Lorraine

Lorraine was incorporated in the German empire in 855, when Lothair II., son of the Emperor Lothair I., obtained the lands between the Scheldt, Meuse, and Rhine, called Lotharingia, or Lorraine (Ger. Lothringen). It at first included Alsace and Friesland; but these provinces were separated from it in 870. About 911 the ruler was elevated from the dignity of count to that of duke. In 954 Lorraine was divided into two duchies, Upper and Lower Lorraine. The latter came into the hands of the Dukes of Brabant in the beginning of the 13th century, and from that time was known as Brabant. It was incorporated in Burgundy (q.v.) by Philip the Good in 1429, and now forms part of the kingdom of Belgium, and the provinces of Brabant and Guelderland in Holland. Upper Lorraine continued to be governed by its own dukes till 1736, when it was given to Stanislas, ex-king of Poland, and on his death in 1766 was united to France. It was afterwards subdivided into the departments of Meuse, Moselle, Meurthe, and Vosges. The district lying between Metz and the Vosges, which is called German Lorraine, was ceded to Germany at the peace of 1871. See ALSACE-LORRAINE.