House of Egmont

### Branches

Egmont van Buuren, extinct with Anna van Egmont, Hertogin van Gelre en suo jure Gravin van Buuren

## Political Status

### Titles

Heerser van de Oosterrijkse NederlandenHertog van Gelre, Brabant, Luxemburg, Limburg en Aarschot

Prins van Ligne

Markies van Hainaut, Berghen-op-Zoom en Rode

Graaf van Vlaanderen, Artesië, Zupthen, Holland, Zeeland en Buuren

### Current Head

Alexandra Xenia van Egmont, Hertogin van GelreRegent:

Olga van Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, Weduwe Hertogin van Gelre and Grand Duchess of Russia

The House of Egmont, or as it is known in Dutch, het Huis van Egmont is a powerful Dutch noble family ruling over most of the Netherlands and Belgium as a semi-sovereign absolute monarchy. The family gained power from the marriage between Johanna Reginar and Arnold van Egmont, who upon his wife's death inherited her titles and remarried to her niece, Margaretha van Male. They expanded their domains even further by acquiring the duchy of Gelre and the counties of Holland and Zeeland, however they would be caught in the middle of the Dutch Republic and the Austrian Netherlands, the Hertogen would eventually end up siding with the latter after being promised the position of "governeur-generaal van de Spaanse Nederlanden", permanently putting them in charge of the Austrian Netherlands. With close ties to the crown of Spain as well as strong claims on the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castille, they were considered a possible option to succeed Charles II, however instead of the throne of Spain, they were granted the hand in marriage of Maria Josepha of Austria, who was at the time set to inherit both the Austrian and Spanish realms, however this was changed in 1713, which left both the Archduchess and her husband, Filip, Hertog van Gelre furious. To ease the anger of her cousins, Maria Theresa eventually ceded the Austrian Netherlands to the couple, naming them Sovereign of the Austrian Netherlands, or "Heer van de Oosterrijkse Nederlanden", bestowing upon them the titles that came along with that. Eventually out of pity for Napoléon's widow, Marie Louise d'Austriche, she and her two children, Napoléon II and Louise Joséphine Bonaparte stayed in Brussels, with the latter eventually marrying the Hertog van Gelre, while Napoléon II's only daughter, Euphémie Christine wed the next Hertog. During the 1890s Filip IX van Egmont started forging an alliance between them and the Romanov, first by marrying Xenia Romanov, the eldest daughter of Alexander III of Russia, while his son married Olga Romanov, the last member of the main line of the Romanov. From then on some members of the family would claim the title of Grand Duke, a claim which was further solidified by marrying Catherine Romanov, the last membr of the dynasty to be born while they still ruled. Currently the family is facing a succession crisis, as Hertog Alexander III van Egmont passed away without a male heir, leaving his vast fortune and estates to his eldest daughter, Alexandra Xenia. Currently the family rules most of the ancient duchy of Lower Lotharingia, and oftens styled themselves as Hertog van Lothier.

## History

#### 14th Century

The house of Egmont originated from the town of Egmont in North Holland, being one of the main noble families there, and claiming to be the descendants of the Kings of Friesland and Counts of Holland. They gained prominence with Arnold van Egmont, Heer van Egmond and regent for the Hertog van Luxemburg. During his time at court he managed to seduceJ, ohanna Reginar, then the Hertogin van Luxembourg. Following the death of her husband, Wenceslaus, she did not hesitate to remarry to Arnold, who became the jure uxoris Hertog van Lothier, Brabant and Limburg as his wife's consort. However Johanna soon passed away under unknown circumstances at the age of 61, and Arnold inherited her estates, and chose to remarry to his late wife's niece, Margaretha van Male, suo jure Gravin van Vlaanderen and Artesië. In this short period of time the Dutch family gained control over much of the Low Countries and their influence only expanded, as they gained control of Gelre in 1400.

#### 15th Century

Arnold II van Egmont, Hertog van Lothier, Brabant, Limburg and Gelre wed Jacoba van Beieren, alternatively known as Jacqueline of Bavaria, who ruled the counties of Holland and Zeeland in her own right. The couple would have four children, the eldest, Maria went on to marry James II Stewart, King of Scotland, and the fourth married Charles de Valois-Bourgogne, Duke of Burgundy, who was known as 'the Bold', by him she was the mother of the Burgundian heiress, Marie de Valois-Bourgogne, Holy Roman Empress. The heir of the ducal pair married Catherine of Lancaster, the only daughter of Henry VI, who was the deposed King of England and Mary of Anjou. He was succeeded by Karel van Egmont, husband of Juana Trastámara, the only daughter of Enrique IV, King of Aragon and formerly Queen of Portugal. Through her, they claimed the title of "Rey de Castille e Léon", however she was succeeded by her aunt, Isabella who would become the first Queen of Spain. Once again the Egmont forged a connection with the Burgundians as Willem van Egmont wed Margaretha van Oosterrijk, the widow of the Prince of Asturias as well as the Duke of Savoy, and together they had Willem II, Hertog van Gelre who through his wife, Isabella de Aragón, half sister of Juana of Castille claimed the title of "Rey de Aragón".

