House of Ligne

The House of Ligne is one of oldest and the most prestigious Belgian noble families. It goes back to the eleventh century and owes its name at the village in which it originated, between Ath and Tournai. The lords of Ligne belonged to the entourage of the Count of Hainaut at the time of the Crusades. With the battle of Bouvines in 1214, they were described as "great name and men of honour" by the chroniclers of the time. Their progressive rise in the nobility began as barons in the twelfth century, counts of Fauquemberg and princes of Épinoy in the sixteenth century. "Lamoral I" received from the emperor Rudolf II the titles of Prince of Ligne and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. There are cadet branches of this house: Barbançon, Barbançon-Arenberg, Moy, Ham and Arenberg

Abbots and abbesses

Within this house there were the following abbots and abbesses:
* Gérard de Ligne (+1270) Abott de Cambrai
* Mahaut de Ligne (c. 1275) Abbess d'Epinlieu
* Marie de Ligne (c. 1500) Abbess de Mons
* Marie de Ligne (c. 1550) Abbess de Cambrai
* Catherine de Ligne (+1581) Abbess de Thorn (La Thure)

=Princes de Ligne=

List of the Princes of Ligne:

#Lamoral I, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1563-1624).
#Albert Henri, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1615-1641)
#Claude Lamoral I, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1618-1679)
#Henri Louis Ernest, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1644-1702)
#Antoine Joseph Ghislain, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1682-1750)
#Claude Lamoral II, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1685-1766)
#Charles-Joseph, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1735-1814)
#Eugène, Prince of Ligne and of the Holy Roman Empire (1804-1880)
#Louis, Prince of Ligne (1854-1918)
#Ernest, Prince of Ligne (1857-1937)
#Eugène II, Prince of Ligne (1893-1960)
#Baudouin, Prince of Ligne (1918-1985)
#Antoine, Prince of Ligne (1925-2005)
#Michel, Prince of Ligne (1951-)

Other members of the House of Ligne

Pretenders of the Kingdom of Jerusalem:

* Charles-Antoine Lamoral, prince de Ligne de La Trémoïlle (1946-), third cousin once removed of Michel
** "Heir:" Prince Edouard Lamoral de Ligne de La Trémoïlle (1976-)

Arms of the House

Or a bend gules. [ [http://www.heraldique-europeenne.org/Regions/Benelux/Ligne.htm Heraldique Europeenne] ]

References

http://membres.lycos.fr/behgnam2/ligne-b.htm

Notes