House of Arenberg

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Mediatized House of Arenberg

Grafschaft – Herzogtum Arenberg

The House of Arenberg is an aristocratic lineage that is constituted by three successive families who took their name from Arenberg, a small principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the Eifel. The inheritance of the House of Croÿ-Aarschot made the Arenbergs the most influential and most wealthy noble family of the Habsburg Netherlands. The Arenbergs were mediatized in 1811.

The marriage contract (1547) of Margaret de la Marck, Countess of Arenberg, and Jean de Ligne-Barbançon stipulated that their offspring would abandon the name of Ligne and adopt the name and arms of Arenberg. On 5 March 1576, Emperor Maximilian II raised Margaret and her son Charles to the rank of Princely Counts (in German: Gefürstete Graf). As such the Arenbergs sat and voted on the bench of secular princes in the Imperial Diet. On 9 June 1644, Emperor Ferdinand III bestowed the title of Duke of Arenberg to Charles’ grandsons, Philip-Francis and Charles-Eugene, as well as to all legitimate descendants of Charles and his brother Robert of Arenberg, prince of Barbançon.

Meanwhile, the marriage of Princely Count Charles to Anne de Croÿ, the sister and heiress of the last Croÿ Duke of Aarschot, had brought the Arenbergs a series of titles as well as vast estates in the Habsburg Netherlands in 1612. The senior title was that of Duke of Aarschot. It had been created in 1534, was the first (and until 1627 only) ducal title in the Netherlands and it carried the dignity of a Spanish Grandee. The estates of the Arenbergs gave them a seat in second estate of the Provincial States of Brabant and of Hainaut. Since they were now undisputably the first among the nobility of the Habsburg Netherlands, it became customary for the Dukes to receive the Order of the Golden Fleece shortly after their succession to the title. Staunch supporters of the Habsburgs, they held high offices at the Court of Brussels, sat on the Counsel of State, were employed on embassies (notably the embassy to King James I that negotiated the Treaty of London of 1604) and acted as provincial governors in Hainaut and the Franche-Comté. Occupying high military commands could likewise be called something like their birthright.

In 1605 Charles of Arenberg and Anne de Croÿ bought the Land of Enghien of King Henry IV of France and made it their principal seat in the Netherlands. Initially inspired by the example set by Robert Cecil at Theobalds House, the Arenbergs created gardens at Enghien that came to enjoy an international reputation. In testimony of the patronage given to the Capuchins, the order’s convent at Enghien became the necropolis of the Arenbergs. With the duchy of Aarschot came the secondary country seat of Heverlee and the vast forest of Meerdaal. In keeping with their status, the dukes likewise owned a hotel in Brussels. After its destruction in the bombardment of 1695, the dukes had to settle with rented accommodation until acquiring the stately Egmont Palace in 1754. It was to remain in the family’s possession until 1918.

The Counts, Princely Counts and Dukes of Arenberg

Counts of Arenberg (1117-1576)

• Franko (1117-1129)

• Henry I (1136-1187)
• Eberhard I (1188-1202)
• Eberhard II (1202-1229)
• Henry II (1220-1250)

• Gerard (1252-1260)
• John I (1260-1279)
• Mathilde (1282-1299)
• Eberhard (Count of Marck) (1282-1308)
• Eberhard I (III) (1308-1387)
• Eberhard II (1387-1454)

Partition into Arenberg and Rochefort

• John II (1454-1480)
• Eberhard III (1480-1496)
• Eberhard IV (1496-1531)
• Robert I (1531-1541)
• Robert II (?-1536)
• Robert III (1541-1544)
• Margaret (1544-1576)
• John III (1547-1568)
• Charles (1568-1576)

• Margaret (1576-1596) with Jean de Ligne
• Charles (1576-1616)
• Philip Charles (1616-1640)
• Philip Francis (1640-1645)