#### 16th Century

During the Dutch Revolt the Hertog chose not to pick a side, though the family was outraged at the execution of their kinsman, Lamoral, Graaf van Egmont, though they refused to break the existing alliance with the Habsburgs and instead united the two branches by marrying off Anna van Egmont van Buren, the heiress of the executed Graaf to their son. In an effort to repair what damage had been done by the execution, in 1560 another Archduchess of Austria wed a Hertog of Gelre, this time it being Joanna of Austria, the youngest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, and one generation later their son married Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, who through her mother was a strong claimant to the throne of France though nothing came of this, and instead she and her husband were appointed the governors of the Austrian Netherlands, a title which the Egmont would hold until the 18th century. Willem VI van Egmont expanded his lands once more by marrying a Dutch heiress, that being Anna de Cröy, sister of the Hertog van Aarschot, one of the more powerful nobles at the time.

#### 17th Century

In the 17th century a long string of marriages with both the Spanish line of the Habsburgs and the Austrian one followed, firstly with Margarita van Spanje, daughter of Philip III, then with Anna Maria Antonia, elder sister of Marie-Thérèse, Reine de France and Charles II. After that, Anna Maria Antonia's son wed his first cousin, Maria Antonia, only child of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and his first wife, Margarita Teresa of Spain, in an attemp to strengthen their claim on the throne. Following the death of Charles II, Willem IX van Egmont was considered an option for the title of "Rey de España" where he would have ruled as Guillermo I.

#### 18th Century

However instead of the throne of Spain, his son was given the hand in marriage of Maria Josepha van Oosterrijk, who was at that point set to inherit both the Kingdom of Spain as well as all of the Austrian estates, but her uncle changed the law so that his daughter, Maria Theresa would instead inherit, which infuriated the Egmont, and during the Austrian war of Succession, they sided against the new Archduchess in an attempt to claim the Hertogin's inheritance. They were not fully successfull but in the treaty they were granted the entirety of the Austrian Netherlands and the rest of the Burgundian inheritance, as well as the Duchy of Lorraine and Bar, though not fully satisfied, the Egmonts agreed. Forging connections with the Portuguese, Filip I's son wed Barbara of Portugal, and once again Maria Theresa tried to mend the rift between the houses by marrying off her eldest daughter, Maria Anna to Filip III van Egmont, though the tensions between the families was as high as ever.

## List of Titles

##### Sovereign Titles:

* Heerser van de Oosterrijkse Nederlanden, also called Heerser van de Spaanse Nederlanden
* Hertog van Lothier, also called Hertog van Neder-Lotharingen
* Duc de Lorraine et Bar, titled as Hertog van Lotharingen en Bar
* Hertog van Luxemburg
* Graaf van Vlaanderen

##### Duchies:

* Hertog van Gelre
* Hertog van Limburg
* Hertog van Lothier
* Hertog van Brabant
* Hertog van Aarschot
* Hertog van Cröy
* Hertog van Arenberg
* Hertog van Meppen

##### Principalities:

* Prins van Gavere
* Prins van Chimay
* Prins van Ligne

##### Marquisates:

* Markies van Antwerp
* Markies van Ename
* Markies van Rode
* Markies van Berghen-op-Zoom

##### Counties:

* Graaf van Holland
* Graaf van Zeeland
* Graaf van Brussels
* Graaf van Leuven
* Graaf van Hainaut
* Graaf van Artesië
* Graaf van Namur
* Graaf van Zupthen
* Graaf van Henegouwen
* Graaf van Buren
* Graaf van Lingen
* Graaf van Leerdam
* Graaf van Porcien
* Graaf van Beaumont
* Graaf van Seneghem
* Graaf van Meghem

