Siegfried

Siegfried I was the first man to hold the title of ruler in Luxembourg. Born in the year 922, Siegfried established the new noble house of Luxembourg. He lived a surprisingly long life for his time period, especially considering all of the wars that took place in the 10th century. He died on October 28, 998, at 66 years old. He was a count of the Ardennes region in Northern Europe. He would later exchange some of this land for the deed of the territory that would become Luxembourg.

Siegfried is famous for what most noblemen were for back the 10th century, being a nobleman. Many people knew and respected Siegfried. He fought in many battles with his and his father's men. He helped out his communities and was a major supporter of abbeys. The Saint-Maximin de Treves and Saint-Willibrord d'Echternach abbeys both were backed by the court of Ardennes and Siegfried. Thanks to the support given, most abbeys flourished under Siegfried's reign. The exact extent of Siegfried's lands are unknown but the general outline is understood. Siegfried was very aggressive in his attempts to attain more land. He always had an open mind when a proposal was sent his way. He often got into competitions and arguments over who got what and who was allowed to have what. More times than not, however, he was unsuccessful in his attempts for a variety of reasons. For example, when Siegfried tried to acquire the land of Boduex, it frightened Werinfried, the Abbot of Stavelot. He did not like the idea of having Siegfried on his doorstep. The result instead was a panicked Werinfried acquiring the land himself. Another reason for Siegfried's failed expansions was fear of accidentally upsetting more powerful nations. However, Siegfried was sometimes successful in his attempts to gain more land. His most famous acquisition was Luxembourg. The land was nothing special when he acquired it, but Siegfried quickly changed that by developing the land. It started out with Siegfried constructing a castle and everything just took off from there. The city started booming and did not stop, allowing it to grow immensely.

In the end, Siegfried had a massive effect on the north-eastern region of Europe. His influence was huge in laying the foundation for Luxembourg to become what it is today. The simple notion of Siegfried wanting more land evolved into a creation of a country that has withstood the test of time and is still flourishing nowadays. During our experience in Luxembourg it is extremely likely that we will learn more about him and his lasting effect on Luxembourg.