He was the eldest son of Otto Leopold of Limburg Stirum and Amalia Anna Elisabeth von Schönborn (1686–1757).
His younger brother, August Philipp Karl, became Prince-Bishop of Speyer.
[1] His father was the eldest child and the only son of Count Hermann Otto II von Limburg-Stirum-Bronckhorst and Countess Charlotte Amalie von Vehlen und Meggen.
Among his very large maternal family were uncles Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn (the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg),[2] Friedrich Karl von Schönborn-Buchheim (the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Bamberg who served as Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire),[3] Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn-Buchheim (the Prince-Bishop of Speyer and Bishop of Konstanz),[4] Rudolf Franz Erwein von Schönborn (the diplomat and composer),[5] Anselm Franz von Schönborn-Heusenstamm,[6] and Franz Georg von Schönborn (the Elector and Archbishop of Trier who was also Prince-Bishop of Worms and Prince-Provost of Ellwangen)[7] Following the death of his father in 1743, he became Sovereign Lord of Gemen, serving until his death in 1771.
[8] He died on 31 December 1771 without descendants and the rule of Gemen passed to his brother.