(Redirected from Croÿ)
Arms of Philippe I de Croÿ, detail of
Rogier's diptych (ca. 1460).
The 'House of Croÿ' is an international family of European
mediatized nobility which held a seat in the
Imperial Diet from 1486, and was elevated to the rank of
Imperial Princes in 1594.
This
dynastic house, which originally adopted its name from the Château de Croÿ in what is now
Belgium, claimed descent from a
Hungarian prince who allegedly settled in
France in 1147, where he married an heiress to the barony of Croÿ. The Croÿ family rose to prominence under the Dukes of
Burgundy. Later they became actively involved in the complex politics of
France,
Spain,
Austria, and the
Low Countries.
Among the more illustrious members of the House of Croÿ were two bishops-dukes of
Cambrai; two
cardinals (one being also the
Archbishop of Toledo and another being the
Archbishop of Rouen); five bishops (those of
Therouanne,
Tournai,
Cammin,
Arras, and
Ypres); one Prince of
Masovia; one
Grand-Bouteiller,
Grand-Maitre and
Marshal of France; one Grand
Equerry of the King of
Spain; several imperial
field marshals and twenty generals; a couple of governors of the
Netherlands; one
Russian Field-Marshal; numerous ambassadors and senators in France, Austria, Belgium; and thirty two knights of the
Order of the Golden Fleece.
The Croÿs of Burgundy
'Jean I de Croÿ' was responsible for the ascendancy of his family to a position of supreme power in medieval
Burgundy. He served
Philip the Bold and his son
John the Fearless in the capacity of councillor and chamberlain. In 1384 he married a wealthy heiress, Marie de Craon, successfully suing her first husband's family upon her death. In 1397, Jean acquired the lordship of
Chimay, which was to become a core dominion of the Croÿ family. Four years later, he was appointed Governor of
Artois and led the ducal armies against the rebellious citizens of
Liege. He was recorded as the Grand Bouteiller of the King of
France in 1412 when he laid siege to
Bourges. The following year,
Isabeau of Bavaria had him apprehended and incarcerated in the castle of
Montlhéry, from where he escaped. Jean, together with two of his sons, was killed in the
Battle of Agincourt on
October 25,
1415.
Antoine le Grand, as represented on a miniature (ca. 1390).
'Antoine I le Grand', Jean I's eldest surviving son and heir, was a key figure in 15th-century French politics. Securing for himself the post of Governor General of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, he presided over the pro-French party at the court of
Philip the Good and was one of the judges at the trial for treason in 1458 of
Duke of Alençon. Like his father, he led French and Burgundian armies against Liege and distinguished himself at the
Battle of Brouwershaven fighting against the English. While on a mission to the court of
Duke of Berry, he was implicated in the assassination of the
Duke of Orléans and as a consequence suffered torture in the
Château de Blois.
Having extricated himself from this predicament, Antoine used his power to expand his family's possessions: in 1429 he obtained the lordship and peerage of
Roeulx; three years later he married a Princess of
Lorraine, who brought
Arschot to his family as her dowry; in 1446 he purchased the Château of
Montcornet and completely rebuilt it. In 1438 he acquired the castle of
Porcien and was made Count of Porcéan and Guînes by
Charles VII in 1455. A year earlier, he had married his daughter to Count
Louis I of Pfalz-Zweibrücken in order to increase his influence in the orbit of the
Holy Roman Empire.
With
Charles the Bold, the future Duke of Burgundy, he was at loggerheads, especially after they had clashed over the inheritance of Jeanne d'Harcourt, Countess of
Namur. Upon Charles's accession, Antoine was accused of plotting with astrologers to bring about the Duke's downfall and was compelled to flee to France. In France he took part in the
coronation of
Louis XI and was chosen as a
godfather to the future
Louis XII. It was not until the age of 83 that he reconciled himself with Charles and was allowed to reclaim his properties in Burgundy. He died either in 1475 or 1477 and was interred in Porcien.
