House of Merode - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The princely house of Merode is one of the most important houses of the Belgian nobility

Belgian nobility

In the Kingdom of Belgium there are at the moment approximately 1,300 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...

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The surname of the family and the name of the House is mostly written de Mérode in (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

) but was originally von Merode due to the German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

descent of the House. The name is spelled van Merode in Dutch

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

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The House of Mérode played an important role in the history of the Southern Netherlands

Southern Netherlands

Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...

and the Kingdom of Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

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The Coat of Arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

of the house of Merode is blazoned as: "Or, four pales gules, a border engrailed azure", and the motto

Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...

of the house is "Plus d'honneur que d'honneurs" in French and "Meer eer dan eerbetoon" in Dutch.

The origins of the house of Merode

The family stems from the village of Merode

Merode

Merode may refer to:* MERODE, an Object Oriented Enterprise Modeling method developed at Kuleuven * de Mérode or van Merode or von Merode is the name of a princely dynasty belonging to the Belgian nobility...

in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. Merode is located in the vicinity of the city of Düren

Düren

Düren is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, capital of Düren district. It is located between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur.-Roman era:Celts inhabited Düren's area before the Romans. They called their small settlement Durum . After the Celts other Germanic tribes settled this area...

which lies between Aachen

Aachen

Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...

and Köln

KOLN

KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...

and was part of the Duchy of Julich. Today it is part of the municipality of Langerwehe

Langerwehe

Langerwehe is a municipality in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km west of Düren. It is a twin city of Exmouth, United Kingdom....

in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

. A branch of the Mérode family still owns the castle (Schloss Merode) from which their name was derived.

Originally the Merode family had the rank of Baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

or Freiherr

Freiherr

The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...

of the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

. During the Middle Ages the family had possessions and influence in Köln and in the Rhineland

Rhineland

Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....

and belonged the 'reichsunmittelbar' aristocracy. They favoured the monastery of Schwarzenbroich which was also the burial place for the deceased members of the family. From the sons of Werner III von Merode (+1278) two different branches of the house descended. The oldest branch was called 'Scheiffart von Merode'. The 'Scheiffart' or 'German' branch became extinct in 1738. The younger branch are the descendants of Werner IV von Merode (+1316). This house also split into different branches of which the branch of the Marquess

Marquess

A marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam...

of Westerlo

Westerlo

Westerlo is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns:- Westerlo centrum - Oevel - Tongerlo - Heultje...

, called 'de Mérode-Westerloo' would become the most successful. The present-day 'Princes de Mérode' in Belgium descend from the latter branch.

The House Mérode-Westerloo

From the 14th century onwards a branch of the family gained power and possessions more to the west, in the Duchy of Brabant

Duchy of Brabant

The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...

and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège on the territory of present-day Belgium. At that time these territories belonged to the Burgundian Netherlands

Burgundian Netherlands

In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to a number of Imperial and French fiefs ruled in personal union by the House of Valois-Burgundy and their Habsburg heirs in the period from 1384 to 1482...

and later to the Habsburg Netherlands

Seventeen Provinces

The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of Western Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held by...

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The marriage of Richard von Merode with Margareth van Wesemael marked a new age in the family’s history. Due to this marriage the house of Merode inherited important seigniories in Brabant

Duchy of Brabant

, such as Westerlo

Westerlo

Westerlo is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns:- Westerlo centrum - Oevel - Tongerlo - Heultje...

, and the County of Olen

Olen

Olen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality actually comprises 3 towns, situated on a north-south axis....

. Jean II de Mérode married Adelheid van Hoorn

Hoorn

-Cities :* Purmerend * Enkhuizen * Alkmaar * Amsterdam * Lelystad * Den Helder * Leeuwarden -Towns :* Edam...

in 1451 and brought also Gheel

Geel

Geel is a city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp which acquired the status of a city in the 1980s.It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns : Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum...

, Diepenbeek

Diepenbeek

Diepenbeek is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2006 Diepenbeek had a total population of 17,706. The total area is 41.19 km² which gives a population density of 430 inhabitants per km²....

and Duffel

Duffel

Duffel is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp.The municipality comprises only the town of Duffel proper. On January 1, 2006 Duffel had a total population of 16,019...

into the possession of the family. Through these and other marriages the Merode family became one of the most important noble families in the Duchy of Brabant.

Jean II de Mérode held the position of Lord Chamberlain and councillor of Philip the Handsome

Philip I of Castile

Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile...

. After his death in 1551 his heirs ordered a monumental sepulchre for him and his wife that was made by the Antwerp sculptor Cornelis Floris and stands in the church of Gheel

Geel

. It was erected in 1554.

