County Bitche The Bitche County (German Bitsch) was a county belonging to the Upper Rhine Kreits within the Holy Roman Empire, now in the French Lorraine.
On May 13, 1297, Count Eberhard I van Zweibrücken concluded a swap treaty with the Duchess of Lorraine. Eberhard was on Sarreguemines (Saargemünd), Lindre (Lemberg) and Marimont (Mörsberg) at Lorraine in exchange for Bitche. Lorraine retained the sovereignty over Bitche. With this, Eberhard founded the county of Zweibrücken-Bitsch, while his brother Walram I ruled in the actual Zweibrücken. The division was not complete because the glory of Stauf am Donnersberg, the glory of Bergzabern and the custody of the Hornbach monastery remained common. Although Bitche was a glory, it has since been designated as a county. Formerly, however, the grave title was linked to Zweibrücken. In 1333 a full division of the property was followed. The office of Lemberg then fell to Zweibrücken-Bitsch. The graves also had a share in the glory of Landeck and the glory of Lindelbronn.
The graves did not follow a firm policy: once they recognized the supreme authority of the Duke of Lorraine, and the other time they claimed freedom of the state.
After the death of Count Hanneman I in 1400, there was a side branch in Ochsenstein. Hendrik I married 1442 Cunegonde of Ochstenstein, the inheritance of Count Volmer. After the death of their son Hendrik II in 1499, the glory of Ochsenstein fell to the main branch of Zweibrücken-Bitsch.
Simon VII married Elizabeth, the inheritance of Louis V van Lichtenberg in 1404, which in 1480 inherited half the glory of Lichtenberg with Ingweiler, Oberbronn and Wörth.
At the 1525 peasant revolt, Count Reinhard called for assistance from Lorraine.
After the death of Count Jacob in 1570, there was an inheritance. One of the pretendents was his daughter Ludovica Margaretha, who was married to Count Philips V of Hanau-Lichtenberg. The other pretendent was her niece Amalia, who was married to Count Philips I of Leiningen-Westerburg. Leiningen-Westerburg sold his claims in 1573, however, to the Duchy of Lorraine. The share that Zweibrücken-Bitsch had in Landeck fell to Keur-Palts and the share in Lindelbronn to Leiningen.
Count Jacob was a convinced Catholic, but his son-in-law, Philips of Hanau-Lichtenberg, immediately entered the reformation. For help called by the Catholics, Lorraine occupied the country on July 1, 1572. A long-term legal struggle was the result. Finally, it came to a comparison on February 6, 1604: Hannau-Lichtenberg got the position Lemberg and Bitsch stayed at Lorraine.
On March 22, 1611 the duke founded the provocative Bitche. Then it was donated to the duke's family members: first to the Prince of Palatinate and later to the Prince of Vaudemont.
During the French occupation of Lorraine from 1631 to 1662, Bitsch remained the only piece held by the Duke.
In June 1751 the Duke founded the Bitterche Bitsche as a governing unit.
Together with Lorraine, Bitche arrived in France in 1766. Regents
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