Belgian nobility

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the Kingdom of Belgium there are at the moment approximately 1300 noble families. Some 20.000 individuals are titled. The noble lineage of only ca. 400 families dates back to the 17th century. As Belgium is a democratic constitutional monarchy there are no legal privileges attached to bearing a noble title or to being a member of the aristocracy. Most noble surnames have the adverb 'de' (French for of/from) or the Dutch 'van' as a prefix. The Belgian nobility is known to be mostly Roman Catholic, conservative, and royalist. Living in a bilingual (Dutch/French) country with a majority of Dutch-speaking people, their mother tongue is mostly French although many are also fluent in Dutch and other languages. Many of the older families still own (and reside in) important Castles or country houses. (see: Castles in Belgium) Most noble people in Belgium still clearly belong to the elite. They sometimes own and manage companies, or have leading positions in business, banking, diplomacy etc.

Belgium is one of the few monarchies in the world where noble titles are still (annually) granted by the King of the Belgians. (Grant of Nobility). Many Belgian citizens meritorious in business, politics, science, arts, sport etc. received a title. Amongst others:

1 Princely houses
2 Ducal houses
3 Margraval houses
4 Counts
5 Viscounts
6 Barons
7 Knights
8 Noble families without a title
9 Foreign Noble Families residing in Belgium
10 References
11 Further reading
12 Footnotes

[edit] Princely houses

(Prince in French/ Prins in Dutch The title of Prince is the highest in rank. The title is not granted to new nobles. Members of the families listed below have the right to call themselves 'Prince' or 'Princess' in combination with their family name. Most families have a very old lineage (typically before the 15th century) and their ancestors often bore other titles before they obtained the highest rank. They are received in audience by the King in the 'Salon Bleu' of the Royal Palace of Belgium and subsequently are called 'Noblesse du Salon Bleu' (Nobels of the Blue Room). Some families obtained and still hold titles in other countries.

de Ligne, prince since 1601.
de Mérode, prince since 1930 (but counts before, and Prince of Rubempré and Everberg since (1823), and Prince of Grimbergen since 1842). article in French on the house of Mérode
de Riquet (Prince de Chimay et de Caraman)
d'Arenberg^[1]
de Croÿ
de Lobkowicz. Noble family of Czech origin. Their princely title was recognized in Belgium after they fled from communist Czechoslovakia.
Béthune-Hesdigneul

Members of the Royal family bear the title 'Prince of Belgium'. Sometimes a specific dynastic title is granted. For example the Crown Prince is traditionally granted the title of Duke of Brabant (Duc de Brabant/Hertog van Brabant).

Note:

Stéphanie prinses zu Windisch-Graetz also belongs to the Belgian Nobility.
King Albert II was called Prince of Liège (Prince de Liège / Prins van Luik) before his accession to the throne.
Some noble families with foreign origins, such as the Shin de Pyeongsan family (in Korea, the Pyeongsan Shin clan), are princely in nature but are not official princely houses of Belgium.

[edit] Ducal houses

Members of the following houses bear the title of Duke ('Duc' in French,'Hertog' in Dutch). It's the second highest title in rank and was never granted by the Kingdom of Belgium. The origin of the titles thus goes back to an earlier date.

de Croÿ-Solre
de Looz-Corswarem and de Corswarem-Looz
d'Ursel
d'Arenberg

Also, the dynastic title Duke of Brabant is used by the Crown Prince. At this moment the Belgian Crown Prince Philip is Duke of Brabant.

[edit] Margraval houses

Members of 11 families bear the title of Marquess.

de Beauffort - (only the head of the house, the other are count/countess)
Clerix
de Mérode (Marquess of Westerlo, created in 1626 by king Philip IV of Spain only the head of the house in addition to the title of Prince)
de Trazegnies
du Parc Locmaria
Imperiali des Princes de Francavilla
de Radiguès de Chenneviere
Ruffo de Bonneval de la Fare
van der Noot (Marquess of Assche)
d'Yve
van Tongerloo d'Effaye

[edit] Counts

This is the highest-ranked title still granted by the King. In Belgium there are roughly 90 families whose members bear the title of Count, Countess:

