History History

It was around 963 that the name of Luxembourg first appeared: Count Sigefroi acquired a fort from the Abbey of St Maximin in Trier, situated on the rocky spur of the Bock, overlooking the Alzette valley. This building is called Lucilinburhuc (which means "little castle"). Little by little, a settlement grew up around the fortress, until it became a town in the 12th century.

According to legend, Count Sigefroi married the fairy Melusina under a special condition: she demanded, one day a week, not to see anyone, not even her husband. After a few years, curiosity won out over the promise, Sigefroi spied on his fairy through the keyhole of her room and discovered that she had a fish tail. Realizing that he had married a mermaid, the Count cried out. Alerted, Melusine understood that her secret was out. She threw herself out the window onto the rocks of the Bock and disappeared in a thunderous crash.

From the 11th to the 14th century, the county of Luxembourg grew in size through marriages, inheritances, purchases and wars. The Namur-Luxembourg dynasty reigned over the territory, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It became a duchy in 1354, in order to seal the union of the various counties and marquisates that had been amalgamated over time.

In 1437, the Namur-Luxembourg dynasty died out. The duchy briefly passed into the hands of the Habsburgs, but in 1443 the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, conquered the city of Luxembourg. The duchy then became a province of the Burgundian Netherlands. It shares the same political space as Belgium and the Netherlands

This vast territory came under Spanish rule when Charles V ascended the throne in 1506. Because of its central position in Europe, it was the object of many covetous desires. Begun in 1643, the Franco-Spanish conflict ended with the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, which mentioned that Luxembourg had to cede the regions around Thionville, Montmédy and Damvillers to France. However, peace between the countries did not last. In 1684, Louis XIV conquered the rest of Luxembourg and the duchy came under French rule. For a short time: he returned to the Habsburgs of Spain in 1697 (Treaty of Rijswick)

By the treaties of Utrecht in 1713 and Rastatt in 1714, which put an end to the War of the Spanish Succession, the Spanish Netherlands were granted the House of Habsburg of Austria. The duchy then returned to Austrian rule. In 1795, French revolutionary troops laid siege to the fortress of Luxembourg. The territory was then annexed to France, taking the name of "Département des Forêts".

The year 1814 was a turning point for Luxembourg. The powers of the Congress of Vienna, after successive divisions, created the Kingdom of the Netherlands, from which the Belgian State would emerge in 1830. At the same time, they erected Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy, after having amputated part of its territory in favour of Prussia. The Grand Duke was none other than William I of the Netherlands. The country is therefore governed by a foreign sovereign, the King of Holland, of the Orange-Nassau family. Although nominally independent, the Grand Duchy is integrated into the German Confederation, with a Prussian garrison in the fortress of Luxembourg.

At the time of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the Luxembourg population took up the cause of Belgium, to which it had felt it belonged since the Burgundian domination. From 1830 to 1839, Luxembourgers participated in large numbers in the building of the new Belgian kingdom. Apart from the city of Luxembourg, which remained under Prussian rule, the rest of the territory was managed by the young Belgian nation.

The Treaty of London of 19 April 1839 will impose the division of the territory. From now on, there will be two Luxembourgers: the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, still under the sovereignty of the Orange-Nassau, and Belgian Luxembourg, which becomes a province of Belgium.

To survive, the small, newly created country has little choice. In 1841 it signed a customs union with Prussia, which still had a garrison on the spot. This agreement placed the country in the orbit of the German Zollverein (a kind of single internal market with harmonised fiscal and economic rules). It will be extended until the First World War. It was Luxembourg's economic salvation, opening up outlets for its traditional products and its fledgling steel industry

At the same time, a first Constitution was accepted by William II for Luxembourg, who intended to govern the Grand Duchy separately from the Netherlands, a charter which was revised to make it more liberal in 1848, following the revolutionary unrest. Further revisions took place in 1856 and 1868.

The mining deposits in the south of the country were brought into production in 1860, and in 1871 the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by the new German Empire placed the Grand Duchy at the heart of a coherent and barrier-free industrial basin. The development of the iron and steel industry was a considerable source of income, but was to the detriment of other, neglected activities. As a result, native Luxembourgers who did not want to work in the forges were forced to emigrate, while the need for labour meant importing a large foreign proletariat. If at the beginning Italian immigration consisted of single workers, whose stay was limited, the arrival of German families was perceived as a risk of prussification of bilingual Luxembourg (French-German).

The middle of the 19th century brought important changes to the status of the country. The German Confederation having been dissolved in favour of the formation of the German Empire, the Grand Duchy was granted the status of a neutral and unarmed state at the Congress of London in 1867. The Prussian garrison leaves the fortress of Luxembourg, which is to be dismantled. It becomes an open city. The country drew up a new constitution in 1868, which is still valid today.

