Horne was a small historic county of the Holy Roman Empire in the present day Netherlands and Belgium. It takes its name from the village Horn, west of Roermond. The residence of the counts of Horne was moved from Horn to Weert in the 15th century.

After the execution in 1568 of Philip de Montmorency who died without male heirs, the Prince-Bishop of Liège, as suzerain of Horne, was declared the direct lord and new count. The bishops ruled the county in personal union. Horne maintained its own laws and customs as well as its financial autonomy. The county included the communes of Neer, Nunhem, Haelen, Buggenum, Roggel, Heythuysen, Horn, Beegden, Geystingen and Ophoven.

It was suppressed in 1795, when it was occupied by the French, and it became part of the French département Meuse-Inférieure.

Philip de Montmorency's posthumous child's descendants makes up the House of Horne today.
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Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horne

Philip de Montmorency

Philip de Montmorency was a Dutch noble of French descent born in 1524. He was a victim of the Inquisition in the Spanish Netherlands, passing away in 1568. He died while his wife, Anna Walburgis van Nieuwenaer, was pregnant with their first child, Christian I. Christian I was sent to New Netherland (present-day New York) shortly after his birth to ensure his safety.

The Heads of the House of Horne

Dates are the length of the respective leader's reign. Most names are anglicised.
  1. William I, Lord of Horne (?-1215)
  2. William II, Lord of Horne (1215-1264)
  3. William III, Lord of Horne (1264-1300)
  4. William IV, Lord of Horne (1277-1301)
  5. Gerard I, Lord of Horne (1301-1330)
  6. William V, Lord of Horne (1330-1343)
  7. Gerard II, Lord of Horne (1343-1345)
  8. William VI, Lord of Horne (1345-1357)
  9. Dirk Loef, Lord of Horne (1357-1369)
  10. William VII, Lord of Horne (1369-1405)
  11. William VIII, Lord of Horne (1405-1428)
  12. Frederick of Meurs, Lord of Horne (1428-1440)
  13. Jacob I, Count of Horne (1440-1471)
  14. Jacob II, Count of Horne (1471-1502)
  15. Jacob III, Count of Horne (1502-1531)
  16. John, Count of Horne (1531-1540)
  17. Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horne (1540-1568)
  18. Christian I, Count of Horne (1569-1658)
  19. Christian II, Count of Horne (1658-1658)
  20. Cornelius, Count of Horne (1658-1729)
  21. Diederik, Count of Horne (1729-?)
  22. Esther, Countess of Horne (?-1807)
  23. Joseph, Count of Horne (1807-1824)
  24. Sarah van Buskirk, Countess of Horne (1824-1882)
  25. Esrom Spaulding, Count of Horne (1882-1902)
  26. Adelbert Spaulding, Count of Horne (1902-1931)
  27. Verne Spaulding, Count of Horne (1931-1959)
  28. Marian Spaulding, Princess of Horne (1959-2000)
  29. Edward Bieniak, Prince of Horne (2000-present)
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Marian Bieniak, the Princess of Horne from 1959 to 2000.
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Walburgis van Nieuwenaer, wife of Philip de Montmorency and mother to Christian I.
Today
Today, Horn is under Dutch jurisdiction, located in the province of Limburg in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, no longer under the jurisdiction of the House of Horne.

​The Prince of Horne is Edward Bieniak. His eldest son and heir, Dylan Jován Bieniak, is the Hereditary Prince of Horne.

Effective 1 January 2023, the House of Horne will merge with the Bieniak family to create the new House of Glücksburg-Bieniak-Horne. This will end the family's claim to the title 'Prince of Horne'.

The House of Horne currently supports multiple royal families and charities around the world. Also, official visits are conducted by members of the Princely Family.
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Coat of Arms of the House of Horne.
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Edward Bieniak II, the Prince of Horne.

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Photo used under Creative Commons from marneejill