – 30 December 1936) was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces of the Austro-Hungaria ...

. Through his son Prince Edouard, he was a grandfather of Prince Albert de Ligne (1874–1957), the Belgian Ambassador to the United States. He is also an ancestor of the future monarch of Luxembourg.

Honours

; National * : Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold, 16 June 1838 ; Foreign * : ** Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert ** Knight Grand Cross in the

Order of Saint Michael The Order of Saint Michael () is a French dynastic order of chivalry, founded by King Louis XI of France on 1 August 1469, in response to the Order of the Golden Fleece founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, Louis' chief competitor fo ...

* : Knight Grand Cross in the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, 22 August 1846 *

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

: Knight, 1st Class in the

Order of Pope Pius IX The Order of Pope Pius IX (), also referred as the Pian Order (, ), is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. It is the highest honor currently conferred by the Holy See (two higher honors, the Supreme Order of C ...

* : Knight of the

Order of Saint John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

* : Knight of the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

* : Knight Grand Cross in the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

* : **

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, 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 ...

, 1st Class ** Knight of the Golden Fleece * Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Saint JanuariusAlmanach royal officiel: 1875

References

Sources

* * * * in Belgium , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ligne, Eugene, 8th 1804 births 1880 deaths Diplomats from Brussels Ministers of state of Belgium Presidents of the Senate (Belgium) #08 Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Grandees of Spain Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Nobility from Brussels