Duchy

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  • 1576: HRE Princely County of Arenberg
  • 1644: Duchy of Arenberg
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • Territorial possessions
    • ?-1794
  • Duchy of Arenberg
  • Lordship of Schleiden
  • Lordship of Kommern
  • Lordship of Kerpen
  • Lordship of Saffenburg
  • Lordship of Kesselburg
  • Lordship of Fleringen
  • Lordship of Gillenfeld
  • 1802-1810
  • Vest Recklinghausen
  • Amt Meppen
  • 1806-1810
  • County of Dulmen

Duchy of Bar

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  • ?: County of Bar (-le-Duc) was a fief of the Holy Roman Empire
  • 1301: Count of Bar became a vassal of the Kings of France for the Western part of his possessions (Barrois Mouvant), but he remained a vassal of the Roman Emperors for the Eastern part of his possessions
  • 1354: Duchy of Bar created by John II of France for his son-in-law Robert I of Bar
  • 1354: Emperor Karl IV granted title of Margrave of Pont-a-Mousson (with the rank of HRE Prince) to Robert I of Bar
  • 1396: Robert I of Bar inherited the Lordship of Cassel after the death of his grandmother Yolande of Flanders
  • 1399: Pont-a-Mousson ceded by Robert I of Bar to his eldest surviving son Edward (d.1415)
  • 1480: Duchy of Bar permanently united with Duchy of Lorraine
  • 1634-1659, 1670-1697; 1702-1714: the Franch occupied the Duchies of Lorraine and Bar
  • 1766: Duchies of Lorraine and Bar finally annexed to France [1]

Duchy of Bavaria (See under "Kingdom")

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Duchy of Berg

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  • 1101: County
  • 1380: Duchy
  • 1437: To Duchy of Julich
  • 1511: To Duchy of Cleves
  • 1521: United with Mark and Cleves
  • 1609: War of Successions
  • 1582: HRE Council of Princes
  • 1609: To Palatinate-Neuburg
  • 1614: To Palatinate-Neuburg
  • 1685: To Electorate of the Palatinate
  • 1799: To Bavaria
  • 1801: Annexed to France
  • 1803: To Bavaria
  • 1811: To France
  • 1815: To Prussia

Duchy of Brabant

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  • 1106: Emperor Henry V granted Counts of Louvain the Margraviate of Antwerp
  • 1158: Elevated to Duchy of Brabant
  • 1180: Dukes of Brabant elevated to Imperial Prince
  • ?: Conquered County of Toxandrie doubling Louvain's territory
  • 1190: Duke Henry I abandoned title of "Duke of Lower Lorraine" and assumed that of "Duke of Brabant"
  • 1204: Brabant acquired 1/2 of the Imperial Margraviate of Maastricht
  • 1244: Brabant conquered the County of Dalheim
  • 1283: John I of Brabant bought Duchy of Limburg from Adolf of Berg
  • 1288: After the Battle of Worringen, Brabant acquired the Duchy of Limburg, the Lordship of Herzogenrath and the Castles of Wassenberg and Kerpen
  • 1294-1312: John II of Brabant issued the "Charter of Cortenberg" bestowing liberties to his subjects
  • 1347: John III ceded Margraviate of Antwerp to his 2nd daughter, Margaret of Brabant, wife of Louis II of Flanders
  • 1390: Johanna, Duchess of Brabant, revoked her will granting succession to Brabant to House of Luxemburg and named her niece, Margaret of Flanders, as her heir
  • 1430: Dukes of Burgundy inherited Brabant


