Publisher's description:
Recognising the importance of the Middle Ages as a vital point of reference in the construction of national identities, this challenging book examines the remarkable role played by the period in the grand duchy of Luxembourg. This country is representative of the close relationship between historicism and nation-building in modern Europe. Tracing the fortunes of four pivotal figures from their own lifetimes to the present, this book uncovers how they each entered collective memory and came to play a key role in a national narrative of history. The analysis includes the foundation myth of Sigefroid and Melusine, the posthumous career of Countess Ermesinde and King John of Bohemia’s transformation into a national hero.
Borrowing some of its theoretical framework from the study of lieux de mémoire, this wide-ranging book crosses disciplinary boundaries and addresses not only historical writing, but also literature, the visual arts, and popular culture.

Table of contents:
List of Illustrations and Tables
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Historiography
2. Collective Memory and Lieux de Mémoire
3. The Structure of this Book
Chapter One. Sigefroid: The Founding Father
1. The First Count of Luxembourg
2. The Forgotten: Conrad I
3. Sigefroid the Builder of the Castle
4. Sigefroid the Builder of the City
5. Sigefroid as a Legendary Figure
6. The Origin of the Nation
7. The Millennium of Luxembourg in 1963
8. Losing Importance
9. Conclusion
Chapter Two. Melusine: The Mythological Origins
1. A Medieval Myth and its Purpose
2. The Emergence of the Legend in the Local Context
3. Facets of a National Myth.
4. Conclusion
Chapter Three. Ermesinde: The Connecting Link
1. The Liberal Leader
2. The Pious Princess
3. Towards a National Trinity
4. A Shared Memory
5. The Forgotten: Limburg
6. Conclusion
Chapter Four. John of Bohemia: Constructing a National Hero
1. The Birth of the Hero
2. The Rise of a Local Hero
3. The Creation of a National Hero
4. The three-fold basis of the national myth.
Chapter Five. John of Bohemia: The Vicissitudes of a National Hero
1. Mort pour la France
2. The Dynasty’s Favourite
3. The Last Days of the Nationalist Icon?
4. Alternative Memories
5. The European champion
6. The Forgotten: Sigismund
7. Conclusions
Conclusions
Appendix
Bibliography
Index