Lothier refers to the territory within the Duchy of
Lower Lotharingia, governed by the
dukes of Brabant and their successors after 1190 until the end of the
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
in 1796.
In 1190, at the Diet of
Hall
In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...
in the abbey of Comburg, the German Emperor
Henry VI decided that the
duke of Lower Lotharingia
The rulers 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 kings o ...
, at that moment
Henry I of Brabant, would only have ducal authority within his own Lotharingian territories (the county of
Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. Th ...
) and his imperial fiefs (the
Margraviate of Antwerp, the
Landgraviate of Brabant
The Landgraviate of Brabant (1085–1183) was a small medieval fiefdom west of Brussels, consisting of the area between the Dender and Zenne rivers in the Low Countries, then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Before 1085 the land had belon ...
and the domain of the abbey of
Nivelles
Nivelles (; nl, Nijvel, ; wa, Nivele; vls, Neyvel) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Mons ...
). The title of duke of Lothier became purely honorific and had no further territorial or judicial authority. A few legal courts of Lothier remained in existence, but they only decided in feudal matters.
Lothier should not be confused with the far greater
Lower Lotharingia. It is only applicable to:
* The county of