Background
He was the son of Louis de Ligne, Baron of Barbançon from the House of Ligne and Maria of Bergen, Lady of Zevenbergen (1503–1566).
He was the son of Louis de Ligne, Baron of Barbançon from the House of Ligne and Maria of Bergen, Lady of Zevenbergen (1503–1566).
In 1549 he became stadtholder of the Northern provinces of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel. He participated in the campaign in France and distinguished himself in the Battle of Saint Quentin (1557) where he, together with Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, led the left wing of the infantry in the final attack against the French. Back south, he joined the army under the Duke of Alva, but objected against the arrests of Egmont and Hoorn.
When Louis and Adolf of Nassau (brothers of William I of Orange) invaded Groningen, he was sent back by Alva to repulse this army.
There he was killed in the Battle of Heiligerlee on May 23, 1568. Cardinal Granvelle described his death as a great loss for the Catholic faith and the King.
Arenberg was buried in the Saint Catherine Church in Zevenbergen, and his remains were moved in 1614 to the family vault in Enghien. He had seven children, amongst whom:
Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg (1550–1616), his successor
Margareth (1552–1611), married in 1569 with Philip of Lalaing
Robert (1564–1614), first Prince of Barbançon
Antonia Wilhelmina (1557–1626), married in 1577 with Salentin IX of Isenburg-Grenzau, Archbishop of Cologne, who left the clergy to marry her.