Magnates and their honours · Duchy of Lorraine · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Bitche

The duke's younger brother, who fought Simon for three years and won the German-speaking north of the duchy at Ribemont (1179).

He holds the forest lordship of Bitche in the northern Vosges, the Moselle castle of Sierck near the Luxembourg border, and Ormes and Gerbeviller in the south. He is the duke's heir by blood, his eldest son Ferry II is married to the count of Bar's daughter, another son is bishop of Toul, and his daughters are married to Salm and Zweibrucken: the Bitche branch is the coming house of Lorraine.

Who he is

Name
Ferry I (Frederick) of Lorraine
Title
Lord of Bitche, Sierck, Ormes and Gerbeviller (styled 'duke-sire')
Since
the pays de Bitche after his father's death (1176); the northern share of the duchy by the treaty of Ribemont (1179); fr.wikipedia also dates his lordship of Bitche from 1188
Born
about 1143
Family
Younger brother of Duke Simon II. Wife: Ludmilla of Poland (1150-1223), daughter of Mieszko III the Old. Sons: Ferry II (born about 1165, married by 1189 to Agnes of Bar, Theobald I's daughter; their sons Theobald born about 1191 and Matthew about 1193), Thierry 'the Devil' lord of Autigny, Henry 'the Lombard' (later builder of Bayon castle), Philip (later lord of Gerbeviller), Matthew, bishop of Toul since 1197; a son Simon murdered before 1200. Daughters: Agathe, abbess of Remiremont and Bouxieres; Judith, wife of Count Henry II of Salm; Hedwig, wife of Count Henry I of Zweibrucken; Cunegonde, later wife of Waleran III of Limburg.
Confidence
high

fr.wikipedia Ferry Ier de Lorraine; en.wikipedia Frederick II, Duke of Lorraine

Overlord

His brother the duke (as an apanage of the ducal house), and the emperor.

What it holds

  • Bitche: castle and the forest country of the northern Vosges
  • Sierck: castle and toll on the Moselle
  • Ormes (Ormes-et-Ville) near Bayon
  • Gerbeviller on the Mortagne

How it was acquired

Apanage from his brother after 1176, widened by the treaty of Ribemont (1179). About 1180 Archbishop Arnold of Trier captured him and his eldest son, and he ransomed himself by giving up the castle of Siersburg on the Saar.

Allies and rivals

Allies: Bar (through Ferry II's marriage), Salm and Zweibrucken (through his daughters), Toul (his son). Rival: his brother the duke, over the succession; the archbishop of Trier.

How things stand that morning

Holds Bitche, Sierck, Ormes and Gerbeviller. Neighbours: the counts of Saarbrucken and Zweibrucken to the north, the Hanau-Lichtenberg and Alsatian lords to the east, the duke to the south, Luxembourg (Bar) across the Moselle from Sierck.

Wealth

Forest rights, the Moselle toll at Sierck, village rents. No figures.

Military

His castles; a proven fighter (three years against his brother). No numbers.

Threats

  • A succession settled against him by his brother and Bar in favour of his own son.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

  1. 1205-7 April 1206 (later course)When Simon abdicates (1205) and names Ferry II, Ferry I styles himself duke until his death; Ferry II succeeds on 7 April 1206.Depends on: Simon's abdication. Stopped by: Ferry I dying first, or a different designation.

Places of note

  • Castle of Bitche: Seat
  • Castle of Sierck: Moselle castle and toll

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Family and titles from fr.wikipedia with dates; the extent of the lordships is not mapped in the sources.

On the map: Lordship extents are estimates around the named castles.

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.

Sources and studies

  1. Ferry Ier de Lorraine
  2. Frederick II, Duke of Lorraine

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.