The Duchy of Lorraine (lat. : Ducatus Lotharingiae, fre. : Duché de Lorraine, ger. : Herzogtum von Lothringen) directly descends from the Kingdom of Lotharingia (also known as Middle Francia) and is, as any honest scholar can testify, the legitimate heir of the Kingdom of Charlemagne.

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The Duchy is considered the private property of the Duke, who rules it in as an enlightened absolute monarch. Following the advise of philophers from distant Austria, taxation & regulations are kept at a strict minimum.

Enacting the Ius Primae Noctis over his lands was widely acclaimed all over Europe and all the way to distant lands such as Xanadu and further beyond, as a shining example of natural law. However, peasant girls are reminded that this is merely a right, and not an obligation, that the Duke possesses.

The cool climate of Lorraine and Flanders forced the development of greenhouses to grow exotic plants at a warmer temperature than would normally be allowed.

The Jumadbraü Brewery has been granted a ducal charter acknowledging its high quality standards. This charter is however not a monopoly on production, as this would disturb the market too much.

The Brewery once negociated with other european breweries for exclusive export rights to both France, the Low Countries and Germany.

Lorrainer mines are accessed through the most fortified areas to limit their exposure to raiding.

The main forge in the Duchy is Damocles' Anvil, notable for hanging an anvil over the main entrance and forcing any customer to pass under it. The amount of fatal accidents caused by this device has been limited.

The main market square sells luxuries such as fine manufactured goods, wines and spices.

The economy is facilitated by welcoming bankers (notably the Shekelsberg Bank, pretending to be jewish to avoid the Church looking into their business) to finance investments in other sectors of the economy.

The Church has been bought by the Duke, turning the sale of indulgences into a voluntary way of financing the Crown while ensuring your soul enters Heaven. If you're going to pay for that, better see the money end up in the ducal coffers than shipped to far away Rome. Indulgences have allowed the Duchy to mothball its old taxation policy.

The cathedral of Saint Nicholas holds several holy relics such as the True Cross, the Holy Grail, as well as the Holy Boxing Gloves of Saint Nicholas, with which he boxed the heretic Arius during the Council of Nicea, while obtaining the blessings of Saint Emperor Constantine the Great.

Any attempt of using christian values as an excuse to spread weakness is considered an unholy heresy and is punished by burning at the stake.

D'or, bande de gueules, trois alérions d'argent - golden field, red stripe with three silver eagles.

The legend, confirmed by every scholar that wasn't corrupted in a pathetic attempt to slander us, states that the coat of arms commemorates a trickshot by Godefroy de Bouillon, who shot 3 eagles with one single arrow when hunting near Jerusalem. Godefroy mercifully spared the other eagles by not exceeding the Holy Trinity.

Upon the death of Louis the Pious, the Frankish Empire was split between his 3 sons with the understanding that Lothar, inheriting Middle Francia and the Imperial Crown, would keep his 2 brothers as vassals. Said 2 brothers swiftly betrayed him, with Charles the Bold seceding and Louis the Germanic usurping the Imperial Crown. Eventually this resulted in the formation of France in the west and the Holy Roman Empire which integrated most of Middle Francia. Over time Lotharingia was reduced due to its lands being split by successions, first losing Northern Italy until only covering a modest area between the Vosges in the south & east to the Meuse in the west.

The Duchy was a major contributor of the Crusades (at least the succesful ones, we didn't touch the failed ones), with Godefroy de Bouillon taking Jerusalem then giving Lorraine its coat-of-arms.

Being at the edge of the Holy Roman Empire, immediately next to France, required some careful diplomacy, such as when Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy attempted to invade the Duchy in 1477. A bold idea that resulted in wolves feasting on his corpse, with Duke René II forming a coalition of Swiss and Germans with French support to crush his stronger neighbour in one swift blow.

France's pressure kept growing over time, occupying the Duchy over long periods of the 17th century. Prefering to use his might against heathen invaders rather than shedding some faithful christian blood, Duke Charles V left his duchy occupied to lead the Imperial Army against the Turks at Vienna in 1683 alongside King John III Sobieski of Poland, then proceeded to liberate Hungary.

The House of Lorraine traded their titular lands with France in exchange for taking over the Habsburg Empire, purifying this dynasty long corrupted by incest and other devilries. The Duchy would be integrated within France after the death of Duke Stanislas Leszczynski, to be inherited by the King of France.

The Duchy was founded near the River Moselle and was centered around a castle. An outer wall was built.

The Duchy was rebuilt and town expanded, with the walls upgraded several times to face barbarian raids. Beyond the walls were some watchtowers and a vineyard. The Duke invested in exploration, which brought back several relics such as the True Cross and the Holy Grail.

To secure his border, the Duke ordered the construction of a fortress to be built in Verdun. The Duke heavily invested in developing new fortifications, enlisting innovative military engineers such as Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban and Menno von Coehoorn. This resulted in the development of bastion fortifications.

The Duchy was made of two towns on opposite sides of the River Moselle, each protected by a bastioned wall and linked by a single fortified drawbridge.

The Eastern Town was more urbanised and notably contained the Castle, the Town Hall and Saint Nicholas' Church, which hosted the recovered relics. The economy got diversified by banking (Shekelsberg Bank) and the sale of indulgences in the main market.

The Western Town was still quite rural, and was the main source of food & timber production.

After a strategic alliance wedding, the Duke inherited the County of Flanders and relocated his capital there.

• Duchy of Lorraine proper
• County of Flanders

• Duchy of Bar
• Lower Moselle Valley

• Kingdom of France - overlord in Flanders by the Treaty of Verdun (843)
• Holy Roman Empire - overlord in Lorraine by the Treaty of Verdun (843)

The Duchy aims to keep good diplomatic & trade relations with both realms. As both never seemed to remain stable and strong at the same time, conflicts have been minimal.

• Kingdom of England - expected to be perfidious, a reputation they faithfully uphold. Still somewhat reliable for trade.
• Papacy - don't you dare question the legitimacy of our Holy Relics or claim the indulgences money, or I start nailing some paper on the church door.
• Duchy of Burgundy - touch our walls and you'll feed the local wolves.

• Vikings - uncivilised heathens.
• Saracens - similar but even worse.

Some vile rumours claim the Duke may be a sorcerer, casting terrible spells when writing in the Great Book of Grudges. The Duchy's official policy is neither to acknowledge nor deny such accusations, while the Great Book is officially merely a chronicle book serving to take retaliatory actions against hostilities.