Grand Duke William III dies without a male heir. Following an internal arrangement within the family of Nassau, the house of Nassau-Weilburg takes over the crown, succeeding the house of Orange-Nassau. So ascend the throne Adolphe of Nassau. Luxembourg thus detaches itself from the sovereignty of the Netherlands. His son, William IV, succeeded him in 1905. For lack of male offspring, Princess Marie-Adélaïde ascended the throne and became Grand Duchess in 1912. Thus was born the true natural dynasty of Luxembourg, operating unity and achieving unanimity

At the same time, national sentiment grew stronger and stronger with the World Wars of the first half of the 20th century.

In 1914, German troops invaded Luxembourg. The invasion of the country was initially presented by Germany as a means of winning France. The institutions of the Grand Duchy remained in place and civilian life went on almost as if nothing had happened. However, the young Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde gave the impression that she had been too accommodating to the occupier, who obviously intended to swallow Luxembourg in the long run. She will therefore no longer be able to retain her throne after the conflict.

Grand Duchess Charlotte, second daughter of William IV of Luxembourg, acceded to the throne on 15 January 1919, after the abdication of her elder sister Marie-Adélaïde. She was the seventh monarch of Luxembourg and reigned over the country until 1964. She was married to Félix de Bourbon and gave birth to six children: Jean (his successor), Elizabeth, Marie-Adélaïde, Marie-Gabrielle, Charles, Alix. She died on 9 July 1985 and is buried in the crypt of Notre-Dame de Luxembourg Cathedral

Charlotte of Luxembourg, the last sovereign of the House of Nassau, was the driving force behind the date of Luxembourg's national holiday, 23 June. Historically, the national holiday was celebrated on the sovereign's birthday and therefore changed with each reign. Since the Grand Duchess was born in winter (23 January 1896), the celebrations were hampered by the climate. In 1961, the feast was postponed for six months and the date was retained after her reign.

Luxembourg enters Economic and Monetary Union with Belgium. After the years of crisis, the standard of living increases considerably, along with the feeling of national identity, a consequence of the occupation. The figure of Grand Duchess Charlotte then embodies independence.

The Grand Duchy was invaded again on 10 May 1940. The Grand Ducal family went into exile in England, then to the United States and Canada. Nazi Germany pursued a policy of total assimilation, with a ban on the French language, the dissolution of the parties, then of the Luxembourg state and, finally, the introduction of military service

In 1942, a major strike in protest against the occupiers broke out in Wiltz, which was suppressed in blood. Resistance was organised, while young people who were reluctant to do military service tried to hide. Nevertheless, 2,850 of them will be killed on the eastern front. Nearly 4,000 Luxembourgers were sent to concentration camps, and 800 did not return. A third of Luxembourg's Jews disappeared

From 1943 onwards, Grand Duchess Charlotte settled permanently in London with the Luxembourg government and regularly addressed her compatriots on the BBC. Very popular, she became the symbol of the country's resistance

In 1944, after the liberation of Luxembourg by American troops, Germany retaliated and the Von Rundstedt offensive (the first German offensive of the Battle of the Bulge) caused great destruction in the Oesling and the Echternach region

At the end of the Battle of the Bulge, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg regained its full independence. Grand Duchess Charlotte returns from exile.

In the aftermath of the war, on 17 March 1948, the Treaty of Brussels was signed for fifty years between France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Joseph Bech is the signatory for Luxembourg. One year later, Luxembourg left its neutrality - which had rarely been respected until then, since the country had been invaded twice in the space of thirty years - and joined NATO.

In 1994, the capital was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The following year, Luxembourg was named European Capital of Culture for the first time. Jacques Santer resigned as Prime Minister to become President of the European Commission for 5 years. He is replaced by Jean-Claude Juncker, who will in turn hold this prestigious post from 2014 to 2019.

Henri of Luxembourg became the sovereign Grand Duke of the country after the abdication of his father, Grand Duke Jean.

Following a bill on euthanasia, Grand Duke Henri threatens, because of his Christian values, not to sanction the law. Parliament then amended the Constitution and reduced the powers of the sovereign, who could now only promulgate laws, without a right of veto. On 17 March 2009, the law came into force. Luxembourg joins Belgium and the Netherlands, the only other two European countries to authorise active euthanasia in this field.

Equality between men and women is introduced with regard to succession to the throne. This new order of succession applies for the first time to the descendants of Grand Duke Henri.

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom officially leaves the European Union. A withdrawal that worried Luxembourg about its financial position. The Grand Duchy has finally managed to emerge a winner from this change since, since 2016, nearly 80 British companies have decided to relocate their business to Luxembourg, given the attractiveness of the Luxembourg financial sector and its economic and political stability. The financial sector has thus seen a significant increase in employment in 2021.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine. This invasion, sanctioned by the European Union, has an impact on several Luxembourg companies. ArcelorMittal, which has its headquarters in the Grand Duchy, has seen its activities in Ukraine decrease. The steel giant employed 26,000 people there and has several blast furnaces.

Like the rest of Europe, Luxembourg has to deal with the inflation caused by this conflict, especially for energy (90% of which it imports). The Grand Duchy is also experiencing supply difficulties, which are causing major delays in many activities.