## List of Rulers

1. Arnold van Egmont, jure uxoris Hertog van Lothier, Brabant and Limburg by his first marriage to Johanna Reginar, which was childless. He remarried to his wife's niece, Margaretha van Male, suo jure Gravin van Vlaanderen and Artesië.
2. John II van Egmont, Hertog van Lothier, son of the above. Married Maria van Arkel, suo jure Hertogin van Gelre and Gravin van Zupthen.
3. Arnold II van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Jacoba van Beieren, suo jure Gravin van Holland and Zeeland.
4. Adolf van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Catharina van Lancaster, daughter of Henry VI of Lancaster, last Lancastrian King of England and Margaret of Anjou.
5. Karel van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Joanna Trastámara, only child of Enrique IV Trastámara, King of Castille and Joanna of Portugal.
6. Willem van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Margaretha van Oosterrijk, who became the governor of the Austrian Netherlands, only daughter of Maximillian van Oosterrijk, Holy Roman Emperor and Marie de Valois-Bourgogne, suo jure Duchesse de Bourgogne.
7. Willem II van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Isabella de Aragón, youngest daughter of Ferdinand II de Aragón, King of Aragon and Germaine de Foix.
8. Willem III van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Anna van Egmont van Buren, suo jure Gravin van Buren, Lingen and Henegouwen.
9. Willem IV van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Joanna van Oosterrijk, youngest daughter of Ferdinand van Oosterrijk, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary.
10. Willem V van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Isabella Clara Eugenia van Spanje, eldest daughter of Philip II van Spanje and Elizabeth de Valois. She was considered as a potential Reine-Regnante de France as heir to her uncle, Henri III de Valois. She later became the Governor of the Austrian Netherlands.
11. Willem VI van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Anna de Cröy, suo jure Hertog van Aarschot and heiress to one of the most powerful Dutch nobles.
12. Willem VII van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Margarita van Spanje, youngest daughter of Philip III van Spanje and Margaret van Oosterrijk.
13. Willem VIII van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Maria Anna Antonia van Spanje, eldest daughter of Philip IV van Spanje and Elizabeth de Bourbon, for a while she was considered a possible heiress for her half brother, Charles II.
14. Willem IX van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married his first cousin, Maria Antonia, eldest daughter of Leopold van Oosterrijk, Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret Theresa van Spanje. They were married to strenghten the claim the Egmont had on the Spanish throne from Maria Anna Antonia van Spanje.
15. Filip van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Maria Josepha van Oosterrijk, eldest daughter of Joseph van Oosterrijk, Holy Roman Emperor and Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was set to inherit both Austria and Spain until her uncle changed the law so that his daughter would instead inherit, this action caused a permanent rift between the Egmont and the Habsburgs and during the Austrian War of Succession they pressed the claims Filip van Egmont had on the Austrian Netherlands, successfully obtaining what remained of the Burgundian inheritance from Marie de Valois-Bourgogne.
16. Filip II van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Barbara of Portugal, eldest child of João V of Portugal and Maria Anna van Oosterrijk, who died giving birth to their son, Filip III. He remarried to Elizabeth Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia and later Empress-Regnant of Russia, although they would have no children and instead the throne passed to her nephew, Peter.
17. Filip III van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Maria Anna van Oosterrijk, eldest daughter of Maria Theresa van Oosterrijk and Francis de Lorraine, Holy Roman Emperor. The pair were wed to try and claim the inheritance the Egmont felt entitled to, as for a time Maria Anna was her mother's heiress presumptive, though nothing would come of this and relations between the families soured.
18. Filip IV van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Charlotte of Hanover, known before her marriage as Princess Royal as the eldest daughter of George III of Hanover, King of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
19. Filip V van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Giovanna Sforza, only daughter of Giovanni VIII Sforza and Maria Beatrice d'Este, the Duca and Duchessa di Milano.
20. Filip VI van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Louise Joséphine Bonaparte, only legitimate daughter of Napoléon Bonaparte, Empereur des Français and Marie Louise van Oosterrijk.
21. Filip VII van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Euphémie Christine Bonaparte, only child of Napoléon II Bonaparte, who was briefly the Empereur des Français and Sophie de Bavière.
22. Filip VIII van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married María Isabel de Bourbon-Espagne, eldest daughter of Isabel II de Bourbon and Francesco de Bourbon.
23. Filip IX van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Xenia of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia as the eldest daughter of Alexander III, Emperor of Russia and Dagmar of Denmark.
24. Alexander van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married his first cousin, Olga of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia, the eldest daughter of Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia and Alix of Hesse and by the Rhine.
25. Alexander II van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married his second cousin, Catharina of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, only child of Alexander of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, the eldest brother of Nicholas II and Alexandrine of Hohenzollern, Princess of Prussia.
26. Filip X van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, son of the above. Married Antoniette Carlote Emanuella Lauretta Sforza-Carrara, daughter of Francesco Sforza-Carrara, Duca di Carrara and Ophelia Travers. Died without an heir.
27. Alexander III van Egmont, Hertog van Gelre, brother of the above. Married Calliope Greengrass, a British witch, who later remarried to Francesco II Sforza-Carrara, Duca di Carrara.
28. Alexandra Xenia van Egmont, suo jure Hertogin van Gelre, daughter of the above. Inherited the estates of the Egmont as an infant, currently attending Hogwarts.