• Philippe François, 1st Duke of Arenberg (1645-1675)
• Charles Eugene, 2nd Duke of Arenberg (1675-1681)
• Philip Charles Francis, 3rd Duke of Arenberg (1681-1691)
• Leopold, 4th Duke of Arenberg (1691-1754)
• Charles Marie Raymond, 5th Duke of Arenberg (1754-1778)
• Louis Engelbert, 6th Duke of Arenberg (1778-1803)
• Prosper Louis, 7th Duke of Arenberg (1803-1810)

Mediatised 1810 – Non-reigning dukes of Arenberg (1810- present )

• Prosper Louis, 7th Duke of Arenberg (1810-1861)
• Engelbert Auguste, 8th Duke of Arenberg (1861-1875)
• Engelbert-Marie, 9th Duke of Arenberg (1875-1949)
• Engelbert-Charles, 10th Duke of Arenberg (1949-1974)
• Erik Engelbert, 11th Duke of Arenberg (1974-1992)
• Jean Engelbert, 12th Duke of Arenberg (1992-2011)
• Léopold, 13th Duke of Arenberg (2011-present)

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The Titles and Styles of the Ducal House

The present members of this family bear the titles Prince or Princess and Duke or Duchess von Arenberg together with the formal appellation of His or Her Serene Highness.

The Genealogy of The Ducal House

LOUIS ENGELBERT Marie Joseph Augustin, 6th Duke von Arenberg 17 Aug 1778, Duc d’Aerschot, Duke von Meppen, Fst von Recklinghausen, Comte de l’Empire 1808 (Brussels 3 Aug 1750-Brussels 7 Mar 1820); m. Paris 19 Jan 1773 Louise de Brancas-Villars Cts de Lauraguais (Paris 23 Nov 1755-Paris 10 Aug 1812)

1a) Pauline Charlotte (Brussels 2 Sep 1774-Paris 1 Jul 1810); m. Heverlé 25 May 1794 Joseph Pr zu Schwarzenberg (Vienna 27 Jun 1769-Frauenberg 19 Dec 1833)

2a) Louis Engelbert (Brussels 19 Aug 1777-Brussels 21 Aug 1777)

3a) PROSPER LOUIS, 7th Duke von Arenberg, Duc d’Aerschot, Duke von Meppen, Fst von Recklinghausen, etc (Enghien 28 Apr 1785-Brussels 27 Feb 1861); m.1st Paris 1 Feb 1808 (div Paris 29 Aug 1816) Stéphanie Tascher de la Pagerie (Fort Royal, Martinique 4 Aug 1788-Paris 26 Oct 1832); m.2d Horzin 26 Jan 1819 Maria Ludmilla Pss von Lobkowicz (Prague 15 Mar 1798-Brussels 8 Jan 1868)

1b) Louise Paula Sidonie (Brussels 18 Dec 1820-Brussels 11 May 1853)

2b) Marie-Flore Pauline (Brussels 2 Mar 1823-Frascati 3 Aug 1861); m. Heverlé 9 Aug 1841 Camillo Borghese Pr Aldobrandini (Florence 16 Nov 1816-Rome 5 Jun 1902)

3b) ENGELBERT Auguste Antoine Joseph Léon Wenceslaus Balthazar Épiphanie Léonard Maxime Ghislain, 8th Duke von Arenberg, etc (Brussels 11 May 1824-Heverlé 28 Mar 1875); m. Vienna 27 May 1868 Eleonore Pss and Dss von Arenberg (Vienna 19 Feb 1845-Montreux 28 Nov 1919)

• 1c) Marie Ludmilla Rose Sophie Antoinette Gasparine(Heverlé 29 Jun 1870-La Solitude, nr Brussels 6 Sep 1953); m. Brussels 25 Apr 1888 Karl, Duke von Croy (Brussels 29 Jan 1859-Schloß Karapancsa 28 Sep 1906)
• 2c) Sophie Aloïse Carola Marie Anne Melchiore Eléonore Engelberte (Salzburg 26 Jul 1871- Düsseldorf 29 May 1961); m. Brussels 14 Oct 1889 Jean Baptiste Pr and Duke von Arenberg (1850-1914; below)
• 3c) ENGELBERT Prosper Ernst Marie Joseph Jules Balthasar Benoit Antoine Eleonore Laurent, 9th Duke von Arenberg, etc (Bürglstein bei Salzburg 10 Aug 1872-Lausanne 15 Jan 1949); m. Brussels 14 Oct 1897 Hedwige Pss de Ligne (Paris 4 May 1877-Neuilly-sur-Seine 22 Sep 1938)

