History of Luxembourg

County of Luxembourg, 963 CE–1354 Draft, not yet reviewed

The county arose from medieval Lucilinburhuc Castle in the present-day City of Luxembourg, which Siegfried, Count of the Ardennes, purchased in 963. By the middle of the 13th century, the counts of Luxembourg had managed to gain considerable wealth and power and had expanded their territory from the river Meuse to the Moselle. The ascension of the Counts of Luxembourg culminated when Henry VII became King of the Romans, King of Italy and finally, in 1312, Holy Roman Emperor. Luxembourg was an independent fief of the Holy Roman Empire until 1353, when Emperor Charles IV elevated it to the status of a duchy for his half-brother, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg.

Seat of power: Luxembourg

Rulers

• Siegfried of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 963 CE–998 CE
• Henry V, Duke of Bavaria, Count of Luxembourg, 998 CE–1026
• Henry VII, Duke of Bavaria, Count of Luxembourg, 1026–1047
• Giselbert of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1047–1057
• Conrad I, Count of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1057–1086
• Henry III, Count of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1086–1096
• William, Count of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1096–1128
• Conrad II, Count of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1128–1136
• Henry IV, Count of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1136–1196
• Countess Ermesinde II, Countess of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1197–1247
• Henry V, Count of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1247–1281
• Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg, 1281–1288
• Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Count of Luxembourg, 1288–1313
• John of Bohemia, Count of Luxembourg, 1313–1346
• Charles IV, Count of Luxembourg, 1346–1353

Duchy of Luxembourg, 1353–1795 Draft, not yet reviewed

The ducal lands had been formed in 1353 by integration of the old County of Luxembourg, the Marquisate of Arlon, the counties of Durbuy and Laroche, and the districts of Thionville, Bitburg, and Marville. In 1443, the duchy passed to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy of the French House of Valois, and, in 1477, by marriage to Archduke Maximilian I of Austria of the House of Habsburg. The remaining ten southern provinces (including Luxembourg) remained under Spanish rule until 1714. The area remained under Austrian rule until the French Revolution, when it was taken over by France in 1795.

Seat of power: Luxembourg

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, 1815 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the Congress of Vienna decided to restore the Duchy of Luxembourg. In the 1839 Treaty of London, the territory was reduced by more than half, thereby giving Luxembourg its modern-day borders. In 1890, due to a succession crisis, the Dutch monarchy ceased to hold the title Grand-Duke of Luxembourg. In the 1950s, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Communities.

Seat of power: Luxembourg

Rulers

• William I of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1815–1840
• William II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1840–1849
• William III of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1849–1890
• Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1890–1905
• William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1905–1912
• Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1912–1919
• Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1919–1964
• Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1964–2000
• Henri I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 2000–2025
• Guillaume V, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 2025 to today