House of Mérode
Description
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 origins of the House of MerodeThe 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 was derived.Originally, the Merode family had the rank of Baron or 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.
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