Page "Lorraine (duchy)" Paragraph 1

Lorraine's predecessor Lotharingia was an independent Carolingian kingdom under the rule of King Lothair II ( 855 – 869 ).

Its territory had originally been a part of Middle Francia, created in 843 by the Treaty of Verdun, when the Carolingian empire was divided between the three sons of Louis the Pious.

Middle Francia was allotted to Emperor Lothair I, therefore called Lotharii Regnum.

Upon his death in 855, it was further divided into three parts, of which his son Lothair II took the northern one.

His realm then comprised a larger territory stretching from the County of Burgundy in the south to the North Sea.

In French, this area became known as Lorraine, while in German, it was eventually known as Lothringen.

In the Alemannic language once spoken in Lorraine, the-ingen suffix signified a property ; thus, in a figurative sense, " Lotharingen " can be translated as " Land belonging to Lothair ".