1d) ENGELBERT-CHARLES Marie Henri Antoine François Prosper Ernest Gaspard, 10th Duke von Arenberg, etc (Heverlé 20 Apr 1899-Monte Carlo 27 Apr 1974); m.1st (civ) Berlin-Charlottenburg 15 Jun 1939 (rel) Münster 9 Oct 1940 Valerie zu Schleswig-Holstein (Liptovsky Svaty Mikulas, Hungary 3 Apr 1900-Mont-Boron 14 Aug 1953); m.2d (civ) Berchem 23 May 1955 Mathild Callay (Hemiksem 28 Feb 1913-Monte Carlo 10 Mar 1989)

• 2d) ERIK Charles Auguste Hedwig ENGELBERT Antoine Balthasar, 11th Duke von Arenberg, etc (Heverlé 17 Oct 1901-Punta del Este, Uruguay 13 Sep 1992); m. Lausanne 20 Aug 1949 Marie-Thérèse de la Poëze d’Harambure (Dijon 5 Jun 1911-Punta del Este, Uruguay, 19 Apr 2005); NOTE: he adopted his two stepchildren, and they appended the name “Arenberg” into theirs; one of them, Laetitia de Belsunce-Arenberg, married Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria
• 3d) Lydia Hedwig Eléonore Charlotte Marie Melchiorre Antoinette Joséphine (Brussels 1 Apr 1905-Lausanne 23 Jul 1977); m. Turin 30 Apr 1928 Filiberto Pr of Savoy, Duke of Genoa (Turin 10 Mar 1895-Lausanne 7 Sep 1990)
• 4c) Marie-Salvatrix Carola Gasparine Ernestine Marcelline Eléonore Engelbert (Heverlé 26 Apr 1874-Le Roeulx 9 May 1956); m. Heverlé 2 Dec 1896 Stefan Pr von Croy (Le Roeulx 18 Oct 1872-Paris 4 Jun 1932)
• 5c) Charles-Prosper Marie Melchior Engelbert Eléonor Grégoire Wolfgang Joseph (Heverlé 12 Mar 1875-Brussels 2 Aug 1948); m.1st Munich 1 Dec 1917 (div Munich 26 Nov 1920) Emily Willner (Kempten 25 Sep 1885- ); m.2d 15 Nov 1923 Anka Baric (Petrovo Selo, Dalmatia 14 Apr 1893- Aachen Aug 1981)
• 4b) Pierre Antoine-François (Brussels 5 Feb 1826-Marche-les-Dames 12 Oct 1910); m. Brussels 23 Aug 1847 Marie-Ghislaine Css de Mérode (Brussels 19 Nov 1830-Marche-les-Dames 4 Sep 1892)
• 1c) Philippe de Néri Marie Prosper (Heverlé 17 Jun 1848-Vienna 11 Aug 1906)
• 2c) François d’Assise Louis Marie (Heverlé 29 Sep 1849-Schloß Pesch, Hungary 25 Mar 1907)
• 3c) Jean Baptiste Engelbert Marie François Ghislain Léonard (Brussels 18 Oct 1850-Düsseldorf 2 Apr 1914); m. Heverlé 24 Sep 1889 Sophie Pss and Dss von Arenberg (1871-1961; above)
• 1d) Antoine-Guillaume (Brussels 15 Feb 1891-Arosa 2 Feb 1919)
• 2d) Evrard-Engelbert Marie Antoine Jean Melchior Joseph (Brussels 18 Feb 1892-Brussels 12 Aug 1969); m. Lausanne 25 Aug 1920 Anne-Louise Css de Mérode (Loverval 13 Sep 1894- Brussels 18 Nov 1969)
• 1e) JEAN-Engelbert-Maria Paul Werner Antoine Guillaume Gaspard Joseph, 12th Duke von Arenberg, etc, recognized as Duke von Arenberg in Belgium 16 Dec 1993 (The Hague 14 Jul 1921-Lausanne 15 Aug 2011); m. Berchtesgaden (civ) 18 Jan 1955 (rel) 20 Jan 1955 Sophie Marie-Thérèse Pss of Bavaria (b. Starnberg 20 Jun 1935)