'Agnes de Croÿ' was his sister and the mistress of Duke Jean the Fearless, by whom she had a natural son, the future
Bishop of Cambrai and
Archbishop of Trier. Several noble families of
Belgium and the
Netherlands are descended from this prelate's eleven illegitimate children.
The lines of Croÿ-Arschot-Havré and Croÿ-Roeulx stem from Antoine's two sons, Philippe I and Charles III, while his younger brother, Jean II, was the progenitor of the only extant line of the family, that of Croÿ-Solre. All three lines demonstrate a complex pattern of intermarriage, so that estates and titles would stay within the family as long as possible.
The line of Croÿ-Aerschot
Antoine was succeeded as Count of Porcéan by his eldest son, 'Philippe I de Croÿ', Governor of Luxembourg and Ligny. Philippe I de Croÿ was raised together with
Charles the Bold, who arranged Philippe's marriage to Jacqueline of Luxembourg in 1455. The bride's father was extremely against the alliance and attempted to win his daughter back by force, but the Count of Porcéan closed the borders of Luxembourg and announced that the marriage had been consummated. In 1471 Philippe defected to the King of France with 600 knights but returned to Burgundy to fight for Charles during the
Battle of Nancy. During the battle he was taken prisoner. Following Charles's death, Philippe de Croÿ helped arrange the betrothal of
his heiress Marie with
Emperor Maximilian I. Towards the end of his life, he was employed by the Emperor as Governor of
Valenciennes, Lieutenant General of Liege, and Captain General of
Hainaut. Philippe commissioned a remarkable church in
Château-Porcien, in which he was buried upon his death in 1511.
Among Philippe's sons,
Antoine, Bishop of Thérouanne, predeceased his father and lies buried in
Cyprus. More notable was '
Guillaume de Croÿ' (1458-1521), (whose name is translated as Guillermo de Xebres in Spanish documents). As a tutor to
Carlos I of Spain (afterwards emperor Charles V), Guillaume became the power behind the Spanish throne during his pupil's minority. Thus obtaining for himself the titles of Marquess of Aerschot and Duke of Soria and Archi. The Spanish aristocracy detested him as a foreigner, accusing him of pillaging the treasury and other irregularities, causing a wave of civil unrest to spread through
Castile. Guillaume went to attend the famous
Diet of Worms, where he was poisoned on
28 May,
1521, apparently by German nobles afraid of his influence on imperial politics.
Guillaume's nephew and namesake, 'Guillaume III de Croÿ' (1498-1521), was educated in
Louvain with
Juan Luís Vives, a great philosopher of the time. As it appeared unlikely that he would succeed to the lands of his grandfather, Philippe I, he was destined to the church. Family interests ensured his rapid promotion: he was elected Bishop of
Cambrai at the age of 17. Within a year,
Charles V bestowed upon his young Burgundian friend the archbishopric of
Toledo, making him a cardinal and Primate of
Spain. This unprecedented move brought Spain to the brink of a civil war. Guillaume accompanied his uncle and Charles to Worms, where on
January 6 he died aged 22, following a fall from his horse. His tomb is in the
Celestin monastery of Louvain, founded by his father.
Guillaume III's elder brother, 'Philippe II de Croÿ' (1496 - 1549), succeeded to the County of Porcéan upon his father's death in 1514. Like his predecessors, he was Governor of Hainault and Senior Knight of the
Order of the Golden Fleece, but it is as Charles V's general that he is best remembered. In 1533 Charles V created Philippe ("our cousin", as he styled him) Duke of Soria and Archi and
Grandee of Spain First Class. Earlier, he had become Marquess of Renty and exchanged the lordship of
Longwy in
Normandy for that of
Havré, which his descendants would develop as a family nest. His first wife was a cousin, Anne de Croÿ, Princess of
Chimay. She died in 1539, and nine years later Philippe married
Anna of Lorraine. He left offspring by both marriages.
Philippe III de Croÿ, Duke of Arschot.
Philippe II's eldest son, 'Charles I de Croÿ' (1522-51), inherited the Principality of Chimay from his mother and succeeded to the Duchy of Aerschot upon his father's death. He was assassinated in
Quievrain two years later, leaving no children by his marriage to Louise of
Lorraine-Guise. Thereupon Chimay and Aerschot passed to Philippe II's second son, Philippe III.