  • Lines
    • Brunswick-Celle
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
    • Brunswick-Grubenhagen
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
    • Brunswick-Kalenberg
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
    • Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 970: Margraviate of Carinthia
  • 1180: Duchy of Carinthia
  • 1286: To Counts of Gorizia
  • 1335: To Habsburg Austria
  • 1512 Austrian Circle
  • 1804: To Kingdom of Illyria
  • Krain
  • 1002: Margraviate of Carniola
  • 1054: Emperor Henry II creates a separate Carniola as a fief Duchy of Carinthia
  • 1071-1090: To Aquileia
  • 1237-1251: Imperial Administration
  • 1259-1269: To Aquileia
  • 1270-1918: To Habsburgs
  • 1364: Duchy of Carniola
  • 1512: Austrian Circle
  • 1803: Imperial Estate in Bench of Princes
  • 1805-1806: French occupation

Duchy of Cleves

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  • Kleve
  • 1000's: County
  • 1368: United with County of Mark
  • 1417: Duchy of Cleve
  • 1521: United with Julich, Berg, Cleves and Mark
  • 1582: HRE Council of Princes
  • 1609: War of Succession
  • 1614 to Brandenburg
  • ?-1672: Occupied by United Provinces
  • To Prussia
  • 1795: French occupation
  • 1815: To Prussia
  • Gelderland, Geldern
  • 1339: HRE Prince, Duchy of Guelders; 1579: To United Provinces (except Upper Guelders)
  • Title: Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarshes, Lauenburg & Oldenburg
  • 1111: Emperor Lothair invested Adolf of Schaumburg (Schauenburg) as Count of Holstein and Stormarn
  • 1261: Division into Holstein-Itzehoe, Holstein-Kiel, Holstein-Pinneberg, Holstein-Plon, Holstein-Rendsburg, Holstein-Segeberg
  • 1386: Acquired Duchy of Schleswig
  • 1459: Line of Counts of Schaumburg extinct in Holstein when Adolf XI died
  • 1460: Dukes of Schleswig & Counts of Holstein
  • 1111: HRE County
  • 1474: HRE Duchy
  • 1474: Merged into Schleswig-Holstein
  • 1582: HRE Council of Princes
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • Lines
    • Holstein-Gluckstadt
  • 1448-1863: Kings of Denmark
  • 1448-1814: Kings of Norway
  • 1667/76-1773: Counts of Oldenburg & Delmenhorst
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 1814-1864: Dukes of Lauenburg
    • Holstein-Gottorp

Duchy of Julich

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  • Jülich

Duchy of Limburg

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  • 968: Archbishopric of Magdeburg
  • 1635: Magdeburg given to Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels
  • 1648: Archbishopric converted into a secular duchy
  • 1680: After the death of the last administrator, Duchy of Magdeburg fell to Prussia
  • 1773: "The area of the see was over 2000 sq. m. It included 29 towns and over 400 villages and contained about 250,000 inhabitants."
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 1806: To Kingdom of Westphalia
  • 1814: Restored to Prussia
  • ?: Emperor Otto the Great divided the territory of Mecklenburg into two margraviates
  • 1060-1093: Mecklenburg ruled by Cruto, Prince of the Island of Rugen
  • 1170: Emperor Frederick Barbarossa raised Pribislav to the dignity of Prince of the Emppire
  • 1229: Division into Mecklenburg, Werle (ext. 1430), Rostock (ext. 1314) and Parchim (ext. 1316)
  • ?: Duke Henry the Lion acquired Stargard as dowry when he married Beatrice of Brandenburg
  • ?: Henry the Lion acquired Rostock after its line died out in 1314
  • 1348: Emperor Charles iIV made Albert II (d.1379) and John I (d.1392) dukes and princes of the Empire
  • 1352: Partition which gave rise to the Stargard line (ext. 1471)
  • 1358: Albert II purchased County of Schwerin
  • ?: Albert III of Mecklenburg elected King of Sweden in 1363
  • 1471: Henry the Fat (1422-1477) reunited all of Mecklenburg after extinction of Stargard line
  • 1536: Division between brothers Henry V (1503-1552) who became Duke of Schwerin and Albert VII (1503-1547) who became Duke of Gustrow
  • 1552: John Albert succeeded his father in Gustrow in 1547 and later his uncle in Schwerin in 1552
  • 1555: John Albert gave Schwerin to his brother Ulrich
  • 1610: Mecklenburg reunited
  • 1621: Division between Adolf Frederick I in Mecklenburg-Schwerin and John Albert II in Mecklenburg-Gustrow
  • 1628: Two dukes of Mecklenburg placed under imperial ban for aligning with Christian IV of Denmark in the Thirty Years" War
  • 1629: Mecklenburg transferred to the imperial general Albert von Wallenstein as an imperial fief
  • 1631: Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden restored the two dukes to their lands
  • 1635: Emperor recognized the two dukes in Mecklenburg after Wallenstein's downfall
  • 1648: By Peace of Westphalia, Bishoprics of Schwerin and Ratzeburg assigned to Mecklenburg-Schwerin as principalities; city of Wismar and districts of Poel and Newkloster were ceded to Sweden
  • 1692: Succession dispute after Christian Ludwig I died; claimants were his nephew, Frederick William, and Adolf Frederick II of Strelitz, Christian's only surviving brother
  • 1701: By Hamburg Compact mediated by the Emperor Leopold, Adolf Frederic II received the Principality of Ratzeburg and other territories; Frederick William got the rest of Mecklenburg; start of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Mecklenburg-Schwerin lines based on where the 2 dukes decided to establish court
  • 1803: Sweden pawned city of Wismar and counties of Neukloster to Frederick Francis I for 1.25 million thalers
  • 1806: The two Mecklenburg duchies became independent and sovereign
  • 1808: The two duchies joined Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine; left Confederation in 1813
  • 1815: Two rulers took title of Grand Duke and joined the German Confederation
  • 1903: Sweden indicated it would not redeem the above areas