• 1f) LÉOPOLD Engelbert Evrard Ruprecht Gaspard, 13th Duke von Arenberg, etc. (b. Tervuren 20 Feb 1956); m.(civ) Pully, Switzerland 30 Jun 1995 (rel) Funchal, Madeira 9 Sep 1995 Isabel-Juliana Gfn zu Stolberg-Stolberg (b. Aachen 7 Jun 1963)
• 1g) Natasha Sophie Gaspara Maria Annunziata (b. Brussels 21 Dec 1996)
• 2g) Philippe-Leopold Jean Engelbert Wilhelm Melchior (b. Lausanne 20 May 1999)
• 3g) Alexandre Pierre Ernest Franz Joseph Balthazar (b. Lausanne 2 Nov 2001)
• 2f) Charles-Louis Felix Melchior (b. Tervuren 13 Mar 1957); m. Florence (civ) 7 Nov 1988 (rel) 26 Nov 1988 Fiammetta de’ Frescobaldi Franceschi Marini (b. Florence 22 May 1959)
• 1g) Anne-Hélène Sophie Vittoria Laura Gaspara (b. London 7 Nov 1989)
• 2g) Evrard Guillaume Engelbert Jean Melchior (b. Lausanne 18 Jan 1996)
• 3f) Marie-Gabriele Elisabeth (b. Tervuren 2 Jun 1958); m. Lausanne 28 Jan 1984 Gilles Morel de Boncourt (b. Humeroeuille 10 May 1955)
• 4f) Henri Antoine Marie (b. Tervuren 20 May 1961); m. Brussels 12 Jan 2001 (rel) La Bastide d’Engras, Bouches du Rhône 28 Apr 2001 Vcts Dainé Marie Thérèse de Spoelberch (b. Uccle 15 Jan 1972)
• 1g) Charles-Ferdinand Jean André Gaspard (b. Lausanne 21 Mar 2002)
• 2g) Joia Sophie Claude Marie Stéphanie Marguerite (b. Lausanne 27 Jul 2003)
• 3g) Olympia Sophie Claude Astrid Marie Balthazare (b. Brussels 3 Dec 2007)
• 5f) Etienne Albert Marie Melchior (b. Brussels-Uccle 11 Dec 1967); m. Abbaye de Monmont, Switzerland 17 Sep 1994 Andrienne Keller (b. Geneva 21 Dec 1970)
• 1g) Amélie Claire Sophie Gaspara (b. Geneva 9 Jun 2000)
• 2g) Larissa Lydia Louise Melchiora (b. Geneva 18 Mar 2002)
• 2e) Antoine-Guillaume Louis Jean Werner Marie Melchior Joseph (The Hague 14 Sep 1923-Pollensa, Mallorca 2 Sep 2009); m. Madrid 29 Nov 1967 Maria Carvajal y Xifre (Madrid 9 Mar 1917-Madrid 8 Nov 1968)
• 3e) Stéphane Eberhard Marie Joseph Balthazar (The Hague 18 Feb 1925-Ouchy 26 Jun 1985)
• 4e) Marie-Elisabeth Jeanne Melchiorre Sophie Pauline (Munich 21 Jan 1929-San Remo 7 Nov 1996); m. Brussels (civ) 8 Oct 1958 (rel) 9 Oct 1958 Don Guido Orazio, Duca Borea d’Olmo (San Remo 25 Apr 1925-San Remo 30 Dec 2009)
• 3d) Marie-Eleonore Sophie Françoise Antoinette Ludmille Joséphine Balthazare (Brussels 5 Mar 1894-Schloß Pesch 29 Jul 1964)
• 4d) Robert-Prosper Paul Jean Antoine Engelbert Eugene Marie Ernest Joseph Gaspard Etienne (Pesch-am-Rhein 10 Aug 1895-Munich 24 Feb 1972); m. Munich (civ) 20 Mar 1922 (rel) 21 Mar 1922 Gabrielle Fstn von Wrede (Ellingen 26 Jun 1895-Munich 14 Nov 1971)
• 1e) Rose-Sophie Caroline Gabrielle Robertine Anne Jeanne Marie Josephine Caspara (b. Pesch 23 Dec 1922); m. Munich 6 Jul 1943 Karl Theodor Frhr von und zu Guttenberg (Weisendorf 23 May 1921-Guttenberg 4 Oct 1972)
• 2e) Anna-Eugénie Pauline Gabrielle Robertine Marie de Mercedes Melchiore (Ellingen 5 Jul 1925-San Angel, Mexico 9 Jun 1997); m. Beaulieu (civ) 18 Nov 1952 (rel) 19 Nov 1952 Felix, Archduke of Austria (Schönbrunn 31 May 1916-Mexico 6 Sep 2011)
