County, Principality and Duchy of Arenberg

Geschiedenis

Arenberg, also spelled as Aremberg or Ahremberg, is a historic county, principality and finally duchy located in modern Germany. The Dukes of Arenberg remain a prominent Belgian aristocratic family.HistoryFirst mentioned in the 12th century, it was named after the village Aremberg in the Ahr Hills in today's Rhineland-Palatinate.1549–1576Aremberg was originally a county. It became a state of the Holy Roman Empire in 1549, was raised to a principality in 1576, and finally a duchy in 1645.1789The 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 on, the principal lands of the Dukes of Arenberg have been in modern-day Belgium.