county · France and the Low Countries

County of Loon

1015 CE – 1366 CE (approx.) · capital Borgloon

A Limburg county around Borgloon and Hasselt that remained independent for three centuries before being absorbed by the prince-bishops of Liège.

Origins

Counts of Loon appear around 1015, when Giselbert held lands around Borgloon in the Hesbaye. They expanded north into the Kempen heathlands, and the county became one of the middle-ranking principalities of Lower Lorraine.

Rule and society

Loon was largely rural, with small towns such as Hasselt and Borgloon. From the late 12th century the counts were vassals of the prince-bishops of Liège. The poet Henric van Veldeke, a founder of literature in Dutch and German, came from the county and wrote for its court circles.

Decline and legacy

After Count Louis IV died childless in 1336, his inheritance was disputed between his heirs and the bishops of Liège. In 1366 the Prince-Bishopric of Liège annexed the county, and it remained part of the principality until 1795; it corresponds roughly to Belgian Limburg.

Lineage

County of LoonPrince-Bishopric of Liège 980 CE – 1795 CE

Connections (1)

More states of France and the Low Countries →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Loon. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-loon
MLA
“County of Loon.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-loon. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “County of Loon.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-loon.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Loon’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-loon (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