city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

province of Luxembourg Luxembourg (; ; ; ; ; ), also called Belgian Luxembourg or West Luxembourg, is the southernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium, province of Wallonia within Belgium. It borders the country of Luxembourg to the east, the France, French depart ...

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

Bellevaux Bellevaux (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Savoie department The following is a list of the 279 Communes of France, communes of the F ...

Corbion Corbion N.V., formerly Centrale Suiker Maatschappij (CSM) N.V. (Central Sugar Company in English), is a Dutch food and biochemicals company headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It produces bioingredient-based foods, chemicals derived from org ...

Dohan Dohan (; ), sometimes known as Dohan-sur-Semois, is a village in Wallonia, Belgium. Dohan is a district of the municipality of Bouillon, located in the province of Luxembourg. Located in the southern Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), ...

Noirefontaine Noirefontaine () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography The commune lies south of Pont-de-Roide between the Doubs and the Lomont on a major highway. Population See also * C ...

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

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 A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Bouillon Castle Bouillon Castle (, ) is a medieval castle located in Wallonia in the town of Bouillon in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. Although it was mentioned first in 988,County of Verdun, the core of the possessions of the Ardennes-Bouillon dynasty, and their combined territory was a complex mixture of

fiefs A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal allegi ...

,

allodial land Allod, deriving from Frankish ''alōd'' meaning "full ownership" (from ''al'' "full, whole" and ''ōd'' "property, possession"; Medieval Latin ''allod'' or ''allodium''), also known as allodial land or proprietary property, was, in medieval and e ...

and other hereditary rights throughout the area. An example of the latter is the

Advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

of the monastery of Saint-Hubert en Ardennes, which was granted to Godfrey II by the prince-bishop of

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

.Murray, p. 11. The most famous of the

Lords of Bouillon The lordship of Bouillon was in the 10th and 11th centuries one of the core holdings of the Ardennes–Bouillon dynasty, and appears to have been their original patrimonial possession. The Bouillon estate was a collection of fiefs, allodial land ...

was

Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (; ; ; ; 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as pri ...

, a leader of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

and the first ruler of the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...

. He sold the Bouillon estate to the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. The prince-bishops started to call themselves dukes of Bouillon, and the town emerged as the capital of a sovereign duchy by 1678, when it was captured from the prince-bishopric by the French army and given to the

La Tour d'Auvergne The House of La Tour d'Auvergne () was an important French nobility, French noble dynasty. Its senior branch, extinct in 1501, held two of the last large fiefs acquired by the French crown, the counties of count of Auvergne, Auvergne and count of ...

family. The duchy was prized for its strategic location as "the key to the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

" (as Vauban called it) and hence to France itself. It remained a quasi-independent protectorate, like

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

, until 1795, when the Republican Army annexed it to France. After the defeat of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, the city was given to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in the 1815 Treaty of Paris. It has been part of Belgium since the Revolution of 1830.

Chronology

*988 – First mention of the castle of Bouillon in a letter to Godfrey the Captive from his brother, Archbishop Adalberon of

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. *1045 –

Godfrey the Bearded Godfrey III ( – 1069), called the Bearded, was the eldest son of Gothelo I, Duke of Upper and Lower Lorraine. Biography Disputed succession By inheritance, Godfrey was Count of Verdun and he became Margrave of Antwerp as a vassal of t ...

rebels against the emperor, who has the castle destroyed. *1065 – Godfrey the Bearded comes to terms with the emperor and rebuilds the castle in Bouillon. *1082 – Bouillon Castle is inherited by

Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (; ; ; ; 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as pri ...

, who sells it to the prince-bishop of Liège for 3 marks of gold and 1300 marks of silver in order to finance his participation in the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

. Pursuant to the treaty, Godfrey and his three successors retain the right to repurchase the castle at the same price but have no money to make good this privilege. *1129 – Godfrey's indirect successor, Count Renaud of

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

, captures Bouillon Castle by force. *1141 – The prince-bishop of

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

expels Count Renaud from Bouillon. *1155 – The

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

confirms the prince-bishopric's rights to Bouillon. *1291 – The prince-bishops of Liège start to style themselves "Dukes of Bouillon", referring to the castle's former position as the seat of the dukes of Lower Lorrain. *14th century – Bouillon Castle, as an exclave of the prince-bishopric of Liège, is governed by specially appointed ''

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

s''. *1415 – The office of castellan becomes a hereditary possession of the van der Marck (

de la Marck The House of La Marck () was an ancient German noble family, which from about 1200 appeared as the Counts of Mark. History The family history started with Count Adolf I, scion of a cadet branch of the Rhenish Berg dynasty residing at Altena ...

