The County of Verdun was a sovereign medieval county in the

Duchy of Lower Lorraine The Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, also called Northern Lotharingia, Lower Lorraine or Northern Lorraine (and also referred to as '' Lothier'' or '' Lottier''

County

The rulers of the sovereign County of Verdun styled themselves as Counts by the grace of God.
country was located near Lower Lotharingia within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

. The Bishopric of Verdun bordered on it from the east. The Forest of Argonne formed the western border of the county, but it also included the fortresses at Montfaucon-d'Argonne and Vienne-le-Château. According to an imperial diploma issued in 1156, Bishop Haimo of Verdun received the right to appoint counts, but the counts from the Ardennes-Bouillon dynasty made the office hereditary by the end of the 10th century.

List of counts

*to 923

Ricwin Ricwin (Ricuin, Richwin) (died 923), was a Count of Verdun. After the death of Lothar II, the Treaty of Meerssen (August 870) divided Lotharingian territories between Louis the German and his half-brother Charles the Bald. This division allocated ...

, married first to the daughter of Engelram, Chamberlain to Charles the Bald, and second to Cunigunda, widow of Wigeric, Count of Bidgau *923–944 Otto, also

duke of Lorraine 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 of ...

from 940, son of Ricwin by his first marriage *944-963 Raoul, also Count of Ivois (as Rudolfe II) *963–1002 Godfrey I, called ''the Prisoner'', son of Gothelo, Count of Bidgau, son of Wigeric and Cunigunda, and Uda of Metz; married Matilda, daughter of

Herman, Duke of Saxony Hermann Billung (900 or 912 – 27 March 973) was the margrave of the Billung March from 936 until his death. The first of the Saxon House of Billung, Hermann was a trusted lieutenant of Emperor Otto I. Though never Duke of Saxony himself, w ...

*1002–1012 Godfrey II, son of previous,

duke of Lower Lorraine 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 of ...

from 1012 to his death in 1023 *1012–1022 Frederick, brother of previous *1022–1024

Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...

(d.1029), brother of previous, retired to monastery *1024–1025 Louis, also count of

Chiny Chiny (; wa, Tchini) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. On 1 January 2018 the municipality, which covers , had 5,175 inhabitants, giving a population density of 46 inhabitants per km2. The m ...

, received the county from Bishop Raimbert, killed by Gothelo, brother of Herman, who took the city and gave it as an appanage to Godfrey, his son *1025–1069 Godfrey III, called ''the Bearded'', also duke of Upper Lorraine from 1044 and

Lower Lorraine The Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, also called Northern Lotharingia, Lower Lorraine or Northern Lorraine (and also referred to as '' Lothier'' or '' Lottier''

from 1065, he was deprived of his possessions, Verdun included, by the

Emperor Henry III Henry III (28 October 1016 – 5 October 1056), called the Black or the Pious, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 until his death in 1056. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was the eldest son of Conrad II and Gisela of Swabia. Henry was raised by ...

, but he was reinstated and spent his life vacillating between rebellion and peace *1069–1076 Godfrey IV, called ''the Hunchback'', son of previous, also

*1076–1086

Matilda of Tuscany Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as ...

, called ''la Gran Contessa'', widow of previous, also marquise of Tuscany *1086–1095

Godfrey V Godfrey may refer to: People * Godfrey (name), a given name and surname * Godfrey (comedian), American comedian, actor Places In the United States * Godfrey, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Godfrey, Illinois, a village * Godfrey, Kansas, a ...

(d.1100), nephew of Godfrey IV, also

from 1089 and defender of the Holy Sepulchre from 1099 **''unknown'' *1100–1105

Theodoric Theodoric is a Germanic given name. First attested as a Gothic name in the 5th century, it became widespread in the Germanic-speaking world, not least due to its most famous bearer, Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Overview The name ...

, also count of Montbéliard and Bar *1105–1134 Reginald (d.1149), called ''le Borgne'', son of previous, also count of Montbéliard and Bar In 1134, the bishop deposed Reginald and reattached the county to the episcopal demesne.

References

Sources

* {{Refend

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...