The county of Vaudemont was an independent area within the Holy Roman Empire from 1072 to 1473.
From Duke of Lorraine, Duchy Lorraine was a hereditary empire. After his death in 1070 he was succeeded by his eldest son Diederik I. Diedriks younger brother Gerhard also claimed a part of the inheritance. For him, the county of Vaudémont was founded in 1072 with the approval of Emperor Hendrik IV.
The Lorraine tire was lost in 1216, when Count Hugo II of Vaudémont had to recognize the lordship of the County Bar. In 1314 the Duchess of Lorraine restored his grip on Vaudemont.
The dynasty of Lorraine-Vaudémont died in 1348 with Count Hendrik III. He was succeeded by the son of his daughter, Hendrik van Joinville. Hendrik van Joinville was succeeded in 1374 by Count Peter van Gènève, the husband of his daughter Margaretha. After Peter's death in 1394, Margaretha regretted Frederik V van Lorraine, a younger brother of the ruling duke Charles II. As a consequence, the county had re-owned a side roof of the ducal house.
After extinction of the main branch of the Hertogenbosch Lorraine in 1473, the Duchess of Lorraine and Bar fell to Count René of Vaudémont. This led to an end to the independence of the county. The title and a number of delicious rights were later granted to younger sons, but always within the state of Lorraine. In 1562, Duke Charles III gave the area expanded with the city of Pont-Saint-Vincent to his uncle Nicolas of Lorraine-Mercoeur. Also see
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