Key takeaways from the interview:
Professional Background: Before assuming his dynastic duties, the Prince worked in the financial sector as a banker in New York, an experience he notes was very different from his current focus on aristocratic history and archives.
Ancestral History: He discusses his 18th-century ancestor, Count Karl Paul Ernst, who was heavily influenced by the French Enlightenment, interacted with figures like Voltaire, and was involved in Freemasonry.
Dutch Royal Ties: The Prince explains his family’s deep genealogical connections to the Dutch royal family, traced primarily through the prominent Houses of Nassau and Waldeck-Pyrmont.
The Counts of Holland and the Order of Santiago: The House of Bentheim und Steinfurt considers itself the legal successor to the Counts of Holland. As part of this legacy, they act as custodians of the Very Noble Equestrian Order of Santiago, a chivalric order founded by Floris V, Count of Holland, in 1290.
Iberian Military Connections: A major focus of the discussion is the military connection between Northern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. The Prince highlights the participation of Count Willem I of Holland in the siege of Alcácer do Sal in 1217 (during the Fifth Crusade), where Dutch forces fought alongside the Spanish Order of Santiago.
Call for Research: The Prince issues a public call to historians, researchers, and archivists. He encourages them to explore Spanish, Portuguese, and ecclesiastical archives for undocumented letters, chronicles, or records that could shed more light on the military and chivalric relationships between Northern European knights and the Iberian Christian kingdoms during the 12th and 13th centuries.
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