John III, Count of Ligny

John III, Count of Ligny (died 1 July 1576) was the eldest son of Count Anthony II and his wife Margaret of Savoy. He succeeded his father as Count of Brienne and Ligny in 1557.

John III, Count of Ligny
Died	(1576-07-01)1 July 1576
Noble family	House of Luxembourg
Spouse(s)	Wilhelmina of Boullion
Father	Anthony II, Count of Ligny
Mother	Margaret of Savoy

He arrived in Edinburgh on 2 November 1566 as the ambassador of Savoy and was lodged in Henry Kinloch's house in the Canongate near Holyrood Palace. He visited Craigmillar Castle to meet Mary, Queen of Scots on 20 November, and went to Stirling Castle on 12 December for the baptism of Prince James, escorted by George Seton, 7th Lord Seton. He gave the queen a necklace of pearl and rubies and earrings.^[1]

Marriage and family

John married Wilhelmina (d. 1592), the daughter of Duke Robert IV of Bouillon. Together, they had the following children:

• Anthony
• Charles II (1558-1608), his successor, elevated to Duke of Brienne in 1587
• Margaret (1562-1566)
• François (1563-1613), succeeded Charles II as Count of Ligny. He married in 1576 Diane of Lorraine (1558-1597):
  • Henry III (1582-1616), Duke of Piney-Luxembourg and Count of Ligny. He married in 1597 Madeleine de Montmorency (1582-1615):
    • Marguerite-Charlotte de Ligny (1607-1680), Duchess of Piney-Luxembourg and Countess of Ligny, married in c. 1630 Charles-Henri de Clermont-Tonnerre († 1674):
      • Madeleine-Charlotte de Clermont-Tonnerre (1635-1701), Duchess of Piney-Luxembourg and Countess of Ligny, married in 1661 François-Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, Count of Luxembourg (1628-1695):
        • Charles de Montmorency (1662-1726), Duke of Piney-Luxembourg and Count of Ligny, married in 1696 Marie-Gilonne Gillier de Clérembault (1677-1709), with issue.
        • Christian-Louis de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1675-1746), Prince of Tingry, married in 1711 Madeleine de Harlay de Beaumont (1694-1749), with issue.
• Diana (d. 1624), married:
  1. Louis of Plusquelec, Count of Kerman
  2. Justus of Pontailler, Baron of Pleurs
• Louise (1567-1647), married:
  1. Baron George of Casaubon
  2. Bernard of Béon, Seigneur de Massez