) family, a cadet branch of the future dukes of Clèves and

Jülich Jülich (; in old spellings also known as ''Guelich'' or ''Gülich'', , , Ripuarian: ''Jöllesch'') is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. As a border region between the competin ...

. *1482 – William de la Marck has

Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liège Louis de Bourbon (1438 – 30 August 1482 in Liège) was Prince-Bishop of Liège from 1456 until his death. Family He was the son of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon, and Agnes of Burgundy. His own sister Isabella was the second wife of Charles the ...

assassinated and succeeded by his own son John de la Marck. Another part of the chapter elects John van der Horn as an anti-bishop, thus plunging the prince-bishopric into a civil war. *21 May 1484 – Treaty is signed at

Tongeren Tongeren (; ; ; ) is a city and former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the only Roman administrative capital wit ...

, whereby the La Marck family forfeits its claims to the prince-bishopric and supports Liège's struggle against Emperor Maximilian for the reward of 30,000 livres. Bouillon Castle is mortgaged to William de la Marck until the time of repayment. *1492 – The treaty of Donchery reiterates the provisions of the treaty of Tongeren. As no repayment follows, the La Marck family retains Bouillon Castle and assumes the title of the Dukes of Bouillon. *1521 – The army of

Emperor Charles V Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...

takes hold of Bouillon and restitutes it to the prince-bishopric of Liège. *1526 –

Robert III de la Marck Robert III de La Marck (1491–1537), ''Seigneur'' of Florange, Fleuranges, was a Marshal of France and historian. Self-styled "The Young Adventurer," he was one of Francis I's close companions in the last years of Louis XII's life, and remained c ...

is promoted to

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

and styles himself Duke of Bouillon on this occasion. *1529 – The

Treaty of Cambrai The Treaty of Cambrai, also known as the or ('Ladies' Peace'), was an agreement made on 5 August 1529 that ended the French involvement in the War of the League of Cognac between French King Francis I and Emperor Charles V, who was also the ...

obligates

Francois I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

not to help Robert III in his struggle to retake Bouillon. *1547 – Robert IV de la Marck is made

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

. The letters patent officially style him "Duc de Bouillon". *1552 – Henry II of France reconquers Bouillon from the prince-bishops and gives it to Robert IV. *1559 – The Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis restitutes Bouillon to the prince-bishops of Liège, stipulating that the rights to the disputed territory are to be determined by a special arbitration, which never takes place. *1598 – The Treaty of Vervins again calls for arbitration of the dispute between the prince-bishopric and the La Marck family. *15 October 1591 – Upon extinction of the La Marck family, their heiress Charlotte is married to Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne, duc de Bouillon, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Marshal of France. *8 May 1594 – Charlotte de la Marck dies without issue, and her claims to Bouillon pass to her husband, Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne. *24 October 1594 – Charlotte's cousin, Henri, Duke of Montpensier, Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier, gives up his claims to the Bouillon succession in exchange for an annuity. *5 August 1601 – An agreement is signed between Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne and Charlotte's paternal uncle, Comte de Maulevrier, whose descendants continue to press their claims to Bouillon for the rest of the 17th century. *3 September 1641 – Henri's son, Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon, Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, renounces his claims to the reward of 30,000 livres promised by the prince-bishops of Liege in the Treaty of Tongeren. *1651 – Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne exchanges his sovereign princely titles for several ducal and comital titles in the Peerage of France. The agreement obligates France to restitute Bouillon to the

La Tour d'Auvergne The House of La Tour d'Auvergne () was an important French nobility, French noble dynasty. Its senior branch, extinct in 1501, held two of the last large fiefs acquired by the French crown, the counties of count of Auvergne, Auvergne and count of ...

family on the first opportunity. *1658 – Pursuant to the convention of 1641, the prince-bishops of Liège pay 150,000 guelders to Frederic Maurice, but he continues to style himself Duc de Bouillon despite their protests. *1676 – The French army takes Bouillon from the prince-bishops and restitutes it to the House of

La Tour d'Auvergne The House of La Tour d'Auvergne () was an important French nobility, French noble dynasty. Its senior branch, extinct in 1501, held two of the last large fiefs acquired by the French crown, the counties of count of Auvergne, Auvergne and count of ...

