The Dukes of Arenberg
The Thousand-Year History of a Noble Family
Isabelle Vanden Hove (Author),
The history of the noble Arenberg family presented in an accessible and attractive way for the general public.
From its origins in medieval times to the present day, the Arenberg family has been one of Europe’s leading noble families. With origins in the German Eifel region, the Arenbergs became sovereign Princes and later Dukes in the Holy Roman Empire. Their ranks included active officers on many battlefields, important decision makers, and cunning diplomats in the Low Countries, France, and Germany. This book relates the history of this still important and influential noble family and shows how the Dukes of Arenberg have maintained their position in the highest echelons of society throughout the ages. Richly illustrated with numerous paintings, photographs and colour drawings from the family’s well-preserved archives, The Dukes of Arenberg offers the reader not only the military and political history of the Arenberg family, but also an overview of more than a thousand years of European history, in which they have often played an important role.
Published by the Arenberg Foundation
Promotour: “The Dukes of Arenberg: The Thousand-year History of a Noble Family”
Prologue
Chapter 1
The Lords of Arenberg as Burgraves of Cologne
From the earliest records until the thirteenth century
Chapter 2
A tree with seven branches
From the thirteenth century until the sixteenth century: from river Rhine to river Meuse
Chapter 3
The marriages of two exceptional women
The legacy of Marguerite de La Marck-Arenberg and Anne of Croÿ in the sixteenth century
Chapter 4
The Arenberg Family & the Spanish House of Habsburg
Philip of Arenberg and his relatives on the battlefields of the seventeenth century
Chapter 5
The Arenberg Family & the Austrian House of Habsburg
The long careers of three Dukes during the eighteenth century
Chapter 6
The challenges of a new political order
The consequences of the French Revolution in the long nineteenth century
Chapter 7
Arenberg, a ‘transnational’ family caught up in nationalism
The First World War and its aftermath
Chapter 8 | Duke Leopold of Arenberg
A European family looking towards the future
The House of Arenberg today
Epilogue | Duke Leopold of Arenberg
The Arenberg Foundation
Promotion of European History and Culture
Explanatory maps
With a legacy that spans numerous generations, the Arenberg family has left an indelible mark on European aristocratic culture. Elegantly written and richly illustrated, this book offers a fascinating overview of the history of one of Europe's most prominent noble houses. - Dries Raeymaekers, Radboud University Nijmegen
The Dukes of Arenberg is een bevattelijke synthese met functioneel gekozen illustraties, duidelijke krachtlijnen en interessante biografieën van de belangrijkste familieleden. - Janick Appelmans, Eigen Schoon en De Brabander, jaargang 107, 2024, nummer 3
Kortom, Isabelle Vanden Hove, directeur van de Arenberg Foundation (www.arenbergfoundation.eu) bracht met 'The Dukes of Arenberg' een bevattelijke en attractieve geschiedenis van het geslacht Arenberg. Dit schitterend boek hoort thuis in vele bibliotheken waar het Huis Arenberg in het verleden enige rol van betekenis heeft gespeeld. - Guy Lernout, Hallensia, jaargang 46, nr 4
Het boek 'The Dukes of Arenberg' is een prachtig hebbeding geworden. De vele illustraties en de verzorgde layout verleiden je er om keer op keer doorheen te bladeren. De ondertitel 'The Thousand-Year History of a Noble Family' zou je misschien laten veronderstellen dat je te doen hebt met een turf van een boek dat amper hanteerbaar als ongelezen pronkstuk in de boekenkast belandt, het lot van nogal wat prachtige kunstboeken. Maar niets is minder waard. Isabelle Vandenhove is er in geslaagd om deze geschiedenis van duizend jaar Arenberg samen te vatten in 220 bladzijden in handzaam formaat, rijkelijk geïllustreerd met foto’s van schilderijen, archiefstukken, zegels, munten etc. Ook de vele verzorgd weergegeven stambomen, kaarten en plattegronden zijn een belangrijke meerwaarde. - Heemkring Groot-Rotselaar, https://www.heemkringgrootrotselaar.be/nieuws-1
Het is een prachtig hardcoverboek van 224 pagina's, rijkelijk geïllustreerd met 150 afbeeldingen. Alhoewel het boek in het Engels is geschreven, leest het zeer vlot en wordt de geschiedenis van de adellijke familie Arenberg op een toegankelijke en aantrekkelijke manier gepresenteerd voor her grote publiek. - Frederik Vanderstraeten, Heemkundige Kring De Oost-Oudburg, Jg 53, januari 2025, nr 1
Die 1000-jährige Geschichte der Adelsfamilie der Arenberger wird beleuchtet In acht Kapiteln, reich bebildert mit Gemälden, Fotografien und Farbzeichnungen aus den gut erhaltenen Archiven der Familie, wird die Geschichte der Arenberger in englischer Sprache erzählt und ein Überblick über mehr als 1000 Jahre europäische Geschichte gegeben., Wolfgang Kirfel, Kölnische Rundschau, 08.02.2025, https://www.rundschau-online.de/region/euskirchen-eifel/schleiden-gemuend/schleiden-1000-jaehrige-geschichte-der-adelsfamilie-der-arenberger-958906
Eines sei vorab gesagt: Dieses Buch über das Geschlecht Arenberg hat nicht den Anspruch, wissenschaftlich zu sein. Es handelt sich um eine opulent ausgestattete Familiengeschichte, die von der Stiftung der gleichnamigen Familien verlegt und von der Stiftungsdirektorin und Hausarchivarin der Arenberg verfasst wurde. Dem Band tut das aber keinen Abbruch, er hat unglaublich viel zu bieten. Kein Wunder auch, bei so viel Geschichte. Schließlich können nur wenige europäische Adelsgeschlechter qua Wirkung über Zeit und Raum mit den Arenbergs wetteifern: In nahezu anderthalbtausend Jahre reichte ihr Einfluss von den Lage Landen bis nach Böhmen, Slowenien, Frankreich und Kampanien. [...] Fünfundsechzig Euro sind ein Schnäppchen für ein Werk, das in allen Facetten, vom Inhalt über die Gestaltung jeder einzelnen Seite bis hin zur Papierauswahl, von Herzblut und großem Können zeugt. - Rengenier Rittersma, sehepunkte 25 (2025), Nr. 7/8 [15.07.2025], URL: https://www.sehepunkte.de/2025/07/39580.html
'The Dukes of Arenberg' is een boek over een eeuwenoude adellijke familie met een rijke en belangrijke geschiedenis. Deze geschiedenis is bovendien uitstekend gedocumenteerd. Het tweede omvangrijke deel van het boek bestaat uit vele, bijzonder knappe illustraties. Het gaat om foto’s, kaarten, stambomen, artefacten en schilderijen. De Arenberg Stichting verzorgde de erg fraaie uitgave in eigen beheer. — Sam Van Clemen, Tijdingen uit Leuven, nummer 184, zomer 2025 (ook gepubliceerd op Historiek.net, 1 september 2025)
For centuries the Arenbergs were one of Europe's leading noble houses. This work, authored by an expert in the field, is a major achievement, offering the first survey of a family with a truly continental past that ranged from Brussels to Madrid to Vienna. - William D. Godsey, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Dukes of Arenberg" about?
