Counts and Dukes of Bar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grafschaft (Herzogtum) Bar (de)
Comté (Duché) de Bar (fr)
County (Duchy) of Bar
State of the Holy Roman Empire
← Upper Lorraine
 959 – 1634
1738 – 1766		 →

Coat of arms of Bar

Coat of arms
Capital Bar-le-Duc
Government Principality
Historical era Middle Ages
 - Divided from
   Upper Lorraine		  
959
 - United with Lorraine 1483
 - To France as a royal domain 1634, 1634
 - Granted to
   Stanisław Leszczyński		  
1738–66

Bar was an historic ducy and county of the Holy Roman Empire later incorporated into France.

Contents

[edit] History

In the middle of the 10th century, the territory of Bar (Barrois) formed a dependency of the Holy Roman Empire. The first dynasty of Bar were in fact dukes of Upper Lotharingia out of the house of the counts of the Ardennes, descendants of count palatine Wigeric of Lotharingia. They chose their seat at Bar, which was subsequently called Bar-le-Duc. This Ardennes-Bar dynasty became extinct with duke Frederick III (d. 1033) and his sister Countess Sophia of Bar (d. 1093).

In the 11th century the lords of Bar were only counts of the Bar territory (le Barrois). They belonged to the house of Mousson-Montbéliard-Ferrette.

Theobald I of Bar, was an ally of Philip Augustus, as was also his son Henry II of Bar, who distinguished himself at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. But sometimes the counts of Bar bore arms against France. In 1301 Henry III of Bar, having made an alliance with Edward I of England, whose daughter he had married, was vanquished by Philip the Fair, who forced him to do homage for a part of Barrois, situated west of the Meuse River, which was called Barrois mouvant.

In 1354 Robert of Bar, who married a princess of France, was made Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson by the Emperor Charles IV and took the title of Duke of Bar. Hereafter, the title of "Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson" was used by the dukes of Bar or their heirs-apparent. His successor, Edward III of Bar, was killed at Agincourt in 1415.

In 1419 Louis of Bar, brother of the last-named, cardinal and bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne, gave the duchy of Bar to Rene, Duke of Anjou and king of Naples, the grandson of his sister Yolande, who married Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. Yolande of Anjou, who in 1444 had married Frederick, Count of Vaudémont, became heiress of Nicholas of Anjou, duke of Calabria and of Lorraine, in 1473, and of Rene of Anjou, duke of Bar, in 1480; thus Lorraine, with Barrois added to it, once more returned to the family of its ancient dukes.

United with Lorraine to France in 1634, Barrois remained, except for short intervals, part of the royal domain. It was granted in 1738 to Stanislaus Leszczynski, ex-king of Poland, and on his death in 1766 was once more attached to the crown of France.

However a part of Bar continued as a part of the Holy Roman Empire past this date. It remained an independent Duchy in 1648 but by 1659 had been annexed to France.[1]

[edit] Rulers of Bar and Pont-à-Mousson

[edit] Counts of Bar

[edit] Dukes of Bar

Hereafter united with the Duchy of Lorraine.

[edit] Marquises of Pont-à-Mousson

  • Robert of Bar (r. 1354–1411
  • Edward III of Bar (r. 1411–1415)
  • Louis of Bar (r. 1415–1419)
  • René of Anjou (r. 1419–1441)
  • Louis of Anjou (r. 1441–1443)
  • René of Anjou (again) (r. 1443–1444)
  • John, Duke of Lorraine (r. 1444–1470)
  • Nicholas, Duke of Lorraine (r. 1470–1473)
  • vacant (1473–1480)
  • René II, Duke of Lorraine (r. 1480–1508)

Hereafter united with the Duchy of Lorraine.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Times Atlas of World History, (Maplewood, New Jersey: Hammond, 1989) p. 190-192