County of Dalhem

History of the county

The County of Dalhem , was a small State under the Ancien Mode, located between Liege and Maastricht, in the area of the Pays of Herve. The first seat of the State was with Fouron-the-Count, but it is finally the small place-strong one built on a rocky outcrop with the confluence between the Berwine and the Bolland into 1080 which gave its name to the State. Until 1085 the castle belonged to the Count Palatine Hermann II of Lotharingie. About 1150, the fortified town and the county seem to pass to the counts of Hochstaden.

The duke Henri II of the Brabant obtains the small principality in 1239, after a seven week old seat. He and its descendants will also carry since 1244 the title of count de Dalhem.

Under the dukes of the Brabant, the small principality will form later with the other states dependant on the Brabant in the area, the Duché of Limbourg, the County of Fauquemont ( Valkenburg, Netherlands ) and the Seigniory of Grind-the-Duke ( Herzogenrath, Germany ) a delegation common to the General states of the Netherlands. This political whole within the Duché of the Brabant will be generally known under the name of Pays of Outremeuse (bus on other side of the river compared to the Brabant).

After the War Eighty Year old, in 1661, the county of Dalhem was divided into two parts: a State de Dalhem was instituted as a part of the United Provinces, including/understanding Dalhem itself, Olne, Trembleur, Feneur, Bombaye, Cadier and Oost. By the Treated of Fontainebleau in 1785, the State touva amputee of Cadier and Oost, and was consequently called with Hertogenrade, plain Pays of Daelhem and Hertogenrade . The other part remained under Spanish control , then Austrian.

Administrative organization of the county

The county of Dalhem is an agglomeration of banns, seigniories laic, ecclesiastical grounds and independent enclaves. In the banns, the count of Dalhem, then the drossard (as from the 13th century, i.e. since the integration of the county in the Duchy of the Brabant, the drossard represented the duke of the Brabant to Dalhem) exerts the totality of the sovereign rights. Six banns existed in the county: two Walloon banns of Cheratte and Trembler; two Flemish banns of Fourons and Aubel, the round of applause of Olne and the round of applause of Dalhem. This last had privileges (freedom from tax, criminal court particular to the inhabitants). The laic seigniories were two: Neufchâteau and Mouland. These grounds are Fiefs of the count de Dalhem. This one is only the Suzerain, the grounds being really with the hands of a local lord. Only high-justice (judgment of the murders, the aggravated thefts, the cases of sorcery, the rapes) belongs to the count de Dalhem. The criminal court of the county sat at the castle of Dalhem but was returned by the aldermen of the high court of Fourons. The ecclesiastical grounds were 5: Richelle, Mortar, Berneau, Bombaye (ground semi-ecclesiastic) and Mortroux. On these territories the count de Dalhem (then the drossard) high-was dedicated. In an ecclesiastical seigniory indeed, the defense armed with the territory cannot be exerted by the lord. This one being a religious institution, it is to him interdict of raising the weapons. The defense of the territory thus is entrusted to one high-dedicated, represented itself in each seigniory by one dedicated. Two foreign enclaves existed within the county: Feneur, pertaining to the chapter of the Cathedral Saint-Lambert of Liege and Fouron St-Pierre, ground of Empire. On these grounds, the duke (then drossard) does not have any capacity. Their situation of enclave however pushed the drossard to assert there rights, which they will partly obtain with Feneur.

Ruins of the castle

Today, remain of interesting architectural elements which testify to the political and military importance of the county of Dalhem to the Middle Ages. In spite of regrettable destruction and contemporary interventions, the unit remains imposing and rather representative. It is composed of the old walls of the castle, of the keep, certain bases of the towers of the wall of enclosure of the city, ruins of the door of In-high, Poterne of the castle (the Wichet of the Rose ).

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