Arenberg

Arenberg, also spelled as Aremberg or Ahremberg, is a former county, principality and finally duchy that was located in what is now Germany. The Dukes of Arenberg remain a prominent Belgian noble family.

History
First mentioned in the 12th century, it was named after the village of Aremberg in the Ahr Hills, located in today's Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany.

1549–1645
Aremberg was originally a county. It became a state of the Holy Roman Empire (reichsunmittelbar) in 1549, was raised to a princely county in 1576, then became a duchy in 1645.

1789
The territorial possessions of the Dukes of Arenberg varied through the ages. Around 1789, the duchy was located in the Eifel region on the west side of the Rhine and contained, amongst others, Aremberg, Schleiden and Kerpen.

However, although the duchy itself was in Germany, from the 15th century onward, the principal lands of the Dukes of Arenberg have been in what is now Belgium.

The pre-Napoleonic duchy had an area of 413 km2 and a population of 14,800. It belonged to the Electoral Rhenish Circle and was bordered by the duchy of Jülich, the Archbishopric of Cologne, the Archbishopric of Trier, and the county of Blankenheim.

1798
After the French occupation of the west bank of the Rhine around 1798 (see Treaty of Campo Formio and Treaty of Lunéville), the Duke of Arenberg received in 1803 new lands: the county of Vest Recklinghausen, the county of Meppen, and later the lordship of Dülmen.

1810
Arenberg joined Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine, although that did not prevent it from being mediatised in 1810, with France annexing Dülmen and Meppen, and the duchy of Berg annexing Recklinghausen.

1814
After Napoleon's defeat in 1814 and the dissolution of the Confederation of the Rhine, the former Arenberg territories were divided between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Kingdom of Hanover. In both Prussia and Hanover, the dukes became local peers subordinate to the king.

1826
In 1826, the Arenberg territory in Hanover was named the duchy of Arenberg-Meppen, and it had an area of 2,195 km2 and a population of 56,700. The county of Recklinghausen, in Prussia, had an area of 780 km2 and a population of 64,700.

The Dukes of Arenberg remain a prominent Belgian aristocratic family. The immediate family members of the dukes are called by the nominal title of Prince of Arenberg. The ducal family descends agnatically from the House of Ligne.

The Forest of Arenberg is located in northeastern France, and it is famous for its cobbled roads used in the classic road cycle race Paris–Roubaix. Its areas saw extensive mining in the past.

Counts of Arenberg (1117–1576)
Partition into Arenberg and Rochefort
 * Franko (1117–1129)
 * Henry I (1129–1187)
 * Eberhard I (1188–1202)
 * Eberhard II (1202–1229)
 * Henry II (1220–1250)
 * Gerard (1252–1260)
 * John I (1260–1279)
 * Mathilde (1282–1299)
 * Eberhard III (Count of Marck) (1282–1308)
 * Engelbert (1308–1328)
 * Eberhard IV (1328–1387)
 * Eberhard V (1387–1454)
 * John II (1454–1480)
 * Eberhard VI (1480–1496)
 * Eberhard VII (1496–1531)
 * Robert I (1531–1541)
 * Robert II (?–1536)
 * Robert III (1541–1544)
 * Margaret (1544–1576)
 * John III (1547–1568)
 * Charles (1568–1576)

Princely Counts of Arenberg (1576–1645)

 * Margaret (1576–1596) with Jean de Ligne
 * Charles (1576–1616)
 * Philip Charles (1616–1640)
 * Philip Francis (1640–1645)

Dukes of Arenberg (1645–1810)
Mediatised 1810
 * 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)