Luxembourg Timeline

Luxembourg 35

963 Founding of Luxembourg Count Siegfried's castle Count Siegfried acquires the rocky promontory of Lucilinburhuc and builds a castle — the origin of both the city and the country of Luxembourg.
1244 Luxembourg granted a charter Birth of civic freedoms Countess Ermesinde grants Luxembourg its freedom charter, securing citizens' rights and fostering the guild culture and fairs that shape the medieval town.
1308 Henry VII, King of the Romans A Luxembourger rises Count Henry VII is elected King of the Romans and in 1312 crowned Holy Roman Emperor — launching the House of Luxembourg to the summit of European power.
1340 John the Blind & the Schueberfouer A beloved count John the Blind, King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg, founds the Schueberfouer fair (1340) and dies heroically at Crécy in 1346 — a national folk hero.
1354 Raised to a Duchy Under Emperor Charles IV Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV — himself of the House of Luxembourg — raises the county to the Duchy of Luxembourg, at the height of the dynasty's European power.
1364 Luxembourg at its territorial peak Between Meuse and Moselle Through territorial acquisitions the Luxembourg lands reach over 10,000 square kilometres, stretching between the Meuse and Moselle — the dynasty's high point.
1437 End of the imperial dynasty The male line dies out With the death of Emperor Sigismund the male line of the House of Luxembourg ends, and the duchy soon passes out of native hands.
1443 Burgundian conquest Philip the Good takes the duchy Philip the Good of Burgundy seizes the Duchy of Luxembourg, absorbing it into the Burgundian Low Countries and ending its independence for nearly four centuries.
1443 Burgundian rule Absorbed into the Low Countries Luxembourg passes to the Dukes of Burgundy, beginning centuries during which it shares the fate of the wider Low Countries under Burgundian, then Spanish and Austrian Habsburg rule.
1542 – 1544 Wars of France and the Habsburgs A fortress contested Luxembourg's fortress changes hands repeatedly as France and the Habsburgs fight for control of the strategic stronghold.
1684 Louis XIV takes Luxembourg Vauban's Gibraltar of the North French forces capture the fortress; the engineer Vauban rebuilds it into one of the strongest in Europe, earning it the name "Gibraltar of the North".
1714 Austrian Netherlands Habsburg rule returns After the War of the Spanish Succession Luxembourg passes to the Austrian Habsburgs, sharing the fate of the southern Netherlands.
1795 Annexed by France Departement des Forets Revolutionary France annexes Luxembourg as the Département des Forêts, ending Austrian Habsburg rule for two decades.
1795 French annexation Departement des Forets Revolutionary France annexes Luxembourg as the Département des Forêts, imposing French law and administration for two decades.
1815 Grand Duchy created Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna raises Luxembourg to a Grand Duchy in personal union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands under William I, while also part of the German Confederation.
1830 Caught in the Belgian Revolution Loyalties split When Belgium revolts, most of Luxembourg joins the uprising, while the fortress and capital are held by a Prussian garrison loyal to the Dutch king.
1839 First Treaty of London Partition & autonomy The First Treaty of London cedes the French-speaking western half of Luxembourg to Belgium; the remaining German-speaking territory takes the shape of the modern country and gains greater autonomy.
1842 Joins the Zollverein Economic lifeline Luxembourg joins the German Customs Union (Zollverein), opening markets that will fuel the coming industrial boom.
1859 First railway opens Luxembourg–Thionville The first railway line, linking Luxembourg City to Thionville in France, accelerates the country's industrialisation.
1867 The Luxembourg Crisis War narrowly averted Napoleon III's bid to buy Luxembourg from the Dutch king nearly triggers a Franco-Prussian war; the crisis is defused by the Second Treaty of London and the fortress is dismantled.
1867 Second Treaty of London Independence & neutrality After the Luxembourg Crisis, the Second Treaty of London guarantees Luxembourg's independence and perpetual neutrality and orders the dismantling of its great fortress.
1876 The Minett iron boom Steel transforms the south Exploitation of the southern "Minett" iron-ore fields makes Luxembourg, by century's end, one of Europe's major steel producers.
1890 A dynasty of its own House of Nassau-Weilburg On William III's death the personal union with the Netherlands ends; Grand Duke Adolphe founds the ruling House of Nassau-Weilburg, giving Luxembourg its own dynasty.
1890 Own ruling house End of the union with the Netherlands On the death of William III, the Dutch crown passes to his daughter Wilhelmina, but Luxembourg's succession law passes the Grand Duchy to the House of Nassau-Weilburg — ending the personal union and giving Luxembourg its own monarch.
1911 ARBED founded A steel giant The steel conglomerate ARBED is founded, dominating the Luxembourg economy and becoming one of the world's leading steelmakers.
1919 Grand Duchess Charlotte & referendum Monarchy reaffirmed After wartime crisis Grand Duchess Charlotte accedes, and a referendum confirms both the monarchy and economic union with France (later Belgium).
1921 Economic union with Belgium (BLEU) Tied to its neighbour Luxembourg forms the Belgium–Luxembourg Economic Union, sharing a currency and customs — a forerunner of its later integration into Benelux and Europe.
1940 – 1944 German occupation in WWII Neutrality overrun Despite its neutrality, Luxembourg is invaded and annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940; resistance and a 1941 census boycott assert national identity before liberation in 1944.
1940 – 1944 Nazi occupation & resistance A census of defiance Germany occupies and annexes Luxembourg; a 1941 census in which citizens overwhelmingly declare their language and nationality "Luxembourgish" becomes a famous act of resistance.
1944 Battle of the Bulge Liberation and a last German push Liberated in 1944, Luxembourg is then caught in the Battle of the Bulge, Germany's final western offensive, before final freedom in early 1945.
1949 Abandons neutrality: UN & NATO A founding member Breaking with its historic neutrality, Luxembourg becomes a founding member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and NATO.
1952 Seat of the ECSC Capital of Europe begins Following Luxembourger-born Robert Schuman's plan, Luxembourg City becomes the seat of the European Coal and Steel Community's High Authority — the first European institution.
1957 Founding member of the EEC Capital of Europe Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Economic Community and becomes one of the EU's capitals, hosting the Court of Justice and other key institutions.
1986 One of the EU's capitals Institutions take root Luxembourg City is confirmed as one of the three capitals of Europe alongside Brussels and Strasbourg, hosting the Court of Justice, the EIB and other bodies.
2000 From steel to finance — Grand Duke Henri A modern boom As the steel era ends, Luxembourg reinvents itself as a global banking and finance hub; Grand Duke Henri accedes in 2000, reigning over one of the world's wealthiest nations.