'
Philippe III de Croÿ', 3rd Duke of Arschot (1526-1595), was made 216th Knight of the
Order of the Golden Fleece by
Philip II of Spain. In 1567 his cousin Antoine III de Croÿ, 1st Prince of Porcéan died without issue by his marriage to Catherine of
Cleves, and the Principality of
Porcéan devolved upon Philippe. His devotion to the
Roman Catholic Church, which he expressed by showing his delight at the
Massacre of St. Bartholomew, led Philip of Spain to regard him with great favor. He was appointed governor of the citadel of
Antwerp but defected to the other side before long. Jealous of
William the Silent's influence, he was then the head of the party which induced the
Archduke Matthias (afterwards emperor) to undertake the sovereignty of the Netherlands, and soon afterwards was appointed Governor-General of
Flanders by the state council. A strong party, including the burghers of
Ghent, distrusted the new governor; and Arschot, who was taken prisoner during a riot at Ghent, was only released on promising to resign his office. He then sought to regain the favor of Philip of Spain, and having been pardoned by the king in 1580 again shared in the government of the Netherlands; but he refused to serve under the count of Fuentes when he became governor-general in 1594, and retired to
Venice, where he died in December 1595.
Philippe III was succeeded by his only son, 'Charles II de Croÿ' (1560-1612), who was created Duke of Croÿ by
Henri IV of France in 1598. As Charles was childless, the duchy of Arschot passed to his sister Anna de Croÿ, who had married Karl, Prince of Arenberg, thus bringing Aerschot to the House of
Arenberg. Another sister, Marguerite, inherited the lordships of
Halewyn and
Commines, which passed to her husband, Wratislaw, Count of
Fürstenberg.
The line of Croÿ-Havré
First line
'Charles Philippe de Croÿ' (1549-1613) was the eldest son of Philippe II by his second wife,
Anna of Lorraine. A successful imperial general, he was created
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1594. It was the first time when a simple
baron was admitted among Princes of the Empire.
'Charles Alexandre de Croÿ', Marquess of Havré (1581-1624) was the son of the preceding. He inherited the title of Prince of Croÿ from his father, that of Count of
Fontenoy from his mother, and that of
Duke of Croÿ (in the
French peerage) - from his childless cousin and brother-in-law, Charles II. He served as a hereditary marshal of the Holy Empire in the
Battle of Prague, and advised
Archduke Albert of Austria, Governor of Netherlands in the capacity of his chamberlain.
King Felipe III made him the
superintendent of finances and a Grandee of Spain. His second wife, Countess Genevieve d'Urfe, was a great beauty notorious for her many liaisons. When Charles Alexandre was shot dead in his palace at
Brussels on
November 5,
1624, French courtiers put the blame upon Genevieve and her reputed lover, the Marquess of Spinola. One innocent man was condemned on that account and was immured in a fortress until a true culprit admitted his guilt to a confessor 32 years later. Charles Alexandre's precious reminiscences had not been published until 1845.
Charles Alexandre's nephew, 'Ernst Bogislaw von Croÿ' (1620-1684), inherited both princely and ducal titles of Croÿ when he was just 4. As his father died a month after his birth, Ernst Bogislaw was brought up by his mother, Princess
Anna of Pomerania, in her native land, where he was styled Prince of
Masovia and Prince of
Neugarten. Although he was destined to the church and received the see of
Cammin in due time, Ernst Bogislaw also had illegitimate issue by several mistresses. He died in
Königsberg at the age of 63 and lies buried in
Słupsk Castle.
Second line
'Marie Claire de Croÿ' (1605-1664) was Charles Alexandre's only daughter by his marriage to Princess Yolande of Ligne. As was expected, she married two of her distant cousins, Charles Philippe de Croÿ, Marquess of Renty (in 1627) and then his brother Philippe Francois de Croÿ, Count of Solre (in 1643), in order to preclude the family estates from passing to another family. At the time of her first marriage,
Felipe III of Spain raised her marquessate of Havré to a dukedom, with her as the first duchess.
