House of Glücksburg
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The House of Glücksburg, established on 6th July 1825, stands as a lineage stemming from the Dano-German House of Oldenburg. Over the years, members of this royal house have held reigns in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Schleswig-Holstein, Sweden, and Great Britain. Originating from the town of Glücksburg in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, the family derives its name from this historic location. Currently led by His Highness Prince Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, who is a fifth cousin to Prince Edward Bieniak II.
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Coat of Arms of the House of Glücksburg.
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The Bieniak Family
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The Bieniak family, integral to the Polish nobility, recognized as the szlachta, has roots extending to Germanic Europe and regions of Russia. Its formal establishment within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth occurred in Silesia in the year 1676.
Over subsequent centuries, Bieniak family members have dispersed across various regions, including Poland, Illinois, New York, Maryland, and Ontario. A significant moment in the family's history unfolded on 26th July 1947, when Prince Edward Bieniak I entered matrimony with Marian Spaulding, Countess of Horne. This union not only marked the establishment of the Crown of Horne but also served to unite the two distinguished families. |
Historical coat of arms of the Bieniak family.
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Horne
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Horne, originally a modest feudal county of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in the present-day Netherlands and Belgium in the year 920. Its nomenclature is derived from the village Horn, located west of Roermond in Limburg. During the 15th century, the seat of the counts of Horne transitioned from Horn to Weert.
Philip de Montmorency, a Dutch noble of French lineage, born in 1524, faced persecution from the Inquisition in the Spanish Netherlands, leading to his execution in 1568. His demise occurred while his wife, Anna Walburga van Nieuwenaer, was carrying their first child, Christian I. For Christian I's safety, he was sent to the Dutch colony New Netherland (present-day New York) upon its establishment. Following Philip de Montmorency's execution, which left no male heirs, the Prince-Bishop of Liège, as the suzerain of Horne, assumed the role of the direct lord and new count. The prince-bishops governed the county in a personal union, allowing Horne to retain its distinct laws, customs, and financial autonomy under the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. The county encompassed various communes, including Neer, Nunhem, Haelen, Buggenum, Roggel, Heythuysen, Horn, Beegden, Geystingen, and Ophoven. In 1795, the County of Horne faced suppression as it fell under French occupation, becoming part of the revolutionary French département Meuse-Inférieure. The département was dissolved in 1814, leading to Horne's return to Dutch control under the Province of Limburg. Prince Edward Bieniak II directly descends from Philip de Montmorency's posthumous child, a connection acknowledged by the House of Bieniak-Horne through the adoption of the titles of Count of Horne and Baron of Montmorency. |
Coat of Arms of the House of Horne.
Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horne
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The Heads of the House of Horne
Dates are the length of the respective individual's leadership.
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Marian Bieniak assumed Countess of Horne and Head of the Crown of Horne in 1959.
Anna Walburga van Nieuwenaer, wife of Philip de Montmorency and mother to Christian I.
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