The recorded history of Luxembourg begins with the acquisition of Lucilinburhuc (today Luxembourg Castle) by Siegfried, Count of Ardennes in 963. Around this fort, a town gradually developed, which became the centre of a small state of great strategic value. In 1437, the House of Luxembourg suffered a succession crisis, precipitated by the lack of a male heir to assume the throne, that led to the territory being sold to Philip the Good of Burgundy. In the following centuries, Luxembourg's fortress was steadily enlarged and strengthened by its successive occupants, the Bourbons, Habsburgs, Hohenzollerns, and the French, among others. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Luxembourg was disputed between Prussia and the Netherlands. The Congress of Vienna formed Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy in personal union with the Netherlands. Luxembourg also became a member of the German Confederation, with a Confederate fortress manned by Prussian troops. The Belgian Revolution of 1830 - 1839 reduced Luxembourg's territory by more than half, as the predominantly francophone western part of the country was transferred to Belgium. Luxembourg's independence was reaffirmed by the 1839 First Treaty of London. In the same year, Luxembourg joined the Zollverein. Luxembourg's independence and neutrality were again affirmed by the 1867 Second Treaty of London, after the Luxembourg Crisis nearly led to war between Prussia and France. After the latter conflict, the Confederate fortress was dismantled. The King of the Netherlands remained Head of State as Grand Duke of Luxembourg, maintaining personal union between the two countries until 1890. At the death of William III, the Dutch throne passed to his daughter Wilhelmina, while Luxembourg (at that time restricted to male heirs by the Nassau Family Pact) passed to Adolph of Nassau-Weilburg.
Description:
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Laetzebuerg, French:Grand-Duche de Luxembourg, German: Grossherzogtum Luxemburg), is a landlocked country in the Benelux bordered by Belgi... More
Capital:Luxembourg Currency: euro (EUR) Government: constitutional monarchy Population: 474,413 (July 2006 est.) Religion: 87% Roman Catholic, remainder Protestants, Jews, and Muslims Time zone: UTC+1
Ahmad Masadeh, the Kingdom's ambassador to the EU, Belgium, Norway and Luxembourg since 2006, was appointed secretary general of the nascent Union for the Mediterranean on Tuesday.
President Barack Obama went golfing on New Year's Eve. The president hit the links at Mid-Pacific Country Club in the same Honolulu suburb of Kailua where he's renting a beachfront home for the holida...
Pilot schemes will see the installation of 20 Elektrobay units in the two countries by the end of this year, ahead of further planned rollouts during 2010.