County of Kriechingen

Territory of the Holy Roman Empire

The county Kriechingen (also: Chriechingen ) is named southwest of Saint- Avold in the Lorraine region after lying on the Nied place Kriechingen ( Créhange / Moselle).

The Lords of Kriechingen were vassals of the lords of Vinstingen ( Fénétrange ) and the Dukes of Lorraine in the 12th century. Through marriages they gained a considerable estate in Saarland, Lorraine and Luxembourg. To them was next to Kriechingen the rule Saarwellingen and parts of the rule Dagstuhl. They were succeeded by the lords of Dorsweiler who adopted her name.

In 1617 the county to county empire was raised and came to the Upper Rhenish Circle. 1531, the county was divided in two lines, but both became extinct at the end of the 17th century. The last Count Albrecht Ludwig to Kriechingen Puttlingen and had a daughter and heiress Anna Dorothea († May 20, 1705 ) married the Count Edzard Ferdinand Cirksenas ( 1636-1668 ). After the death of his son, Friedrich Ulrich (1667-1710) was the county at its heiress Christine Louise (1710-1732) and with her ​​marriage in 1726 to Count Johann Ludwig von Wied - Runkel ( 1705-1762 ) went to the county the Counts of Wied - Runkel. In 1793 it was annexed by France. The entire county had only about 100 km ² with about 4,000 inhabitants at their annexation. 1871 the area came again to 1918 as part of Alsace - Lorraine to Germany.