Cornet d'Elzius du Chenoy
Cornet de Ways Ruart
d'Alcantara di Quirieu
d'Ansembourg
d'Arschot Schoonhoven
d'Aspremont Lynden
de Baillet-Latour
de Beauffort
du Bois d'Aische
de Borchgrave d'Altena
de Bousies Borluut
de Briey
de Brouchoven de Bergeyck
de Broqueville
d'Hanins de Moerkerke
de Hemptinne, (since 1886)
de Kerchove de Denterghem
de Lalaing
de Lannoy
de Launois
de Lichtervelde
de Limburg Stirum
de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde (Also Count of Bornem. Currently the 14th count of Bornem.)
de Meeus d'Argenteuil
de Menton du Plessis
de Mercy-Argenteau-d'Ochain
d'Oultremont de Duras
d'Oultremont de Wégimont et de Warfusé
de Pret Roose de Calesberg (head of the family is Count, the others are 'Ecuyer')
de Ramaix
de Renesse
de Robiano
de t'Serclaes de Wommersom
de Smet de Naeyer - V
d'Udekem d'Acoz
du Chastel de la Howarderie
Harmel, granted in 1991 (hereditary title)
Forrier de Savoye
Goblet d'Alviella
Goethals de Mude de Nieuwland
le Grelle
Lehon
Lippens
t'Kint de Roodenbeke
O'Kelly de Galway
van der Burch
van der Stegen de Putte
van der Straten-Ponthoz
van de Werve de Vorselaar (head of the family is Count, the others are 'Jonkheer', except for 'Baron van de Werve de Schilde' en 'viscount van de Werve d'Immerseel'.)
Visart de Bocarmé
Woeste

The titles Count of Hainault and Count of Flanders are used as dynastic titles for members of the Royal Family.

[edit] Viscounts

There are roughly 450 viscounts in Belgium (Vicomte in French/Burggraaf in Dutch). It is a one of the highest titles granted by the King.

de Baré de Comogne
de Biolley
du Bus de Warnaffe
Davignon
Eyskens, since 1973 (hereditary title)
de Lantsheere
Jolly
de Jonghe d'Ardoye
Nachtegaele
Poullet
Ilya Prigogine
Simonis
de Spoelberch
Vilain XIIII
van de Werve d'Immerseel
Frank De Winne
Dirk Frimout

[edit] Barons

More than 300 individuals bear the title of Baron or Baroness. This title is often granted by the King. Members of the following families bear the title.

Allard
d'Anethan
de Beco
de Bethune
Beyens
du Bois de Nevele
Bonaert
de Bakker
de Bonhomme
de Bonvoisin
de Borrekens
van den Branden de Reeth
van der Bruggen
van Caloen
de Cartier d'Yves
Clerix
Cogels
Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge
de Crombrugghe de Picquendaele, de Crombrugghe de Schipsdaele, de Crombrugghe de Looringhe
Cardon de Lichtbuer
Descantons de Montblanc
van Dievoet
van Eyll
de Coninck de Merckem
de Favereau
de Fierlant
de Herckenrode, since 1846
d'Huart
Delberke
Dillemans
Donny
van Eetvelde
Evain
Fallon
Fredericq
Goethals
Goffinet
Greindl
Groothaert
Guillaume
Holvoet
Houtart
van Houtte
Iweins de Wavrans
Jacobs
de Jamblinne de Meux
Janssen
Jolly
de Kerchove
Kervyn d'Oud Mooreghem, and Kervyn de Volkaersbeke
Kronacker
Lambermont, since 1863
Liebaert
van Loo
de Meester de Ravenstein
Minnebo
Muijsson
de Moreau
Moyersoen
Nicaise
Nicolet
Nothomb
Orban de Xivry
de Pitteurs Hiegaerts
Prisse
Pycke, Pycke de Peteghem and Pycke de Ten Aerde
de Rennette de Villers perwin
Ruzette
de Sadeleers
de Sélys Longchamps
van der Smissen
Snoy
Surlet de Chokier
Surmont de Courtrécy
Surmont de Volsberghe
Surmont ter Straeten
t' Kint de Roodenbeke
Theodore (Baron de Calwaert)
Tibbaut
de Tornaco
de Villenfagne de Vogelsanck
de Vinck de Winnezeele
de Vriere
Vaxelaire
Wahis
van de Werve de Schilde
Woot de Trixhe
Whenttnall
de Wykerslooth de Rooyensteyn
van Zuylen de Gaesebeke

[edit] Knights

In Belgium there are roughly 200 knights (Chevalier in French / Ridder in Dutch). There is no female equivalent for the title; when a woman is 'knighted' she usually receives the (higher) title of 'Baroness'.

de Gaesebeke
de Ghellinck
Huyghens
du Mortier
Raes
Rosseeuw
de Sauvage
de Schaetzen
de Theux de Meylandt
de Wouters d'Oplinter
Dirix
le Clément de Saint-Marcq
Van der Eecken

[edit] Noble families without a title

Nobles without a title can call themselves Écuyer (French for Shield bearer) or Jonkheer (Dutch, literally meaning 'Young Lord'). The female equivalent of 'Jonkheer' is 'Jonkvrouw'. 'Ecuyer' however has no female equivalent. The titles 'Jonkheer' and 'Jonkvrouw' are roughly equivalent in meaning to "Sir" or "Dame", but not a common translation. 'Écuyer' is equivalent to "esquire" except that the latter may be used for any Englishman.

