The
rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions. The first rulers of the region were
kings of the Franks whose kingdom was called
Lotharingia. The Latin construction "Lotharingia" evolved over time into "Lorraine" in French, "Lotharingen" in Dutch and "Lothringen" in German. After the
Carolingian kingdom was absorbed into its neighbouring realms in the late ninth century, dukes were appointed over the territory. In the mid-tenth century, the duchy was divided into
Lower Lorraine and
Upper Lorraine, the first evolving into the historical
Low Countries, the second became known as the
Duchy of Lorraine and existed well into the modern era.