Lorraine

Lorraine is a historical area of Eastern France that today falls within the administrative region of Grand Est. It has its origins in the medieval kingdom of Lotharingia (855–959 AD), named after Emperor Lothair I or King Lothair II, which came to be ruled by the Holy Roman Empire. This kingdom, which extended further north than the modern region, was divided into upper and lower duchies; the lower duchy lasted until the 12th century but the upper duchy persisted and developed into the Duchy of Lorraine. The Kingdom of France annexed the duchy, along with the Duchy of Bar (the two having been held together since the 15th century), in 1766, which became the Lorraine and Barrois province.

From 1982 until January 2016, Lorraine was an administrative region of France. In 2016, under a reorganisation, it became part of the new region Grand Est. As a region in modern France, Lorraine consisted of the four departments Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges (from a historical point of view the Haute-Marne department is also located in the region), containing 2,337 communes. Metz is the regional prefecture. The largest metropolitan area of Lorraine is Nancy, which was the seat of the duchy for centuries.

To the north, Lorraine borders Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. In French, its male inhabitants are called Lorrains and its female inhabitants are called Lorraines. The population of Lorraine is about 2,356,000.