In the middle of the XVIth century, king of France Henri II (1519-1559), allied with the German Protestant princes, revendicated the ancient kingdom of Austrasia which was limited by the Rhine river and therefore included Lorraine and Alsace, against emperor Charles V. Henri II seized Metz, Toul and Verdun (the Three Bishoprics) in 1552 but failed to seize Strasbourg, the capital city of Alsace.