Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine

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Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine (1815–1822)

The Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine, also called the Lower Rhine Province, was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. It existed from 1815 to 1822 after Europe was reorganized following Napoleon’s defeats.

Creation and leadership
- France lost lands left of the Rhine in 1814. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Prussia gained these Rhine lands.
- Prussia reorganized its provinces in 1815, and on 22 April 1816 these lands were united to form the Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine, with Koblenz as its capital.
- The king of Prussia, Frederick William III, held the title Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine.

Territories
The duchy included several territories such as the Electorate of Trier, the County of Manderscheid, Stavelot-Malmédy, the Free Imperial City of Aachen, and parts of Luxembourg and Limburg, among others.

Administration
The province was divided into three districts (Regierungs-Bezirke): Koblenz, Trier, and Aachen. The head of the province, the Ober-Präsident, reported directly to the king.

Dissolution and after
On 27 June 1822, the Grand Duchy was merged with the neighboring Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg to form the Rhine Province. The lands of the former duchy became the upper part of the Rhine Province.

Population
Approximately 952,000 people lived there in 1816, rising to about 1,043,000 by 1822.

Today
The former Grand Duchy’s lands are now part of western Germany, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.