  • Lines
    • Mecklenburg-Gustrow
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
    • Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • Duke of Mecklenburg, Prince of the Wendes, Schwerin & Ratzeburg, Count of Schwerin, Lord of the Lands of Rostock & Stargard)


Duchy of Nassau

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  • Titles: Duke of Nassau, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Count of Sayn, Königstein, Katzenelnbogen & Dietz, Burgrave of Hammerstein, Lord of Mahlberg, Wiesbaden, Idstein, Merenberg, Limburg & Eppstein
  • 915: Nassau town founded
  • 1125: Nassau castle built
  • 1159: County
  • 1255: Division between Ottonian and Walramian branches and thereafter underwent numerous further partitions
  • 1366: Princely County
  • 1515: Counts gain title of Prince of Orange
  • 1737: Principality
  • 1806: Duchy
  • 1866: Annexed by Prussia
  • Lines:
    • Pomerania-Stettin
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
    • Pomerania-Wolgast
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 995: Pomerania conquered by Boleslaw I of Poland
  • 1000's: Pomerania became an independent duchy
  • 1046: 1st "Pomeranian" Duke (Zemuzil of Slavia) appeared before Emperor Henry III in Merseburg
  • 1121-1138: Poland regained control of eastern Pomerania
  • 1156: Division into Pomerania-Stettin and Pomerania-Demmin
  • 1164: Duchy of Pomerania became a fief of Saxony
  • 1168-1180: Henry the Lion of Saxony conquered Pomerania
  • 1181: Dukes of Pomerania recognized by the German Emperor; Pomerania became an Imperial fief
  • 1184-1227: Pomerania came under Danish sovereignty
  • 1227: Imperial fief again
  • 1227: Duchy of Pomeralia (eastern Pomerania) became independent
  • 122*1231: Under Margrave of Brandenburg's feudal authority7: Duke Swantopelk II of Pomerelia acquired Counties of Schlawe & Stolp
  • 1236: Pomerania-Demmin accepted Brandenburg's feudal authority; Stargard transferred to Brandenburg
  • 1250: Margrave of Brandenburg enfeoffs 2 Pomeranian dukes with the whole of Pomerania
  • 1250: Barnim I acquired castle and territory of Wolgast
  • 1264: Pomerania-Demmin line died out
  • 1270: Rugen acquired County of Schlawe
  • 1277: Rugen sold Schlawe to Brandenburg
  • 1294: Pomeralia annexed to Poland
  • 1295: Division into Pomerania-Stettin & Pomerania-Wolgast
  • 1307: County of Stolp passed to Brandenburg
  • 1308/1309: Pomeralia acquired by Teutonic Knights
  • 1317: Duke Wartislaw IV acquired Schlawe-Stolp from Brandenburg
  • 1318-1347: County of Stolp acquired by Teutonic Knights
  • 1320: HRE Prince
    • Duchy of Further Pomerania (Hinterpommern, Eastern part)
    • Duchy of Hither Pomerania (Vorpommern, Western part)
  • 1325: Principality of Rugen passed to Pomerania
  • 1338: Recognized by German Empire
  • 1347: Pomerania acquired County of Schlawe after its dynasty died out
  • 1420: Pomerania came under Brandenburg sovereignty
  • 1440: Pomerania joined the Prussian federation
  • 1529: Pomerania gained imperial immediacy
  • 1532: Pomerania joined Lower Saxony Circle; divided into Hither and Further Pomerania
  • 1466: Teutonic Knights restored Pomerelia to Poland
  • 1627-1630: Pomerania occupied by imperial troops of Emperor Ferdinand II
  • 1630-1815: Swedish occupation
  • 1637: Pomerania granted to Elector of Brandenburg
  • 1637: Counties of Lauenburg & Butow passed to Poland
  • 1648: Treaty of Westphalia gave Hither Pomerania (western Pomerania, with Stettin, Stralsund & Rugen) & Farther Pomerania (eastern Pomerania with Stargard) to Brandenburg
  • 1657: Counties of Lauenburg & Butow fell to Brandenburg
  • 1720: Sweden lost half of Hither Pomerania to Prussia
  • To 1806: Kings of Sweden remained Princes of the HRE as owners of Swedish Pomerania
  • 1806-1813: French occupation
  • 1815: To Prussia
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 1792: In Council of Princes

