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Founded on a site of historic and strategic importance, from Roman era fortress to medieval castle, three members of the House of Luxembourg ruled as Holy Roman Emperors. Fought over and occupied by a variety of European powers from 16th century on, the Congress of Vienna in 1815 formed the Grand Duchy with the king of the Netherlands as Head of State. A large part of francophone Luxembourg was lost to Belgium, and in 1839 a treaty finally gave the Duchy independence from the Netherlands. In the first half of the 20th century neutral Luxembourg was twice taken over by Germany, finally abandoning neutrality and fighting on the side of the Allies.
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