Speaking of titles, I just noticed that in the information that is released by the Luxembourg government about the Grand Ducal Family that CC is listed as Archduke of Austria and Prince of Bar. I am unfamiliar with the Bar title and I don't believe it is a traditional part of the titles of an Archduke.
Can someone clarify this information for me?
It is a very old story, that of the county (later duchy) of Bar and the county (now Grand duchy) of Luxembourg.
It goes back to the death of Charlemagne when his son Lothar inherited the middle of Charlemange's realm, while his brothers took over France and Germany. That was around 800. Bar and Luxembourg were part of Lothar's realm.
In 915 Wigeric of Ardennes became the Count Palatine of Lotharingia, which included Luxembourg and Bar. On his death Luxembourg was given to his son Siegfried as a county while his eldest son Frederick inherited the county of bar and the duchy of Upper Lorraine.
Over the centuries the reigning families of Bar, Luxembourg and Lorraine intermarried repeatedly and often the inheritance moved via the female line.
In 1240 Henry V. of Luxembourg married Marguerite de Bar. From this marriage two lines of the House of Luxembourg emerged:
- the main line which ended with Elisabeth of Luxembourg, niece of emperor Siegismund and granddaughter of emperor Charles IV. of the Holy Roman Empire. She had been given Luxembourg as a forfeit from her uncle, who couldn't pay her to get it back. She was later disposed by duke Philip of Burgundy. Sigismund's daughter Elisabeth of Bohemia married into the Habsburg family and brought a claim to Luxembourg with her. When the dukes of Burgundy died out in the male line, Luxembourg came with Maria of Burgundy to her Habsburg-husband, thus the claims merged.
- the younger branch of the Luxembourgs which held several titles in France, most notably the count of Ligny-en-Barrois, a part of the county of Bar. In 1435 Louis of Luxembourg married Jeanne de Bar, great-granddaughter of Robert I. of Bar in direct male line (through Robert's eldest son Henri and Henri's eldest son Robert). Thus, when the male-line of Bar died out in 1431, Louis claimed Bar for his wife.
But alas, he hadn't counted on his wife's cousin Yolanthe of Aragon, queen consort of Naples, the daughter of Yolanthe of Bar, queen of Aragon. Yolanthe was quite a political force in medieval France, as she was married to the head of the House of Anjou which controlled the western part of mediterranean Europe. Her second son Rene had married the heiress of Lorraine and Yolanthe managed to have him announced official heir of her uncle Louis of Bar.
For 3 years Louis of Luxembourg and René of Anjou-Lorraine struggled, but when René captured Louis' brother Jean the struggle ended with the contract of 1434 which handed over Bar to Lorraine.
Franz Stephan of Lorraine was a direct line descendant René de Anjou-Lorraine and had inherited the titles of duc de Lorraine et Bar, which he brought into the Habsburg-Lorraine pool of titles. Thus, any male-line descendant of Franz Stephan is a Prince de Lorraine et de Bar.
Luxembourg belonged to Habsburg till the French revolution and stayed French till Napoleon's French empire collapsed. At the Congress of Vienna the emperor of Austria ceased his rights of Luxembourg, which was created a Grand Duchy as well as his rights to the Austrian Netherlands to the new king of The Netherlands. The current Grand Duke is a male-line descendant of this king.
Thus I guess for historical reasons the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg still recognizes the title of the duke of Bar with his family being prince/princesse de Bar. I wonder why they don't add the Lorraine title as well, though.
