Editing Luxembourg (section)

=== Habsburg rule and French invasions (1444–1794) ===
{{See also|Fortress of Luxembourg}}

In 1482, [[Philip the Handsome]] inherited all of what became then known as the [[Habsburg Netherlands]], and with it the Duchy of Luxembourg. For nearly 320 years Luxembourg would remain a possession of the mighty House of Habsburg, at first under Austrian rule (1506–1556), then under [[Spanish Netherlands|Spanish rule (1556–1714)]], before going back again to [[Austrian Netherlands|Austrian rule (1714–1794)]].<br />
With having become a Habsburg possession, the Duchy of Luxembourg became, like many countries in Europe at the time, heavily involved in the many conflicts for dominance of Europe between the Habsburg-held countries and the [[Kingdom of France]].

In 1542, the [[King of France]], [[Francis I of France|François I]], invaded Luxembourg twice, but the Habsburgs under [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] managed to reconquer the Duchy each time.<ref>Michel Pauly, Geschichte Luxemburgs 2013 p.53</ref>

Luxembourg became part of the [[Spanish Netherlands]] in 1556, and when France and Spain [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)|went to war in 1635]] it resulted in the [[Treaty of the Pyrenees]], in which [[Partitions of Luxembourg|the first partition of Luxembourg]] was decided. Under the Treaty, Spain ceded the Luxembourgish fortresses of [[Stenay]], Thionville, and [[Montmédy]], and the surrounding territory to France, effectively reducing the size of Luxembourg for the first time in centuries.<ref name="Michel Pauly p.57">Michel Pauly, Geschichte Luxemburgs 2013 p.57</ref>

In context of the [[Nine Years' War]] in 1684, [[Siege of Luxembourg (1684)|France invaded Luxembourg again]], conquering and occupying the Duchy until 1697 when it was returned to the Spanish to garner support for the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] cause during the prelude to the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. When the war broke out in 1701 Luxembourg and the Spanish Netherlands were administered by the pro-French faction under the governor [[Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria]] and sided with the Bourbons. The duchy was subsequently occupied by the pro-Austrian allied forces during the conflict and was awarded to Austria at its conclusion in 1714.<ref>Michel Pauly, Geschichte Luxemburgs 2013 p.58</ref>

As the Duchy of Luxembourg repeatedly passed back and forth from Spanish and Austrian to French rule, each of the conquering nations contributed to strengthening and expanding the [[Fortress of Luxembourg|Fortress]] that the Castle of Luxembourg had become over the years. One example of this includes French military engineer [[Marquis de Vauban]] who advanced the fortifications around and on the heights of the city, fortification walls that are still visible today.<ref name="Michel Pauly p.57"/>