• 5d) Eugène Antoine Engelbert Prosper Ernest Jean Marie Joseph Melchior Philippe Etienne (Pesch 21 Apr 1897-Düsseldorf 20 Jul 1970)
• 6d) François Léopold Antoine Engelbert Propser Ernest Jean Marie Joseph Balthazar Philippe Erasme (Pesch 21 Apr 1897-Lausanne 28 Jul 1961)
• 4c) Pauline Marie Josèphe (Brussels 9 May 1852-Malaise 5 Jul 1921)
• 5c) Alix Antoinette Louise Marie (Enghien 2 Jul 1854-Brussels 30 Jan 1869)
• 6c) Charles François Marie Ernest (Brussels 23 Jan 1858-10 May 1933)
• 5b) Charles (Brussels 3 Jul 1829-Münster 6 Feb 1831)
• 6b) Charles François Marie Joseph (Brussels 6 Sep 1831-Brussels 9 Jun 1896); m. Ivanka, nr Preßburg 16 Jan 1876 Julie Gfn Hunyady de Kéthely (Vienna 26 Aug 1831-Vienna 19 Feb 1919)
• 7b) Joseph Léonard Balthazar (Enghien 8 Aug 1833-Schloß Hacking, Vienna 3 Oct 1896); m. Vienna 14 Aug 1865 Franziska Pss von und zu Liechtenstein (Vienna 30 Oct 1833-Schloß Hacking 5 Jun 1894)
• 1c) Franziska (23 Jan 1867-Vienna 11 Mar 1867)
• 4a) Philémon Paul Marie (Brussels 10 Jan 1788-Rome 22 Jan 1844)
• 5a) Pierre d’Alcantara Charles Marie, cr 24 Feb 1824 Duc d’Arenberg in France (Paris 2 Oct 1790-Brussels 27 Sep 1877); m.1st Paris 26 Jan 1829 Alix de Talleyrand-Périgord (Paris 4 Nov 1808-Paris 21 Sep 1842); m.2d Vienna 19 Jun 1860 Caroline Gfn von Kaunitz-Rietberg (Vienna 27 May 1801-Görz 18 Jun 1875)
• 1b) Marie Nicolette Augustine (Maffliers 15 Nov 1830-Westerloo 11 Jun 1905); m. Paris 8 Oct 1849 Charles Cte de Mérode, Marquis de Westerloo, Pr de Rubempré et de Grimberghe, etc (Everbergh 1 Aug 1824- Brussels 6 Apr 1892)
• 2b) Ernest Marie Pierre (Paris 23 Jul 1833-Paris 15 Mar 1837)
• 3b) Louis Charles Marie (Paris 15 Sep 1837-murdered at St. Petersburg 7 May 1870)
• 4b) Auguste Louis Alberic, Duc d’Arenberg (Paris 15 Sep 1837-Paris 24 Jan 1924); m. Paris 18 Jun 1868 Jeanne Marie Louise de Greffulhe (Paris 20 Mar 1850-Paris 24 Mar 1891)
• 1c) Alix Jeanne Marie (Paris 15 Apr 1869-Paris 7 Dec 1924); m. Paris 2 Jun 1888 Pierre Adolphe Henri Victurnien Marquis de Laguiche (Paris 15 Jun 1859-Chaumont 12 Mar 1940)
• 2c) Charles-Louis Pierre (Menetou-Salon 14 Aug 1871-Paris 3 Aug 1919); m. Paris 10 Jun 1904 (rel) 11 Jun 1904 Antoinette Hélène Emma Louise de Gramont (Baillon 3 Oct 1883-Hay-les-Roses 1 Oct 1958)
• 1d) Charles-Auguste Armand, Duc d’Arenberg (Paris 27 May 1905-Paris 11 Jun 1967); m.(civ) Paris 6 Feb 1960 Margaret Wright Bedford (New York 18 Oct 1932-d.nr Saclay 16 Oct 1977)
• 1e) Pierre-Frédérick Henri Charles Bernard William, Duc d’Arenberg (b. Zürich 19 Aug 1961); m.1st in the Philippines 1995 (div) Marie Christine Kraff de Laubarède (b.27 Jul 1961); m.2d Philadelphia 19 Sep 1997 (rel) Bourges 11 Oct 1997 Silvia de Castellane (b. Neuilly 13 Jun 1963)

