duchy · France and the Low Countries

Duchy of Lower Lorraine

959 CE – 1190 CE

The northern half of old Lotharingia, a duchy over the Low Countries whose title was carried by Godfrey of Bouillon and survived in Brabant.

Origins

In 959 Archbishop Bruno of Cologne divided the Duchy of Lotharingia, creating a separate duchy for the lands of the lower Meuse, Scheldt and Rhine. The German kings appointed its dukes, including the Carolingian Charles, brother of the West Frankish king Lothair, from 977 to 991.

Rule and society

Ducal power was always limited, since counts such as those of Louvain, Hainaut, Namur, Holland and Limburg and the prince-bishops of Liège and Utrecht built their own principalities. The emperors used the office to reward loyal families: Godfrey the Bearded's house held it, and Godfrey of Bouillon was duke before leading the First Crusade in 1096.

Decline and legacy

From 1106 the title was disputed between the counts of Louvain and Limburg. At the Diet of Schwäbisch Hall in 1190 Emperor Henry VI limited the duke's authority to his own lands, and the Louvain dukes thereafter ruled as dukes of Brabant, keeping the title duke of Lothier.

Lineage

Duchy of Lotharingia 903 CE – 959 CEDuchy of Lower LorraineDuchy of Brabant 1183 CE – 1795 CE

Connections (1)

Duchy of Lower Lorraine was part of Holy Roman Empire962 CE – 1190 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Lower Lorraine. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-lower-lorraine
MLA: “Duchy of Lower Lorraine.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-lower-lorraine. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Lower Lorraine.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-lower-lorraine.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Lower Lorraine’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-lower-lorraine (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