The territorial principalities in Lotharingia

The creation of the territorial principalities was a lengthy process that was still far from over in the mid-fourteenth century. It is best not to speak of ‘states’ even in this period. But by this time the great lords of old Lotharingia had, by and large, succeeded in replacing the old face-to-face mode of lordship, and in integrating the regional nobles and burghers, and a majority of the newer religious foundations, into a ‘land’. All the different powers, both noble and burgher, as well as the prince, benefited from the establishment of a large territory with common peace and law, which protected them against outside threats and internal fragmentation, and from the encouragement of economic development. The integration of knightly vassals and burghers into the structures of government made the territorial lordships more efficient thanks to their differing areas of expertise.