The house of noble canonesses at Remiremont, high in the Moselle valley of the Vosges, is exempt from the bishop and answers to the pope since Leo IX consecrated its church in 1051; its abbess Gisela won its political independence from Henry IV.
It is lady of the town and of the surrounding 'ban', but its advocates, the dukes of Lorraine, keep trying to extend their power over its lands. The abbess will be made a princess of the Empire under Rudolf of Habsburg (1290).
Who holds it
- Title
- Abbess of Remiremont
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
The abbess on 1 January 1200 is not pinned. Earlier abbesses named are Judith of Vaudémont (about 1150) and Euphronie of Lorraine (about 1170).
What it holds
- Remiremont: the abbey and its town
- The abbey's ban in the upper Moselle valley, shared in practice with its ducal advocates
How it was acquired
Founded in the 7th century; papal exemption 1051; political independence under Henry IV.
How things stand that morning
The abbey holds its town under ducal pressure; its abbess in 1200 is not pinned.
Wealth
Vosges forests and pasture; the abbey's rents and pilgrims.
Threats
- The duke of Lorraine
Advocates and rivals
The dukes of Lorraine, advocates and constant encroachers; the bishop of Toul, who once had oversight.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The status points are attested; the abbess and the bounds of the ban in 1200 are not.
On the map: Only the town is drawn; the ban was larger.
Primary sources for Lorraine
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. Read online
- Deeds of the archbishops of Trier, continuations (continuations written in the 13th century). The Trier house history for Archbishop John I (1190 to 1212), who held the Moselle between the two kings. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.