Lorrain

Sources from old books

1685. Geographia universalis: the present state of the whole world by Pierre Duval.

Lorrain is a Country, with the Title of Dutchy, considerable for several advantages, particularly for its situation between Champagne, French-Luxembourg, the Palatinate of the Rhine, Franche-Comte: all these Provinces are possess'd by the French, except the Palatinate. It brings forth plentifully all the Conveniencies of Life, unless it be Oyl: It has Jasper, and stuff for the making of Drinking and Lookingglasses. The Lorrainers are bigotted Catholicks.

There are reckoned three Bailiwicks, that of Nancy, Vaudrevange, and Vauge, where is Mirecourt. Under the general Name of Lorrain, may be comprehended the Dutchy of Bar, which is of a double kind; there is Barrois Royal, on this side the Meuse; and Barrois Ducal, beyond the same River: several Territories adjacent: the Bishopricks of Metz, Toul, Verdun, formerly Principalities of the Empire; Imperial Towns of the same Name, which, since the Reign of French Henry the Second, have own'd Subjection to the Crown of France. It is to be noted, that these Bishops are only Temporal Princes, and that the Diocesses of the same Name, which acknowledge their Bishop for Spirituals, have very different bounds. In the Year 1680. several places depending on these Bishopricks, and which had been dismembred from 'em at diverse times, have been adjoyned to the Crown of France. The Rivers of Meuse, Moselle, Saone, and Sare, have their beginning in Lorrain. Under the Emperour Nero, they had a design of communicating the Ocean and the Mediterranean-Sea, by a Chanel drawn from the Moselle into the Soan, which is but very little distant from it, and which falls into the Rhosne. The Sare is navigable, and gives its Name to several places by and through which it passes. The French King has caused Sar-Louis, and other Fortresses, to be built there, for the securing the Frontiers of his Dominions. Nancy, the Capital of the whole Dutchy, has had the best Fortifications and Works that were ever seen in Europe. Without all these Defences, it did gloriously resist Charles, Duke of Burgundy, who lost the Battel and his Life near the Walls, in the Year 1477. In the Battel of Morat, in the Year 1476. which followed that of Granson, and preceded that of Nancy, the Diamond of this warlike and unfortunate Prince, fell into the hands of a Suiss, who thought himself well payed, in having for it a Florin of Gold, tho' this Diamond was one of the finest things of the kind in Europe. Another Suiss was so lucky in the same Battel, as to find the Collar of the Golden Fleece, of an inestimable value, which the Duke of Burgundy was wont to wear, and contented himself with two Crowns, that were given him for it in Milan, whither he went to sell it at the dearest rate he could. Now Nancy is in possession of the French King, who offers to yield up Toul to the Duke of Lorrain, in case he will sign the Treaty of Nimmeghen. The Burrough of St. Nicholas keeps the Relick of its Patron, which occasions a great concourse of people to that Town, as well as its Fair. Rozieres and Dieuse have Salt-Pits of a great Revenue, as have also Marsal, Chasteau-Salins, and Moyenvik. The Annual Revenue of the Salt-Pits of Marsal has commonly been three hundred thousand Livres. Luneville has a fine House, Remiremont a famous Abby of Ladies, Plombieres, which is not wall'd, is known for its Baths. The Dutchy of Barr has the Cities of Barleduc, St. Mihel, and Pont-a-Mousson. Vaucouleurs, one of the adjacent Territories, is noted for the Birth of the Maid of Orleans, in a neighbouring Burrough, called Arques. Mets, Toul, and Verdun, have been more strictly united to the Crown of France, by the Treaty of Munster, by that of the Pyrences, and by good Cittadels. Metz had formerly the Title of a Kingdom, which was that of Austrasia, with the right of coining Money: it is now the Residence of a Parliament. 'Tis of a large circuit, and nevertheless in the Year 1552. it gloriously repuls'd the Emperour Charles the Fifth, who besieg'd it with an Army of a hundred thousand men: from thence came the Proverb amongst those of the Country, when any one undertakes any difficult matter, they say, He will do e'en as much as the Emperour before Metz. This Disgrace stuck so sensibly close to that glorious Prince's heart, that there happening presently after the insult he receiv'd from Duke Maurice of Saxony; it's said to have obliged him to resign his Dominions to his Son and his Brother, and make the retreat he did in the Monastery of St. Just, in Castille, to the amazement of the whole World.

The Dukes of Lorrain have hitherto styled themselves Princes of the Empire, and the Empire has pretended Right of Sovereignty over their Dutchy of Lorrain. Nevertheless, they pretend to be exempted from the Jurisdiction of the Imperial Chamber of Spire, and from all the Contributions by the Empire. They have neglected to assist at the Dyets of the Empire, that so they might not be bound to give place to such Princes, as they esteemed less than themselves. The Dutchy of Barr is a Fief depending on the Crown of France, and chiefly what is on this side the Meuse; as for what is beyond it, he pretends its dependence on him, under the Title of Marquisate of Pont, or Ponta-Mousson. From whence it comes, that the Inhabitants Barrois are esteemed Natural Frenchmen.

Anthony, Francis, Charles the Third, Dukes of Lorrain, did Homage for it to the French Kings. The War of Lorrain, which followed that of Italy, was made upon the account of this Homage not being paid: The Dutchy of Barr was afterwards united to the Crown of France. Since which, there have been several Treaties between the French Kings and the Dukes of Lorrain.