Historical jurisdiction
The County of Metz originated from the frankish Metzgau. In the second half of the 9th century it went to the Gerhardiner (de), which held at the same time the County of Paris.
Over the Gerhardiner went the County—perhaps even in male lineage—to the Matfriede, which furthermore in 1047 received the title of Duke in Lorraine, namely Gerard IV, Duke of Alsace (c. 1030 – 1070), Seigneur of Châtenois (see also House of Châtenois).
The County of Metz was eventually merged into the Bishopric of Metz.
From 1189 the city of Metz was a Free Imperial City of the German Holy Roman Empire.
Counts (Palatine?) of Metz
- Folmar IV/VII (d. 1111) of Metz, son of Folmar III/VI. Count of Metz, Hüneburg, and Lunéville. He had three known children:
- Folmar V/VIII (d. 1145), son of Folmar IV/VII. Count of Metz and Hombourg. He married Mechtild of Dagsburg (d.a. 1157), and daughter of Albert I, Count of Moha, Egisheim and Dagsburg, with Ermesinde of Luxembourg (de). Folmar and Mechtild had:
- Hugo X (fr), Count of Dagsburg, Metz, Dabo and Moha, 1137/78 attested, nephew of Folmar V/VIII. He married Luitgarde of Sulzbach, sister of Queen Gertrude of Sulzbach and widow of Godfrey II, Count of Louvain. Hugo and Luitgarde had:
- Albert II, Albert of Lichtenberg (fr) (died 1212), son of Hugo X, 1175 Count of Dagsburg and Metz. He married Gertrude of Baden (b.1160 – b.1225), daughter of Hermann III, Margrave of Baden. They had:
- Henri and Guillaume, both dead at young age, and Gertrude, who became the heiress.
- Gertrude of Dagsburg (1190? – b. 1225), daughter of Albert II and Gertrude of Baden. She married three times: in 1206 to Theobald I (1191–1220), Duke of Lorraine since 1213 and Count of Dagsburg and Metz jure uxoris from 1216; secondly, in 1220, to Count Theobald IV of Champagne; and finally, in 1224, to Simon III, Count of Saarbrücken. All marriages were childless and Simon inherited Dagsburg, incorporating it and creating Dagsburg-Leiningen.
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