Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne was born in
Brussels,
Austrian Netherlands, the son of Field Marshal
Claude Lamoral, 6th Prince of Ligne and Princess Elisabeth Alexandrina zu
Salm, daughter of
Ludwig Otto, 5th Prince zu Salm and his wife Princess Albertine of Nassau-Hadamar. As an
Austrian subject he entered the imperial army at an early age. He distinguished himself by his valor in the
Seven Years' War, notably at
Breslau,
Leuthen,
Hochkirch and
Maxen. A young captain at Leuthen, he found himself suddenly in command of 200 men, the battalion colonels and majors having been killed, and led them to shelter from Prussian cannon fire beside a windmill; subsequently, he participated in the retreat to
Königsburg. During the Seven Years' War, de Ligne was promoted
major in 1757,
Oberstleutnant in 1758, and
Oberst (
colonel) in 1759. He was named
general-major on 23 April 1764 and
Feldmarschall-Leutnant on 1 May 1773. He was awarded the
Order of the Golden Fleece in 1772. He was appointed
Inhaber (proprietor) of Infantry Regiment Nr. 30 in 1771, the successor to
Prince William Carl Christian of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He became the intimate friend and counselor of
Emperor Joseph II, and, inheriting his father's vast estates, lived in the greatest splendor and luxury until the
War of the Bavarian Succession brought him again into active service. In 1778, de Ligne was impressed by a captured Prussian officer Flemming von Hagen, who was asked about his girl friends by his captors and replied, "I love nothing more dearly than my sword". He wished that more Austrian officers were as serious about their military profession. King
Frederick the Great of Prussia built a number of palaces and other buildings in
Potsdam, but upon closer inspection, the place had a seedy appearance. de Ligne wrote that Frederick had a chance to do something new in Potsdam, but "he believed that he could bend Nature to his will by the force of his intellect, in the same way as he attained his victories, and managed war, politics, population, finances and industries. But Nature has a way of laughing at heroes. She prefers a
Somerset farmer". This war was short and uneventful, and the prince then traveled in England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France, devoting himself impartially to the courts, the camps, the salons and the learned assemblies of
philosophers and scientists in each country. He developed a great admiration for
Frederick the Great, even to the point of justifying his seizure of
Silesia. De Ligne was promoted to
Feldzeugmeister (full general) on 8 September 1787. He earned the Commander's Cross of the
Order of Maria Theresa on 12 October 1789. In 1787 he was with
Catherine II in Russia and accompanied her in
her journey to the Crimea. In 1789 he was present at the
Siege of Belgrade. Shortly after the siege of Belgrade, he was invited to place himself at the head of the Belgian revolutionary movement, in which one of his sons and many of his relatives were prominent, but declined with great courtesy, saying that "he never revolted in the winter." Though suspected by Joseph of collusion with the rebels, the two friends were not long estranged, and after the death of the emperor the prince remained in
Vienna. He was appointed Grand Bailiff of Hainaut in 1791. After entering diplomacy, his sympathy for the Belgian rebels closed the door to him. During the annexation by France in 1792, his property was confiscated. He never saw his Château de Beloeil again, which was sequestered, and settled permanently in Vienne in 1792. His Brabant estates were overrun by the French in 1792–93, and his eldest son killed in action at La Croix-du Bois in the Argonne (14 September 1792). He was given an honorary command at court. ==Later life==