, as was promised by the exchange of 1651. *1679 – The Treaties of Nijmegen confirm the House of

La Tour d'Auvergne The House of La Tour d'Auvergne () was an important French nobility, French noble dynasty. Its senior branch, extinct in 1501, held two of the last large fiefs acquired by the French crown, the counties of count of Auvergne, Auvergne and count of ...

in possession of the duchy of Bouillon. Although a French contingent remains stationed in Bouillon, the dukes exercise sovereign rights to coin money, create peers and grant other titles. They also claim Saint-Hubert, Belgium, Saint-Hubert as one of their "peerages". *1757 – Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne is welcomed in Bouillon as a sovereign duke, despite formal protests issued by the prince-bishop of Liège. *1786 – The 6th Duke of Bouillon, Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne, adopts Philippe d'Auvergne, a British captain and his postulated relative. *25 June 1791 – The 6th Duke of Bouillon issues a declaration naming Philippe d'Auvergne as successor in Bouillon after the extinction of the La Tour d'Auvergne family. *3 December 1792 – The 6th Duke of Bouillon dies and his son, Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne, becomes the 7th Duke of Bouillon. *1794 – The French Revolutionary Army invade the Duchy of Bouillon and for 18 months it was the independent Republic of Bouillon. *25 October 1795 – Annexation of Bouillon by the French First Republic, French Republic. *27 December 1796 – French Republic promulgates a law restoring all the estates of Bouillon to the 7th Duke. *26 August 1798 – French Republic sequesters all the estates of Bouillon pertaining to the 1651 exchange. *8 March 1800 – The sequester is repealed and the estates are restored to the 7th Duke of Bouillon. *7 February 1802 – Death of the 7th Duke and the extinction of the La Tour d'Auvergne family. *3 January 1809 – The settlement of the Bouillon succession is ratified by Emperor Napoleon. *30 May 1814 – Bouillon is transferred to France's department of Ardennes (department), Ardennes. *1815 – The Congress of Vienna grants Bouillon to William I of the Netherlands, William Grand Duke of Luxembourg and King of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands until the final settlement of the succession dispute between Philippe d'Auvergne (a British admiral by that time) and Charles Alain Gabriel de Rohan (an Austrian general and the last duke's closest relative on his paternal side). *18 September 1816 – Philippe d'Auvergne, ruined by the succession disputes, commits suicide, but the litigations concerning Bouillon drag on inconclusively until 1825. Books about Bouillon *''Other People's Countries: A Journey into Memory'', by the Bouillon-born British writer, Patrick McGuinness

Geography

The town sits in a sharp bend of the river Semois (German language, German: ''Sesbach'', Walloon language, Walloon: ''Simwès'', in France: Semoy) whose total length is 210 km. The surrounding area is largely forested. Bouillon has a few schools, a ''collège'' (middle school) and a ''lycée'' (high school), banks and a town square.

Bouillon Castle Bouillon Castle (, ) is a medieval castle located in Wallonia in the town of Bouillon in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. Although it was mentioned first in 988,Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (; ; ; ; 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as pri ...

, knight, leader of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

*Charles van Lerberghe wrote two major works while living here *Philippe Albert, footballer, was born here in 1967. *Léon Degrelle, Walloon politician and Nazi collaborator, was born here in 1906. *Patrick McGuinness, British-Belgian author *Madeleine Ozeray, stage and film actress

Notes

References

*

External links

Webpage about the fortifications
{{Authority control Bouillon, Cities in Wallonia Dukes of Bouillon Municipalities of Luxembourg (Belgium) Vauban fortifications in Belgium