House of Ligne


The House of Ligne is one of the oldest Belgian noble families, dating back to the eleventh century. The family's name comes from the village of where it originated, between Ath and Tournai in what is now the Hainaut province of Belgium.

History

Their progressive rise in the nobility began as barons in the twelfth century, counts of Fauquemberg and princes of Épinoy in the sixteenth century, then princes of Amblise in 1608. The family became Imperial counts on 18 December 1544, then Lamoral I received from Emperor Rudolf II the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire as Prince de Ligne on 20 March 1601, for all of his agnatic descendants, both male and female.
Compensation for loss of the Imperial County of Ligne as a result of the Peace of Lunéville consisted of substitution of the secularized Imperial abbey of Edelstetten, with an individual vote guaranteed in the Imperial College of Princes in 1803. That principality was, however, sold to Prince Nikolaus Esterházy on 22 May 1804, before the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire, of which Edelstetten had been a constituent Imperial state, in 1806.
The style of Highness was confirmed for all members of extant branches of the family on 31 May 1923, and the titles of Prince d'Amblise and Prince d'Epinoy recognized for the head of the house on 22 October of the same year by the Belgian Crown.
There have been cadet branches of this house: Barbançon, Barbançon-Arenberg, Moÿ, Ham and Arenberg, La Trémoïlle.

Abbots and abbesses

Within this family, there were the following abbots and abbesses:
  • Gérard de Ligne Abbot de Cambrai
  • Mahaut de Ligne Abbess d'Epinlieu
  • Marie de Ligne Abbess de Mons
  • Marie de Ligne Abbess de Cambrai
  • Catherine de Ligne Abbess de Thorn

Princes de Ligne

Lamoral, 1st Prince de Ligne 1601–1624

Other members of the family

Claimants to the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, Armenia, and Naples:
Princess Sophie de Ligne, of the House of Ligne, married Philippe de Nicolaÿ a director of the Rothschild group, great-grandson of Salomon James de Rothschild and member of the Nicolaÿ family.
Archduchess Yolande of Austria, daughter of the 11th Prince of Ligne, was the daughter-in-law of Emperor Charles I of Austria.
Alix, Princess of Ligne, wife of the 13th Prince of Ligne was born Princess of Luxembourg as daughter of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and Felix of Bourbon-Parma. Her daughter is Princess Yolande de Ligne, daughter-in-law of Peter Townsend (RAF officer), linked romantically with Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, sister of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
The current Prince of Ligne, Michel, is married to Princess Eleonora of Orléans-Braganza, daughter of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria, therefore great-granddaughter of Princess Regent Isabel of Brazil and great-great-granddaughter of Pedro II of Brazil, the last monarch of Imperial Brazil.

Arms of the House of Ligne

The coat of arms of the family is blazoned as Or a bend gules.