Duchy of Lorraine

The Duchy of Lorraine was a former monarchy independent from France but in mainland France. It was also a State of the Holy Roman Empire. 

The duchy was  given to a dethroned King of Poland and was dissolved in 1766. The members of the family frequently married into other French nobility such as Princesses of the French royal family. The capital of the duchy was Nancy.  Leopold I of Lorraine later moved the capital to the town of Lunéville. which was a renowned resort in the 18th century, known as the capital of Lorraine. The grand Château de Lunéville was built in 1702 for Leopold.  The Duke of Lorraine lived there until the duchy became part of France in 1766. The chateau was designed in the style of Versailles to satisfy Leopold's wife, Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans, the niece of Louis XIV, and became known as the "Versailles of Lorraine". It includes a chapel designed by Germain Boffrand. Leopold and his wife were the parents of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (through him they were the grandparents of Marie Antoinette).

Important historical buildings

Château de Lunéville a former royal residence.
Ducal Palace of Nancy.
The Place Stanislas. A large public square in Nancy built by an ex-king of Poland.
Château de Commercy, a Château used by the last duchess of Lorraine.


Apart from the ducal family the Beauvau family were very prominent in society holding much influence with the rulers of the duchy due to personal connections. The heads of the family were often titled the Prince of Craon

Other websites

Category:Former monarchies of Europe
Category:House of Lorraine
Category:1760s disestablishments
Category:States of the Holy Roman Empire
Category:18th-century disestablishments in Europe