There are thousands of untitled noble families in Belgium. These noble families lack an official Belgian family title for various reasons. The most common reason is that they were Ecuyer, as described above, and were therefore noble only through their close link with the titled aristocracy. Another common reason is that some titles could only be taken over by a certain number of family members (e.g. the eldest), so that the rest of the family became untitled, though essentially still made part of the Belgian nobility. A third reason is that some aristocrats voluntarily relinquished their title in order to perform commercial activities, as described above.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of untitled noble families in Belgium:

Agie de Selsaeten
Anciaux Henry de Faveaux
Anne de Molina
Annez de Taboada
André-Dumont
Arrazola de Oñate
Bauchau
Beaucarne d'Eenaeme
Beeckmans de West-Meerbeeck
du Bois de Vroylande
Cardon de Lichtbuer
Carton de Tournay
Claeys Boüüaert (Claeys Boùùaert)
Cogels
Coget
d'Andrimont
de Barsy
de Bauer
van Dievoet
de Francquen
de la Croix d'Ogimont
de La Hamayde & de La Hamaide
de Roye van Wichen ( de Roye de Wichen)
de Smet de Naeyer
de Meester (de Meester de Ravestein, de Meester de Betzenbroeck, de Meester de Heyndonck)
Demeure de Lespaul
Duquesne Wathelet de la Vinelle
van der Essen
Geelhand de Merxem
Gilliot
Guyot de Mishaegen
Hendrickx van den Bosch
Janssen
t'Kint de Roodebeke
Lantonnois van Rode
Leman
Matthieu de Wynendale, sinds 1957
Maus de Rolley
Mertens de Wilmars
Monnoyer de Galland de Carnières
Moretus Plantin de Bouchout
Peltzer
Plissart de Brandignies
van der Straten-Ponthoz
Serné
Spruyt
Terlinden
Thibaut de Maisières
Uyttenhove
van Ackere
Vandive
van den Hecke de Lembeke
Van der Meersch
van Neste
van Outryve d'Ydewalle
van Wassenhove
Wittouck

[edit] Foreign Noble Families residing in Belgium

In addition to the families mentioned above, a number of noble families originated from outside Belgium, but have since obtained Belgian nationality after residing for a long time (sometimes for many generations) in Belgium. Most of these families have come from neighbouring European monarchies (France, Germany) at various stages of history. These have usually (but not always) asked for equivalent nobility titles within the Kingdom of Belgium, which were typically granted.

A number of noble families residing in Belgium originate beyond the current European Union borders (Russia, Korea, Japan). Many of these families used to possess nobility titles in their country of origin, which have not always been converted into official Belgian nobility titles. In some cases, some families did not want a Belgian title because they hoped their stay in Belgium would be only temporary. This was the case for many Russian nobles, who were exiled after the October Revolution.

In other cases, some families did not make the request for conversion either by pride or because the cultural differences make such conversions less obvious. One such example is the Sagangong branch of the Korean Pyeongsan Shin clan family, which has resided in Belgium since 1974. The Pyeongsan Shin Korean family title is clearly of princely nature, which makes such a request more difficult to process. As described above, only titles of count and below are now typically granted in Belgium.

Despite being of foreign origins, the above noble families belong fully to the Belgian elite and many are well integrated into the society. Many of these families have been in Belgium for so long, intermarrying with Belgian nobility, that they are more Belgian than foreign in bloog (e.g. de Lobkowicz, de Radiguès de Chenneviere)^[2]. Moreover, the family names have often been frenchified by adding particles such as de (e.g. the Pyeongsan Shin clan is also referred to as Shin de Pyeongsan).

Belgian nobility

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

[edit] Princely houses

[edit] Ducal houses

[edit] Margraval houses

[edit] Counts

[edit] Viscounts

[edit] Barons

[edit] Knights

[edit] Noble families without a title

[edit] Foreign Noble Families residing in Belgium

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Footnotes

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