The County of Verdun was a sovereign medieval county in the

Duchy of Lower Lorraine The Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, also called Northern Lotharingia, Lower Lorraine or Northern Lorraine (and also referred to as '' Lothier'' or '' Lottier''

County

The rulers of the sovereign County of Verdun styled themselves as Counts by the grace of God. The small country was located near Lower Lotharingia within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. The Prince-Bishopric of Verdun bordered on it from the east. The

Forest of Argonne The Forest of Argonne () is a long strip of mountainous and wild woodland in northeastern France, approximately east of Paris. The forest measures roughly long and wide filled with many small hills and deep valleys formed by water run-off fr ...

formed the western border of the county, but it also included the fortresses at

Montfaucon-d'Argonne Montfaucon-d'Argonne (, literally ''Montfaucon of Argonne'', before 1989: ''Montfaucon'')Vienne-le-Château Vienne-le-Château () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. History The village dates back to the 6th century when it was the possession of the Bishop of Verdun. A castle stood on a hill in the west of the town. It was ...

. According to an imperial diploma issued in 1156, Bishop Haimo of Verdun received the right to appoint counts, but the counts from the Ardennes-Bouillon dynasty made the office hereditary by the end of the 10th century.

List of counts

*to 923 Ricwin, married first to the daughter of Engelram, Chamberlain to

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

, and second to Cunigunda, widow of Wigeric, Count of Bidgau *923–944

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fr ...

, also

duke of Lorraine The kings and dukes of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were ...

from 940, son of Ricwin by his first marriage *944-963 Raoul, also Count of Ivois (as Rudolfe II) *963–1002 Godfrey I, called ''the Prisoner'', son of Gothelo, Count of Bidgau, son of Wigeric and Cunigunda, and Uda of Metz; married Matilda, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony *1002–1012 Godfrey II, son of previous,

duke of Lower Lorraine The kings and dukes of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were k ...

from 1012 to his death in 1023 *1012–1022

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

, brother of previous *1022–1024 Herman (d.1029), brother of previous, retired to monastery *1024–1025

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

, also count of

Chiny Chiny (; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Luxembourg (Belgium), province of Luxembourg, Belgium. On 1 January 2018 the municipality, which covers , had 5,175 inhabitants, ...

, received the county from Bishop Raimbert, killed by Gothelo, brother of Herman, who took the city and gave it as an appanage to Godfrey, his son *1025–1069 Godfrey III, called ''the Bearded'', also duke of Upper Lorraine from 1044 and

Lower Lorraine The Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, also called Northern Lotharingia, Lower Lorraine or Northern Lorraine (and also referred to as '' Lothier'' or '' Lottier''

from 1065, he was deprived of his possessions, Verdun included, by the

Emperor Henry III Henry III (, 28 October 1016 – 5 October 1056), called the Black () or the Pious, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 until his death in 1056. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was the eldest son of Conrad II and Gisela of Swabia. Henry was rais ...

, but he was reinstated and spent his life vacillating between rebellion and peace *1069–1076 Godfrey IV, called ''the Hunchback'', son of previous, also

*1076–1086

Matilda of Tuscany Matilda of Tuscany (; or ; – 24 July 1115), or Matilda of Canossa ( ), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as the Attonids) in the second half of the eleventh century. Matilda was on ...

, called ''la Gran Contessa'', widow of previous, also marquise of Tuscany *1086–1095 Godfrey V (d.1100), nephew of Godfrey IV, also

from 1089 and defender of the Holy Sepulchre from 1099 **''unknown'' *1100–1105

Theodoric Theodoric is a Germanic given name. First attested as a Gothic name in the 5th century, it became widespread in the Germanic-speaking world, not least due to its most famous bearer, Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Overview The name w ...

, also count of Montbéliard and Bar *1105–1134 Reginald (d.1149), called ''le Borgne'', son of previous, also count of Montbéliard and Bar In 1134, the bishop deposed Reginald and reattached the county to the episcopal demesne.

References

Sources

* {{Refend 923 establishments 1134 disestablishments States and territories established in the 920s States and territories disestablished in the 1130s

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

Forest of Argonne Counties of France Medieval history of the Low Countries History of Verdun