History de la Meurthe-et-Moselle

Forests and landforms provided these first men with the conditions necessary for their survival: limestone cavities for their habitat, prolific fauna and flora for their food. This was followed by a great mastery of metal which allowed the sedentarization of the people

Metalworking is attested in Lorraine at the beginning of the first millennium BC. Then came the Iron Age and the age of weapons, and later the beginning of animal husbandry. The archeological sites of Haut du Chastel and Grand have preserved this prehistoric heritage

Lorraine entered the Roman world at the time of Julius Caesar and the Gallic War: Metz (Divodurum) and Toul (Tullum) were the chief towns of the province of Belgium. Trier was also a key city of the Roman Empire, located a few kilometres from the Lorraine border in Germany. The Roman city was established as the inhabitants of the fortified heights moved down to the more urban centres to settle. The Romans carried out major restoration work, many of whose remains are still intact. The thermal baths, the aqueducts of Metz and the amphitheatre of Grand bear witness to these vestiges of antiquity

The division of Clovis' kingdom gave rise to Austrasia or the East Country. This region belongs to Thierri and includes lands encompassing the four episcopal cities of which Rheims is the capital. But a few years later, under the reign of Sigebert, Metz became both the capital and the scene of the royal wedding of Sigebert and Princess Brunehaut. At this time, a multitude of places of worship were created. The first parish churches disappeared to make way for more spacious Romanesque and Gothic buildings.

In the 8th century, Pepin the Short, Charles Martel and Charlemagne contributed to the development of the country. The Carolingian court resides, among others, in Metz. Then, the kingdom was divided and Lothar II inherited the northern part, of which the province of Trier was the central part, and which gave rise to the name "Lotharingia". After being administered by dukes, Lotharingia was entrusted to the archbishop of Cologne who separated it into two parts. Lorraine then corresponded to the three dioceses of Metz, Toul and Verdun (known as the three bishoprics), cities that would remain important until the modern era, that of the Bourbons

At the beginning of the 11th century, when there was an Upper Lotharingia (Lorraine) and a Lower Lotharingia (Brabant), the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle became clearer with the territories of the bishoprics (not yet reunited), the duchy of Bar and the duchy of Lorraine with the^1st duke Gérard of Alsace (1048-1431)

In the 13th century, the burghers seized power and slowly ousted the bishop as lord of the city. The heirs of the House of Alsace ruled the duchy from 1047 to 1431. While Metz came under the temporal and religious power of the Empire, the dukes served the kings of France against the Albigensians, at Bouvines, Crécy, Azincourt and in the Crusades. Enclosures were built or enlarged and religious architecture flourished. From Romanesque to Gothic art. The Lorraine lay princes became more powerful than the bishops and their influence on the appointment of the latter became more and more important

The 15th century was marked by the Ride of Joan of Arc, a local heroine from Domrémy-la-Pucelle (part of the Duchy of Bar, but now located in the Vosges), who repelled the English. This ride began on 23 February 1429 at Vaucouleurs (in the Meuse) and ended in May 1430 when Joan of Arc was stopped by the Burgundians, allies of the English, at Compiègne. This ride is only an episode with no future. The retreat of the English brought the Burgundians and the supporters of the King of France closer together. It was at this time that Nancy, until then in the political and economic shadow of Metz, became more important. The passage of the King of France within its walls in 1444 made it the talk of the town and it was chosen as the capital by Charles the Bold. However, his ambitions came to nothing and Lorraine regained a certain independence, while remaining divided in two between the bishops and the dukes. If Metz sinks into a kind of semi-lethargy, Nancy emerges: the dukes build a palace and the court comes alive.