By her first marriage, she had two children - Philippe Eugene de Croÿ, Bishop of Valencia and Marie Ferdinande, Marchioness of Renty, the wife of Count
Egmond. Her only son by the second marriage, Ferdinand Francois Joseph de Croÿ-Solre, succeeded to the ducal title. Among his children, Charles Antoine Joseph, the 4th Duke of Havré, was killed
at Saragossa in 1710; Marie Therese Josephe left children by her marriage to Landgrave
Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt; and Jean Baptiste Francois, the 5th Duke, left issue by his marriage to Maria Anna Lante
della Rovere, of an Italian princely family. This line came to an end in 1839, when the 7th Duke of Havré and Croÿ died in
Paris aged 95, having outlived all of his sons. His daughter and heiress married a distant cousin, Emmanuel de Croÿ-Solre, who succeeded to the estates and titles.
The 7th Duke's sister, '
Louise Elisabeth de Croÿ-Havré' (1749-1832), is best known for her book of memoirs on the
French Revolution and the years of emigration that followed. A close friend of Queen
Marie Antoinette, she was appointed by her to the vacant post of Royal Governess, with particular care for the future
Louis XVII. During the revolution, she was incarcerated with her own daughter and already prepared to meet a
guillotine, when a mysterious gentleman smuggled them out of the prison. After one of her pupils ascended the throne as
Charles X he created her a hereditary duchess of
Tourzel in her own right. Louise Elisabeth de Croÿ, 1st Duchess of Tourzel died in the
Château de Groussay on
May 15,
1832.
The line of Croÿ-Roeulx
Château du Roeulx - a family seat of the line of Croÿ-Roeulx.
The line of Counts of Roeulx descends from Jean III de Croÿ (1436-1505), the second son of Antoine le Grand and younger brother of Philippe I. Jean III's grandson, 'Adrien de Croÿ, 1st Count of Roeulx', served as Governor of
Flanders and
Artois before his death in a combat in 1553. His granddaughter is remembered as La Belle Franchine, the beautiful mistress of
Alessandro Farnese.
In 1609, the senior line of the Counts of Roeulx went extinct, and the county passed to a
cadet line, represented by Eustache de Croÿ (1608-73), Governor of
Lille and
Douai. Eustache's son, 'Ferdinand Gaston Lamoral de Croÿ', unexpectedly succeeded to the Duchy of Croÿ in 1684, when the most senior member of the house, Ernst Bogislaw von Croÿ, had died in Königsberg. After Ferdinand's grandson, 6th Duke of Croÿ, died childless at
Le Roeulx in 1767, the line of Croÿ-Roeulx expired and the chateau du Roeulx together with the ducal title passed to the line of Croÿ-Solre (see below).
Probably the most illustrious member of the Croÿ-Roeulx branch was Eustache's nephew, '
Charles Eugène de Croÿ' (1651-1702). He participated in the
Battle of Lund (1676) against the Swedes before succeeding to his father's title of Prince of Croÿ-Millendonck in 1681. Charles Eugene fought with success in the Imperial Austrian Army against the Turks and participated in both the
liberation of Vienna in 1683 and the attack on
Belgrade in 1690. He was promoted Imperial
Field Marshal for his vital services to the Austrian crown. In 1697 he entered the Russian service and was put in charge of
Peter I's forces fighting in
Livonia during the initial stages of the
Great Northern War. After suffering a humiliating defeat in the
Battle of Narva on
20 November,
1700, Charles Eugene was taken prisoner by the Swedes and died imprisoned at their fortress of
Reval on
January 30,
1702. On demand of his creditors, his body was not buried for more than a century, and, when mummified, was exhibited in a glass coffin as a curiosity, with fees paid by tourists as a price of admission used to settle his debts.
The line of Croÿ-Solre
Origins
Croÿ Castle in the Netherlands.
