Limburg , historical region of Netherlands , was one of many small states that emerged from the division of the Duchy of Lower Lorraine in the second half of the 11th century .
The name Limburg eventually came into use when the rival Houses of Limburg (heirs to the first Earl, Walram of Arlon) and Leuven 1155 made peace. The area along the Maas became known as Limburg, and the much larger area to the west became known as Brabant.
The direct male line of House Arlon ruled Limburg until 1282, when war broke out between them Count Reinald von Geldern (who had married into the rights of Limburg) and Adolph V of Berg (who had been granted the same rights by the Holy Roman Emperor), Adolph was not strong enough to militarily challenge and sell his rights to them John I of Brabant . After five years of war against Reinald and his allies, John was victorious. Limburg was united with Brabant under his rule but retained its separate institutions and laws. 1430 the Duchy of Limburg was founded under Philip III, Duke from Burgundy, united with the rest of the Netherlands . As part of the Burgundian heritage, Limburg passed to the House of Habsburg in 1482.
With the Peace of Westphalia (1648) Limburg was divided into two parts - the northern part was given by Spain to the United Provinces of the Netherlands ceded . 1714, when the Peace of Rastatt came about, the southern part of Limburg went until the French conquest in 1795 to the Austrian Habsburgs and belonged to the Austrian Netherlands . Under French rule, Limburg became part of two Departments, Ourthe and Meuse interiors. Its name was restored in 1815 when, with some additions, it formed a province of the new Kingdom of the Netherlands. In subsequent diplomatic talks between the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg became unwrapped the area multiple times . In 1866 Limburg was finally integrated in the Netherlands.