Henry II, King of France from 1547 to 1559, never ceased to covet Lorraine. This led to the famous "Austrasia Ride" (Henry II's military expedition against Charles V), which resulted in the occupation of the three cities of Metz, Toul and Verdun. During the reign of Duke Charles III of Lorraine, the region developed and expanded with the addition of principalities such as Bitche, Saint-Avold and Nomeny. This period was also marked by greater cultural activity than ever. Renaissance art was everywhere, in architecture but also in literature, starting with the city of Nancy. In engraving and painting, certain names emerged such as those of Jacques Callot or Georges de La Tour, a native of Vic-sur-Seille, an artist famous for his perfect mastery of the chiaroscuro technique

The authority is in the hands of the imperial Church and the latter is endowed with lands, forests and other riches. The three Lorraine bishoprics of Metz, Verdun and Toul emerged from this system. The laity shared the rest of the territory, which continued to be fragmented. Villages grouped together to create seigneuries and castles were built. New towns developed such as Neufchâteau or Épinal

In 1737, Stanislas Leszczynski, father-in-law of Louis XV, was chosen by the latter to become Duke of Lorraine. Stanislas knew how to make himself appreciated by the people of Lorraine thanks to his generosity and the establishment of charitable foundations. He also supported the development of the arts. With his architect Emmanuel Héré, he embellished Nancy by creating the current Place Stanislas - listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Lunéville, the gardens were enriched under his action with often exotic pavilions dedicated to the court's festivities. In February 1766, he was seriously burned by his dressing gown which caught fire when it came into contact with the fireplace. He died as a result of these injuries on February 23, 1766. Lorraine became definitively French

The French Revolution of 1789 came shortly after the accidental death of Stanislas Leszczinski. It will be at the origin of the creation of four departments in Lorraine: around Metz and Nancy for Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle, and around Épinal and Bar-le-Duc for Vosges and Meuse

During the Second Empire, Lorraine was once again split in two, no longer between bishoprics and duchies, but between French and German Lorraine, between Moselle and the other departments. The capital of Moselle was emptied of its elite and its capital to open the way for the German occupiers. This occupation left its mark even on the architecture of Metz. Nancy, on the other hand, benefited from the contribution of the Moselle and Alsatian refugees on the French side. In the arts, the Ecole de Nancy emerged and gave rise to numerous buildings in the Art Nouveau style, recognisable by its curves and plant inspiration

After the loss of the eastern provinces in 1871, the Third Republic set up a new defensive system to secure Lorraine. This system, known as "fortified curtains", was based on the construction of large octagonal semi-buried forts on the upper reaches of the Meuse, around Toul and Verdun, and on the Moselle coast around Epinal

In August 1914, the French troops penetrate in annexed Lorraine, but they are decimated by a violent fire. In February 1916, the Germans decide to try their luck in Verdun which becomes the stake of a gigantic and deadly battle on which will depend the fate of the war. The armistice was signed on November 11th 1918 in Rethondes. The Battle of Verdun alone claimed the lives of more than 300,000 French and German soldiers. This tragedy will mark the Verdun region both in its landscapes and in its battlefields and memorial sites.

To avoid the mistakes of the First World War, the French decided, from 1930, to erect a string of buried fortresses bristling with bells and turrets: the Maginot Line. This line includes large works but also smaller ones to adapt to the terrain and the threats. In less than ten years, no less than fifty-eight works were built on the north-eastern border. Following the economic crisis that ravaged the region, some large works had to be replaced by blockhouses or casemates. Contrary to popular belief, the Maginot Line is not made up of a single block of various constructions linked by underground passages, but each structure is independent of its neighbours.

The German offensive of May-June 1940 bypassed the Maginot Line and threatened to take certain positions in reverse. French troops nevertheless resisted before reaching Switzerland where they were interned until 1941. In the end, the Maginot Line was of little or no use. But during the Second World War, there was not only the tragically ironic episode of the Maginot Line. The war also marked the annexation once again of Alsace and Moselle - the Germans hoping to Germanize these territories. Verdun was the first city to be liberated at the end of August 1944. Metz, on the other hand, was not liberated by the 20th American Corps until November 22, 1944, after a tough battle due to the energetic defence of the Germans. After the liberation of Metz, the way was clear for the Allies who continued towards Alsace

Despite the destruction and trauma, the post-war period proved to be a rather prosperous one for Lorraine, which had virtually untouched reserves of raw materials. To exploit them, many immigrants, mainly from Italy and Poland, came to settle there. The population swelled and the region became the^third largest economic centre in France. Tourism, which benefits from a rich and varied heritage, is also booming: museums, castles, historical and commemorative sites as well as gastronomy are particularly valued. Today, Lorraine also holds an important place in European communication, due to its strategic geographical location between Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany.

The Lorraine region is merging with Alsace and Champagne-Ardenne to form the new Grand Est region.