You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (November 2012) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
View a machine-translated version of the French article.
Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at [[:fr:Claude-Lamoral Ier de Ligne]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|fr|Claude-Lamoral Ier de Ligne}} to the talk page.
Henri, 4th Prince of Ligne Louise Claire, Duchess of Aveiro Prince François Albert Prince Nicolau Claude Lamoral Alphonse, Count of Faucquenberg Princess Marie Henriette Princess Francisca Procope Hyacinthe, Marquis of Moÿ Princess Ernestina Francisca Charles Joseph, 2nd Marquis of Arronches Prince Vitor
Claude Lamoral, 3rd Prince of Ligne, Prince of Epinoy, Marquis of Roubaix and Count of Fauquemberg (8 October 1618 – 21 December 1679), was a nobleman from the Spanish Netherlands, a soldier and diplomat in the service of Philip IV of Spain and Charles II of Spain .
Between 1649 and 1669, he was Captain General of the Spanish Cavalry in the Spanish Netherlands, which was the third highest military position after Captain General and Governor of the Arms.
In 1660, he was sent as representative of the Spanish King to the Royal court of Charles II of England as first foreign recognition of the newly restored English monarchy.[citation needed]
He became Viceroy of Sicily (1670–1674), where he fortified the coastal defences against Turkish pirates, who attacked the local population to abduct and sell them into slavery.[1]
Claude Lamoral, and after his death, his wife Claire Marie, enlarged the Chateau of Belœil and its spectacular French-styled 25 hectare garden, which has a 6 hectare lake in front of the castle. Today the gardens are partially open to the public.[2][3]