The history of the noble Arenberg family presented in an accessible and attractive way for the general public.
From its origins in medieval times to the present day, the Arenberg family has been one of Europe’s leading noble families. With origins in the German Eifel region, the Arenbergs became sovereign Princes and later Dukes in the Holy Roman Empire. Their ranks included active officers on many battlefields, important decision makers, and cunning diplomats in the Low Countries, France, and Germany. This book relates the history of this still important and influential noble family and shows how the Dukes of Arenberg have maintained their position in the highest echelons of society throughout the ages. Richly illustrated with numerous paintings, photographs and colour drawings from the family’s well-preserved archives, The Dukes of Arenberg offers the reader not only the military and political history of the Arenberg family, but also an overview of more than a thousand years of European history, in which they have often played an important role.
Published by the Arenberg Foundation
Promotour: “The Dukes of Arenberg: The Thousand-year History of a Noble Family”
Who wrote "The Dukes of Arenberg"?
"The Dukes of Arenberg" was written by Isabelle Vanden Hove.
Isabelle Vanden Hove is director of the Arenberg Foundation where she manages the family's private archives. She has started a research project on the history of the Arenberg-Croy-Chimay and Arenberg-Ligne-Barbançon family branches during the 17th century in anticipation of a book about frontier policy at the time of the Spanish Netherlands (1555-1715).
What is the Table of Contents for "The Dukes of Arenberg"?
Prologue
Chapter 1
The Lords of Arenberg as Burgraves of Cologne
From the earliest records until the thirteenth century
Chapter 2
A tree with seven branches
From the thirteenth century until the sixteenth century: from river Rhine to river Meuse
Chapter 3
The marriages of two exceptional women
The legacy of Marguerite de La Marck-Arenberg and Anne of Croÿ in the sixteenth century
Chapter 4
The Arenberg Family & the Spanish House of Habsburg
Philip of Arenberg and his relatives on the battlefields of the seventeenth century
Chapter 5
The Arenberg Family & the Austrian House of Habsburg
The long careers of three Dukes during the eighteenth century
Chapter 6
The challenges of a new political order
The consequences of the French Revolution in the long nineteenth century
Chapter 7
Arenberg, a ‘transnational’ family caught up in nationalism
The First World War and its aftermath
Chapter 8 | Duke Leopold of Arenberg
A European family looking towards the future
The House of Arenberg today
Epilogue | Duke Leopold of Arenberg
The Arenberg Foundation
Promotion of European History and Culture
Explanatory maps
Related titles
Orality and Scribal Culture in the High Middle Ages
Timothy B. Noone (Author), Mark J. Clark (Author),
October 2026
Toekomstdromen
Maarten Van Dijck (Editor), Gerrit Verhoeven (Editor), Hans Cools (Editor),
October 2026
German–Rapanui Entanglements
Cristián Moreno Pakarati (Editor), Diego Muñoz (Editor), Philipp Schorch (Editor),
August 2026
The Medieval Aristotle
Nena Bobovnik (Editor), Clelia V. Crialesi (Editor), Lisa Devriese (Editor),
August 2026
Trend en toeval – vierde editie
Bruno Blondé (Author), Isabelle Devos (Author), Jord Hanus (Author), Wouter Ryckbosch (Author),
August 2026
Cinema in Post-War Belgium
Gertjan Willems (Editor), Bjorn Gabriels (Editor), Bénédicte Rochet (Editor),
May 2026
Performing Magnetism
Eleonora Paklons (Editor), Kristof Smeyers (Editor), Kurt Vanhoutte (Editor), Hannah Welslau (Editor),
May 2026
Brusselse plaatsnamen
Iadine Degryse (Editor), Benjamin Wayens (Editor), Chantal Kesteloot (Editor), Dennis De Vriese (Editor), Matthijs Degraeve (Editor),
April 2026
Cartographies of Catastrophes
Laura Demeter (Editor), Carmen M. Enss (Editor), Piotr Kisiel (Editor), Carol Ludwig (Editor),
February 2026
Thomas Aquinas and Hervaeus Natalis on Concepts and Intentional Objects
Fabrizio Amerini (Author),
February 2026
