Duchy of Luxembourg
Duchy of Luxembourg Herzogtum Lëtzebuerg ( Latin ) | |||||||||||||
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1353–1443/1797 | |||||||||||||
William III of Saxony (claimant) | |||||||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||
• Obtained by Sigfried | 963 | ||||||||||||
• Acquired by Luxembourg dynasty | 1059 | ||||||||||||
• Raised to county | 1214 | ||||||||||||
• Raised to duchy by the Emperor | 1354 | ||||||||||||
• Held by the Dukes of Burgundy | 1443 | ||||||||||||
• To Habsburg | 1482 | ||||||||||||
• Occupied by France | 1797 | ||||||||||||
ISO 3166 code | LU | ||||||||||||
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The Duchy of Luxembourg (
In 1443, the duchy passed to Duke
Pre-Duchy
The first known reference to the territory was made by
Modern historians explain the etymology of the word Luxembourg as coming from the word Letze, meaning fortification,[3] which might have referred to either the remains of a Roman watchtower or a primitive refuge of the Early Middle Ages.
Proto-Duchy (963–1353)
By the 959 partition of
In the following years, a small town and market grew around the new castle. The first inhabitants were probably servants of Count Siegfried and clergy of
In addition to the small town near Bock Fiels and the Roman road, another settlement was formed in the
Henry III was the first count known to have established his permanent residence in Luxembourg castle. In a document from the year 1089, he is referred to as comes Henricus de Lutzeleburg, which also makes him the first documented count of Luxembourg.
Around this fort, the town gradually developed and became the center of a small, but important state of great strategic value to France, Germany, and the Low Countries. Luxembourg's fortress was steadily enlarged and strengthened over the years by successive owners, making the Fortress of Luxembourg one of the strongest in continental Europe. Its formidable defenses and strategic location caused it to become known as the Gibraltar of the North.
The House of Luxembourg provided several Holy Roman Emperors, kings of Bohemia, and archbishops of Trier and Mainz. From the Early Middle Ages to the Renaissance, Luxembourg bore multiple names, including Lucilinburhuc, Lutzburg, Lützelburg, Luccelemburc, and Lichtburg, among others.
The Duchy (1353–1797)
Luxembourg remained an independent fief (county) of the Holy Roman Empire, when, in 1354, Emperor Charles IV elevated it to the status of a duchy for his brother Wenceslaus. The ducal lands had been formed in 1353 by integration of the old County of Luxembourg, the marquisat of Arlon, the counties of Durbuy and Laroche, and the districts of Thionville, Bitburg, and Marville. The county of Vianden can also be included as it had been a vassal of the counts and dukes of Luxembourg since about 31 July 1264.
In 1411,
With the abdication in 1556 of
Post-Duchy (1797–present)
The Southern Netherlands, including Luxemburg, were annexed by the French First Republic on 1 October 1795[4] and on 24 October the Forêts département was established from the territory of the Duchies of Luxemburg and the Bouillon.[5] Centred on Luxembourg City, it lay in what is today Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. Its name, meaning "forests", comes from the Ardennes forests.
A small amount of the former Luxemburg territory was ceded to Prussia in 1813.
After
After the
The territory of the former Duchy of Luxembourg is today divided between the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Belgian province of Luxembourg, the German Land of Rhineland-Palatinate and the French departments of Ardennes, Meuse and Moselle, the latter part being referred to as French Luxemburg since the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees.
Notes
- ^ "Luxembourg". Catholic Encyclopaedia. 1913. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
- ISBN 0-8343-0091-5
- ^ J.-P. Koltz, Baugeschichte der Stadt und Festung Luxemburg, I. Band
- ^ Kreins (2003), p.64
- ^ Kreins (2003), pp.64–5
References
- Ermesinde et l'affranchissement de la ville de Luxembourg; Etudes sur la femme, le pouvoir et la ville au XIIIe siècle, sous la direction de Michel Margue, Publications du Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, Publications du CLUDEM tome 7, Luxembourg 1994.
- Tatsachen aus der Geschichte des Luxemburger Landes, Dr. P. J. Müller, Luxemburg 1963, Verlag "de Frendeskres", Imprimerie Bourg-Bourger.
- Vivre au Moyen Age: Luxembourg, Metz et Trèves; Etudes sur l'histoire et l'archéologie urbaines, sous la direction du Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, Publications Scientifiques du Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, tome 2, Luxembourg 1998.