Belgian nobility

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 priviliges attached to bearing a noble title are being 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 strict 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 stil own (and live in) important Castles or country houses. Most noble people in Belgium still clearly belong to the elite. They often own and manage companies, or have leading positions in bussines and banking.

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

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 (before the 15th century) and their ancestors often bore other titles before they obtained the highest rank. They 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 Merode, prince since 1930 (but 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 website of the house of Arenberg
de Croÿ
de Lobkowicz Noble family of Czech origin. Their princely title was accepted in Belgium after they fled from 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.

Ducal houses

Members of the following houses bear the title of Duke ('Duc' in French,'Hertog' in Dutch). Its the second highest title in rank and was never granted by the Kingdom of Belgium. The origin of the titles goes thus 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 uses by the Crown Prince. At this moment the Belgian Crown Prince Philip is Duke of Brabant.

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
Imperiali
de Radiguès
Ruffo
van der Noot (Marquess of Assche)
d'Yve
van Tongerloo d'Effaye

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
Cornet de Ways Ruart
d'Alcantara di Quirieu
d'Ansembourg
d'Arschot Schoonhoven
d'Aspremont Lynden
de Baillet-Latour
de Beauffort
de Borchgrave d'Altena
de Bousies Borluut
de Briey
de Brouchoven de Bergeyck
de Broqueville
de Crombrugghe de Looringhe
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 Mercy-Argenteau-d'Ochain
d'Oultremont de Duras
d'Oultremont de Wégimont et de Warfusé
de Renesse
de Robiano
de t'Serclaes de Wommersom
de Smet de Naeyer - V
d'Udekem d'Acoz
d'Ursel et D'Hoboken (Count of the Holy Roman Empire and of Grobbendonk)
du Chastel de la Howarderie
Harmel, granted in 1991 (hereditary title)
Forrier de Savoye
Goethals de Mude de Nieuwland
le Grelle
Lehon
Lippens
t'Kint de Roodenbeke
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.

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

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
Bonaert
de Bakker
de Bonhomme
de Borrekens
van den Branden de Reeth
van der Bruggen
van Caloen
de Cartier d'Yves
Clerix
Cogels
Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge
de Crombrugghe, en de Crombrugghe de Looringhe
Cardon de Lichtbuer
Descantons de Montblanc
van Eyll
de Coninck de Merckem
de Favereau
de Fierlant
de Herckenrode, sinds 1846
d'Huart
Delberke
Dillemans
Donny
van Eetvelde
Evain
Fallon
Fredericq
Goethals
Goffinet
Greindl
Guillaume
Holvoet
Houtart
van Houtte
Jacobs
Jolly
de Kerchove
Kervyn d'Oud Mooreghem, en Kervyn de Volkaersbeke
Kronacker
Lambermont, sinds 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 en 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

Knights

In Belgium there are roughly 200 knights (Chevalier in French / Ridder in Dutch). There is no female equivalent for the title. For that reason the title can not be granted to women. In the case a woman is 'knighted' she mostly receives the (higher) title of 'Baroness'.

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

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.

There are thousands of untitled nobles in Belgium:

Agie de Selsaeten
Anciaux Henry de Faveaux
Anne de Molina
Annez de Taboada
André-Dumont
Arrazola de Oñate
Bauchau
Beaucarne d'Eenaeme
Carton de Tournay
Claeys Boùùaert
Cogels
Coget
d'Andrimont
de Barsy
de Bauer
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
Geelhand de Merxem
Gilliot
Guyot de Mishaegen
Hendrickx van den Bosch
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
van der Straten-Ponthoz
Serné
Spruyt
Thibaut de Maisières
Uyttenhove
van Ackere
van Neste
van Outryve d'Ydewalle
van Wassenhove

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