The Eighty Years War greatly damaged the possessions of the Mérode family. In the more prosperous era after the Twelve Years' Truce

Twelve Years' Truce

The Twelve Years' Truce was the name given to the cessation of hostilities between the Habsburg rulers of Spain and the Southern Netherlands and the Dutch Republic as agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609. It was a watershed in the Eighty Years' War, marking the point from which the independence of the...

the family's fortune grew again. In 1626 the title of Marquess] of Westerlo

Westerlo

Westerlo is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns:- Westerlo centrum - Oevel - Tongerlo - Heultje...

o was granted to Philippe I de Mérode by King Philip IV of Spain

Philip IV of Spain

Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...

. It was his great-grandson Jean-Philippe-Eugène de Mérode, Marquess of Westerloo

Jean-Philippe-Eugène de Mérode-Westerloo

Jean-Philippe-Eugène, Count de Mérode, 5th Marquis van Westerloo was a Belgian military and Feldmarschall of the Holy Roman Empire....

, who would become one of the most illustrious descendants of the house. He is known as the 'Feld-Maréchal' (field Marshal) de Mérode and became a knight in the order of the Golden Fleece

Order of the Golden Fleece

The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

. He served as an important military commander.

In the 18th century the branch of Mérode-Westerloo gained great wealth and power due to the extinction of other side-branches of the house (Mérode-Houffalize, Mérode-Deinze, Mérode Montfort) and a few very interesting marriages.
Through marriage they acquired the domains and titles of 'Prince of Rubempré', 'Prince of Everberg', 'Prince of Grimbergen

Grimbergen

Grimbergen is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Beigem, Grimbergen, Humbeek and Strombeek-Bever. On January 1, 2006 Grimbergen had a total population of 33,965. The total area is...

' and Marquess of Trélon

Trélon

-References:*...

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During the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

the Austrian Netherlands were invaded by French republican troops and were incorporated into the French Republic. The domains of the family were confiscated and noble privileges were abolished. The family fled to Germany for a while. It was only after the declamation of the Empire des Français

First French Empire

The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...

by Napoleon in 1804 that the family could regain their domains and some of their titles. A re-introduction of the noble privileges however would never be achieved. As a result members of the Mérode family became very present in politics and diplomacy. Charles-Guillaume-Ghislain de Mérode-Westerloo had been active as a minister under Austrian rule since 1787 and would hold several other important political posts under successive regimes, such as Maire (Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

) of Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

since 1805, and Senator of the Empire des Français

First French Empire

The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...

since 1809. In 1815 he became Grand -Marshal of the court of King William I of the Netherlands

William I of the Netherlands

William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....

when the Belgian provinces were part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands

United Kingdom of the Netherlands

United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name used to refer to Kingdom of the Netherlands during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empire and before the new kingdom of Belgium split out in 1830...

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His sons, Henri, Félix

Félix de Mérode

Philippe Félix Balthasar Otto Ghislain, Count de Merode , known as Félix de Merode, was a Belgian politician....

, Frédéric and Werner would play an important role in the Belgian revolution

Belgian Revolution

The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....

and in the political life of the Kingdom of Belgium. Frédéric de Mérode became a new national hero when he was killed in the battle near Berchem

Berchem

The 'Ring', Antwerp's circular motorway which follows the track of the former city defense walls, cuts Berchem in two parts, separating the urban inner city area of Oud-Berchem from the more residential and suburban areas Groenenhoek en Nieuw Kwartier .-Demography:Berchem's total surface is over ,...

during the Belgian revolution

Belgian Revolution

The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....

, while Félix de Mérode became an important member of the Provisional Government of Belgium

Provisional Government of Belgium

The Provisional Government was formed as a revolutionary committee of notables during the Belgian Revolution on September 24, 1830 at the Brussels City Hall under the name of Administrative Commission....

and the Belgian National Congress. After the first Belgian legislative elections Henri de Mérode became a Senator, while his brothers Félix and Werner became both parliament members.

The descendants of Henri, Félix and Werner de Mérode would form different branches whose descendants would continue to play an important role in Belgian politics and diplomacy. See recent genealogie in Wikipedia in French: link

External links

Sources

Georges Martin, Histoire et généalogie de la maison de Mérode, Lyon, 1999.

Hans J. Domsta, Geschichte der Fürsten von Merode im Mittelalter, Beiträge zur Geschichte des Dürener Landes Düren, 16, Düren, 1981.

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

The origins of the house of Merode

The House Mérode-Westerloo

See also

External links

Sources