The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions. The first rulers of the region were kings of the Franks whose kingdom was called Lotharingia. The Latin construction "Lotharingia" evolved over time into "Lorraine" in French, "Lotharingen" in Dutch and "Lothringen" in German. After the Carolingian kingdom was absorbed into its neighbouring realms in the late ninth century, dukes were appointed over the territory. In the mid-tenth century, the duchy was divided into Lower Lorraine and Upper Lorraine, the first evolving into the historical Low Countries, the second became known as the Duchy of Lorraine and existed well into the modern era.
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Charles the Bald claimed Lotharingia on Lothair's death and was crowned king in Metz, but his brother Louis the German opposed his claim and in 870 the Treaty of Mersen divided Lotharingia between the two brothers and subsequently their sons. In 880, the Treaty of Ribemont gave the whole of Lotharingia to Louis the Younger, son of Louis the German.
In 922, Lotharingia was subsumed into the Kingdom of Germany.
In 959, Lorraine was divided into two districts: Upper and Lower, each being given to a margrave or vice-duke under Bruno. Upon Bruno's death in 965, that of Lower Lorraine, whose margrave had died, was left vacant until 977. In that year Charles was appointed duke of Lower Lorraine and Frederick I was elevated duke in Upper Lorraine. The two duchies remained separate, following separate pathways, except for the brief period between 1033 and 1044.
Geoffrey of Stanton, brother of Godfrey, held from 1142-abt.1154, til the son came of age.
| Portrait | Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adalbert | 1047 | 1048 | ||
| Gerhard | 1048 | 6 March 1070 | ||
| Thierry II | 6 March 1070 | 23 January 1115 | ||
| Simon I | 23 January 1115 | 13 April 1138 | ||
| Matthias I | 13 April 1138 | 13 May 1176 | ||
| Simon II | 13 May 1176 | 1205 | ||
| Frederick I | 1205 | 7 April 1206 | ||
| Frederick II | 7 April 1206 | 10 October 1213 | ||
| Theobald I | 10 October 1213 | 17 February 1220 | ||
| Matthias II | 17 February 1220 | 24 June 1251 | ||
| Frederick III | 24 June 1251 | 31 December 1302 | ||
| Theobald II | 31 December 1302 | 13 May 1312 | ||
| Frederick IV | 13 May 1312 | 23 August 1328 | ||
| Raoul | 23 August 1328 | 26 August 1346 | killed at the Battle of Crécy | |
| John I | 26 August 1346 | 27 September 1390 | ||
| Charles II | 27 September 1390 | 25 January 1431 | ||
| Isabella | 25 January 1431 | 28 February 1453 | with her husband, René I |
| Portrait | Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| René I | 25 January 1431 | 28 February 1453 | with his wife, Isabella | |
| John II | 28 February 1453 | 16 December 1470 | ||
| Nicholas I | 16 December 1470 | 24 July 1473 |
Junior branch of the previous rulers of Ardennes–Metz, known as the House of Lorraine
| Portrait | Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| René II | 24 July 1473 | 10 December 1508 | grandson of René I and Isabella; also Duke of Bar | |
| Antoine | 10 December 1508 | 14 June 1544 | ||
| Francis I | 14 June 1544 | 12 June 1545 | ||
| Charles III | 12 June 1545 | 14 May 1608 | ||
| Henry II | 14 May 1608 | 31 July 1624 | ||
| Nicole | 31 July 1624 | 25 November 1625 | she was the daughter of Henry I; the estates of Lorraine eventually decided that she was not eligible to reign, and gave the crown to her uncle, Francis II; her husband and first cousin, Charles IV, would reign thereafter | |
| Francis II | 25 November 1625 | 1 December 1625 | he immediately abdicated in favor of his son, Charles IV; died 1632 | |
| Charles IV | 1 December 1625 | 19 January 1634 | abdicated in favor of his brother | |
| Nicholas II | 19 January 1634 | 1 April 1634 | fled into exile and abdicated in favour of his older brother; the duchy remained under effective French control for the next 27 years | |
| Charles IV | 1 April 1634 | 18 September 1675 | nominally restored as a result of his brother's abdication; Lorraine was occupied by France, and the Duke in exile, from 1634 to 1661 and again from 1670 until his death | |
| Charles V Leopold | 18 September 1675 | 18 April 1690 | He was in exile and Lorraine was occupied by France throughout his nominal reign | |
| Leopold | 18 April 1690 | 27 March 1729 | He was in exile and Lorraine was occupied by France until 30 October 1697, when it was returned to Léopold Joseph; it was again occupied by France from 1702 to 1714, although the duke remained in place | |
| Francis III Stephen | 27 March 1729 | 9 July 1737 | traded Lorraine in exchange for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany; elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1745; died 1765, husband of Empress Maria Theresa |
| Portrait | Name | Start term | End term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanislaus | 9 July 1737 | 23 February 1766 | former king of Poland. After him, the Duchy is inherited by his son-in-law, king Louis XV of France and incorporated in his dominions |
Titles of the dukes of Lorraine from contemporary documents with bibliography
Putnam, Ruth. Alsace and Lorraine: From Cæsar to Kaiser, 58 B.C.-1871 A.D. New York: 1915.