County (Counties) of Salm | ||||||||||
Grafschaft(en) Salm | ||||||||||
State of the Holy Roman Empire, then State of the Confederation of the Rhine |
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Capital | Vielsalm (originally) | |||||||||
Government | Principality | |||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | |||||||||
• | Partitioned from County of Saarbrücken |
1019 | ||||||||
• | First partitioned into Lower and Upper Salm |
1165 |
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Lower Salm extinct; to Reifferscheid-Dyck |
1416 |
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• | Part of Upper Salm to Wild- and Rhinegraves |
1475 |
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Annexed to Imperial département of Lippe |
1810–11 |
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• | Mediatised to Prussia | 1815 | ||||||||
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Salm is the name of several historic countships and principalities in present Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
The County of Salm arose in the 10th century in Vielsalm, in the Ardennes region of present Belgium. It was ruled by a junior branch of the House of Luxembourg, called the House of Salm.
In 1165, it was divided into the counties of Lower Salm, in the Ardennes, situated in Belgium and Luxembourg, and the county of Upper Salm, situated in the Vosges mountains, present France.
The counts of Lower Salm became extinct in 1416, and the county was inherited by the House of Reifferscheid-Dyck. In 1628 the county was elevated to an altgraviate, and henceforth the fief was renamed the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid.
In 1639 the Altgraviate was divided up into the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Bedburg, to the Northwest of Cologne, and the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck, Neuss.
In 1734 the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Bedburg was divided in three by splitting off the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Raitz, from Bohemian descent, and the Altgraviate of Salm-Reifferscheid-Hainsbach from the original altgraviate.