House of Merode
| Merode | |
|---|---|
| noble family | |
Coat of Arms
|
|
| Country |
 Netherlands Belgium Germany
|
| Titles |
Marquess of Westerlo Prince of Rubempré and Prince of Grimbergen. |
| Current head | Charles Guillaume, Prince de Merode |
| Ethnicity | German |
The Princely House of Merode is one of the most important families of the Belgian nobility.
The surname of the family and the name of the house is nowadays mostly written de Merode (in French). The name is also spelled van Merode in Dutch and von Merode in German.
The House of Merode played an important role in the history of the Southern Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium.
The Coat of Arms of the House of Merode is blazoned as: "Or, four pales gules, a border engrailed azure". The motto of the house is "Plus d'honneur que d'honneurs" in French and "Meer eer dan eerbetoon" in Dutch.
The family stems from the village of Merode in Germany. Merode is located in the vicinity of the city of Düren, which lies between Aachen and Köln and was part of the Duchy of Julich. Today, it is part of the municipality of Langerwehe in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. A branch of the Merode family still owns the castle (Schloss Merode) from which their name derives.
Originally, the Merode family had the rank of Freiherr of the Holy Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, the family had possessions and influence in Köln and in the Rhineland and belonged to the reichsunmittelbar aristocracy. They supported the monastery of Schwarzenbroich, which was also the burial place for the deceased members of the family.
From the sons of Werner III von Merode (+1278), two branches of the house descended. The oldest branch was called 'Scheiffart von Merode'. The 'Scheiffart' or 'German' branch became extinct in 1733. The younger branch descends from Werner IV von Merode (+1316). This house also split into different branches, of which the branch of the Marquis of Westerloo, called 'de Merode-Westerloo', would become the most famous. The present-day 'Princes de Merode' in Belgium descend from the latter branch.
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Wikipedia