Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine facts for kids

Frederick I (born around 912 – died May 18, 978) was an important leader in a region called Lorraine in Europe. He was known as the count of Bar and later became the duke of Upper Lorraine.

Frederick was the son of Wigeric, who was a count in a place called Bidgau. His mother was Cunigunda. This means Frederick was a great-great-great-great-grandson of the famous emperor Charlemagne.

In 954, Frederick married Beatrice. Her father was Hugh the Great, a powerful count in Paris. As part of their marriage, Frederick received income from an important abbey (a type of monastery) called Saint-Denis in Lorraine.

To protect his lands from attacks by people from the region of Champagne, Frederick built a castle near the Ornain river in 960. He also took control of some lands that belonged to Saint-Mihiel. He traded other lands with the bishop of Toul. By doing this, he created his own special area of control, which became known as the county of Bar. This made him the founder of a powerful noble family called the House of Bar (also known as the House of Ardennes–Bar).

Becoming a Duke

At that time, the large area of Lorraine was governed by Bruno, who was the archbishop of Cologne. Bruno was very powerful and was even called an archduke because he held two important titles.

In 959, Bruno worked with his brother, Emperor Otto I, to divide Lorraine into two parts. They appointed special governors called margraves for each part. Godfrey was put in charge of Lower Lorraine, and Frederick was put in charge of Upper Lorraine.

After Bruno died in 977, Frederick and Godfrey officially started calling themselves dukes. As the duke, Frederick also helped to improve important religious centers like Saint-Dié and Moyenmoutier.

Frederick's Family

Frederick and Beatrice had several children:

• Henry (who died sometime between 972 and 978)
• Adalbero II (958–1005), who became a bishop in Verdun and Metz.
• Theodoric I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (965–1026), who followed in his father's footsteps as count of Bar and duke of Upper Lorraine.
• Ida (970–1026), who married Radbot, Count of Habsburg in 1010. Radbot built a famous castle called Habichtsburg. Ida and Radbot became ancestors of the very important Habsburg family, who ruled much of Europe in the 1500s.

Images for kids

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  The coat of arms for Lorraine.