References:

  • 1792: In Council of Princes

==Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg

  • 1260: Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 1792: In Council of Princes
  • 1260: Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg

Silesian Duchies

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  • Sagan
  • To Bohemia, 1504

Lower Silesia

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  • Wrocław (Breslau) (To Bohemia, 1335)
  • Brzeg (Brieg) (To Bohemia, 1675)
  • Głogów (Glogau) (To Bohemia, 1476)
  • Jauer
  • Legnica (Liegnitz) (To Bohemia, 1675)
  • Munsterberg
  • Oleśnica (Ols) (To Bohemia, 1476)
  • Świdnica (Schweidnitz) (To Bohemia, 1368)
  • Steinau

Upper Silesia

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Beuthen

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Falkenberg

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Kosel

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Neisse

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  • Neiße
  • (Oppeln) (To Bohemia, 1532)

Ratibor

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Strehlitz

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  • Teschen
  • 1625: To Crown of Bohemia

Troppau

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  • 1195: 1st mention of Troppau
  • 1224: Granted German city rights
  • 1261 Bohemian King Ottokar II raised Troppau to a principality and gave it to his natural son, Nikolaus
  • 1377: Divided into principalities of Jagerndorf, Leobschütz & Troppau
  • 1460: Purchased by King George Podiebrad of Bohemia
  • 1485: George's son Viktorin traded it with King Matthias Corvinus
  • 1501: Johann Corvinus sold it to King Wladyslaw of Bohemia & HuUngary
  • 1511: Troppau incorporated into the Crown of Bohemia
  • 1526: Emperor Ferdinand I, as King of Bohemia, took possession of Troppau
  • 1613: Emperor Matthias invested the House of Liechtenstein with Troppau

References

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  • 1122-1129: Margrave Leopold I [3]
    • acquired largge Eppenstein estates
    • separated Styria from Carinthia
  • 1147: the March of the River Drau devolved on the Margraves of Styria
  • Duchy of Wurttemberg (See Wurttemberg under Kingdom)