The only line of the House of Croÿ extant today, that of Croÿ-Solre, descends from Antoine le Grand's younger brother, ''Jean II de Croÿ'' (1395-1473), who governed
Hainaut and
Namur in the name of the Dukes of Burgundy. His dominions were centred on the town of
Chimay, of which he became the first count. In 1430, he was made one of the very first Knights of the
Order of the Golden Fleece.
Jean II's grandson, Count 'Charles de Croÿ-Chimay' (1455-1527), made a name for himself in the
Battle of Guingate in 1479. He succeeded to the county of Chimay in 1482 and to the possessions of his mother, a Countess of Mors-
Saarwerden, several years later. In April 1486
Emperor Maximilian elevated the county of Chimay to a
principality and admitted Charles de Croÿ into the
Imperial Diet. In 1500, Charles was summoned to take part in the baptism of the future emperor Charles V, during whose minority he served as one of the governors. The Prince of Chimay had many children by his wife, Louise d'Albret, sister of
Jean d'Albret, King of
Navarre. Only two daughters reached the age of seniority, with Anne inheriting Chimay and Marguerite inheriting
Wavrin. The former married a cousin, Philippe II de Croÿ, Duke of Arschot (see above), and their children succeeded to the principality of Chimay.
'Jacques III de Croÿ-Sempy' (1508-1587) was Jean II's great grandson and Charles de Chimay's nephew. It was through his mother, Louise of
Luxembourg, that he succeeded to the Château of
Fontaine-l'Eveque in 1529, later obtaining more lands as a dowry for his three marriages. His last wife, Yolande de Lannoy, brought the manors of
Molembais,
Solre, and
Tourcoing to the House of Croÿ. Their son Philippe was the first to style himself Count of Solre. He died in
Bohemia in 1612, leaving two daughters and four sons, of whom the eldest succeeded as the 2nd Count of Solre. A younger son married the 1st Duchess of Havré, giving birth to the second line of Croÿ-Havré, which failed in 1839 (see above).
Modern times
Anne Emmanuel, 8th Duke of Croÿ.
Towards the end of the 18th century, as other branches of the family were coming to an end, the line of Croÿ-Solre accumulated a number of their titles and possessions. During the
French Revolution, 'Anne Emmanuel de Croÿ, 8th Duke of Croÿ' (1743-1803) moved his seat from Le Rouelx to the
Westphalian town of
Duelmen, formerly a possession of his wife, a Princess of
Salm-Kyrburg. Among his sons, '
Prince Gustave Maximilien Juste of Croÿ' (1772-1844) rose to become a Cardinal and
Archbishop of Rouen.
Another son, 'Auguste Louis Philippe Emmanuel de Croÿ, 9th Duke of Croÿ', better known as ''Le Bel Auguste'' (1765-1822), was
mediatized upon demise of the
Holy Roman Empire in his capacity of the sovereign prince of Dulmen. When the Bourbons were restored to the throne, Auguste de Croÿ was nominated a
Peer of France. He joined his relatives in conducting a lawsuit against a certain Claude Francois Crouy-Chanel, who had usurped the name, titles and arms of the House of Croÿ. From three of Auguste's sons - Alfred, Ferdinand, and Philipp Franz descend three extant branches of the House Prince of Croÿ-Solre, residing in
Germany and
France.
The Dukes of Croÿ own the only wild herd of
Dulmen ponies extant today.
As of 2005, the House of Croÿ is led by 'Rudolf von Croÿ', born in Dulmen on
July 8,
1955 of the 14th Duke of Croÿ and his wife, Princess Gabriele of
Bavaria. Rudolf married on
October 23,
1987 in
Schloss Sunching,
Regensburg Countess Alexandra
Miloradovich, of the
Trubetskoy princely lineage. They have six children. Another living member of the family is '
Albrecht Prinz von Croÿ'.
References
Georges Martin. ''Histoire et Généalogie Maison de Croÿ''. HGMC, 2002.
External links
★
Website about the Croÿ Castle in Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands (in Dutch only)
★
Family tree of the Croÿ
★
An Online Gotha - Croÿ
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