In the middle of the 10th century, the territory of Bar (Barrois ) formed a dependency of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 11th century its lords were only counts by title; they belonged to the house of Mousson (which also possessed the countships of Montbéliard and Ferrette ), and usually fought in the French ranks, while their neighbors, the dukes of Lorraine, adhered to the German side.

[[Theobald I of Bar], was an ally of Philip Augustus, as was also his son Henry II , who distinguished himself at the battle of Bouvines in 1214. But sometimes the counts of Bar bore arms against France. In 1301 Henry III , having made an alliance with Edward I of England, whose daughter he had married, was vanquished by Philip the Fair, who forced him to do homage for a part of Barrois, situated west of the Meuse River, which was called Barrois mouvant.

In 1354 Robert of Bar , who married a princess of France, was made marquis of Pont-à-Mousson by the Emperor Charles IV and took the title of Duke of Bar. His successor, Edward III of Bar , was killed at Agincourt in 1415.

In 1419 Louis of Bar , brother of the last-named, cardinal and bishop of Chalons, gave the duchy of Bar to Rene, Duke of Anjou and king of Naples, the grandson of his sister Yolande, who married Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. Yolande of Anjou , who in 1444 had married Frederick of Lorraine, count of Vaudemont , became heiress of Nicholas of Anjou, duke of Calabria and of Lorraine, in 1473, and of Rene of Anjou, duke of Bar, in 1480; thus Lorraine, with Barrois added to it, once more returned to the family of its ancient dukes.

United with Lorraine to France in 1634, Barrois remained, except for short intervals, part of the royal domain. It was granted in 1738 to Stanislaus Leszczynski, ex-king of Poland, and on his death in 1766 was once more attached to the crown of France.

See also: Bar-le-Duc

Counts and Dukes of Bar

• Counts of Bar
  • Frederick I of Bar (r. 959 - 978)
  • Thierry I of Bar (r. 978 - 1027)
  • Frederic II of Bar (r. 1027 - 1033)
  • Sophie of Bar (r. 1033 - 1092)
  • Thierry II of Bar (r. 1092 - 1105)
  • Renaut I of Bar , the One-eyed (r. 1105 - 1150)
  • Renaut II of Bar (r. 1150 - 1170)
  • Henry I of Bar (r. 1170 - 1189)
  • Thiebaut I of Bar (r. 1189 - 1214)
  • Henry II of Bar (r. 1214 - 1239)
  • Thiebaut II of Bar (r. 1239 - 1291)
  • Henry III of Bar (r. 1291 - 1302)
  • Edward I of Bar (r. 1302 - 1337)
  • Henry IV of Bar (r. 1337 - 1344)
  • Edward II of Bar (r. 1344 - 1352)
• Dukes of Bar
  • Robert of Bar (r. 1352 - 1411)
  • Edward III of Bar (r. 1411 - 1415)
  • Louis of Bar (r. 1415 - 1419)
  • René of Anjou, king of Naples and Duke of Lorraine (r. 1419 - 1480)