1f) Aliénor Margaretha Elisabeth Louise Marie (b. London 19 Aug 1995)

• 2f) Lydia Athenaïs Margaret Alix Isabelle Emma Marie Beatrix (b. Geneva 26 Oct 1998)
• 3f) Dorothée-Anastasja Elise Amalia Margaret Mathilde Louise Pauline (b. Saanen, Switzerland 27 Jul 2000)

2d) Armand-Louis Hélie (Paris 14 Apr 1906-Paris 29 Jan 1985); m. Paris (civ) 7 Aug 1941 (rel) 9 Aug 1941 Gabrielle Marie de Lambertye-Gerbéviller (b. Biarritz 8 Sep 1920)

• 1e) Marie-Virtudes (Mirabelle) Lorraine (b. Boulogne-Billancourt 9 Jun 1947); m.1st (civ) Menetou Salon 16 Apr 1967 (rel) Paris 21 Apr 1967 (div 27 Jun 1983) Louis-Jean l’Esperance Constant Marie Loppin Cte de Montmort (Paris 11 Oct 1943-Rio de Janeiro 18 May 1996); m.2d Neuilly-sur-Seine 14 Oct 1983 Georges Henri Robert Marie Hervet (b. Bourges 5 Jun 1924)
• 2e) Charles-Louis Pierre Armand Engelbert Roland (b. Neuilly 20 Feb 1949); m.1st St. Cirq la Popie 25 Oct 1975 (div) Philomène Toulouse (b. St. Cirq-Lapopie 9 Jan 1939); m.2d Paris 24 Jun 2005 Diane d’Harcourt (b. Neuilly 1 Dec 1954)

1f) Marie Gabrielle Charlotte (b. Paris 2 Aug 1977)

• 3d) Jeanne Hélène Alix Bienvenue (Paris 3 Aug 1909-Larmor Baden, Morbihan 13 Aug 1964); m. Paris 11 Jul 1933 Jean-Louis de Cossé Brissac, Marquis de Brissac (Paris 14 Dec 1898- Nantes 30 Jul 1936)
• 3c) Louise Marie Charlotte (Menetou-Salon 23 Nov 1872-Paris 24 Oct 1958); m. Paris 3 Aug 1892 (rel) 4 Aug 1892 Louis Antoine Melchior Marquis de Vogüé (Versailles 16 Jan 1868-Paris 9 Mar 1948)
• 4c) Ernest Hélie Charles Marie (Paris 3 Mar 1886-Château de Combreux 21 May 1915); m. Paris 30 May 1908 (rel) 1 Jun 1908 Thérèse Françoise Victurnienne Marie de La Rochefoucauld (Combreux 19 Oct 1888-La Fôt 25 Sep 1958)
• 6a) Philippe Joseph (Vienna 3 Oct 1794-Vienna 7 Mar 1815)