0 ), ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁divided ▁into ▁four ▁count ies , ▁which ▁the ▁treat y ▁does ▁not ▁name . ▁There ▁were ▁counts ▁of ▁H es b aye ▁in ▁Carol ing ian ▁times , ▁but ▁their ▁exact ▁territ ories ▁are ▁not ▁known ▁with ▁certain ty . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁ 9 th ▁century , ▁the ▁Frank ish ▁Carol ing ian ▁emp ire ▁eventually ▁included ▁not ▁only ▁the ▁region ▁of ▁Belg ium ▁and ▁northern ▁France , ▁but ▁also ▁eventually ▁much ▁of ▁Western ▁Europe . ▁After ▁the ▁death ▁of ▁Char lemagne , ▁Lim burg ▁was ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁L oth aring ian ▁division ▁of ▁fran k ish ▁Europe ▁which ▁lay ▁between ▁France ▁and ▁Germany ▁and ▁stretch ed ▁to ▁Italy . ▁After ▁the ▁death ▁of ▁its ▁first ▁r uler , ▁King ▁L oth air ▁I , ▁it ▁was ▁only ▁slowly ▁integrated ▁into ▁Eastern ▁Francia , ▁which ▁was ▁to ▁become ▁the ▁Holy ▁Roman ▁emp ire . ▁In ▁the ▁period ▁around ▁ 8 8 1 ▁and ▁ 8 8 2 ▁the ▁areas ▁along ▁the ▁Ma as ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁H asp eng ouw ▁were ▁pl under ed ▁by ▁Nor se ▁Vik ings , ▁who ▁established ▁a ▁base ▁at ▁Ass elt ▁on ▁the ▁Ma as , ▁today ▁in ▁Ro erm ond ▁in ▁Dutch ▁Lim burg . ▁The ▁em peror ▁Charles ▁the ▁F at ▁tried ▁to ▁negoti ate ▁with ▁them . ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 1 , ▁the ▁Vik ings ▁were ▁back ▁fought ▁several ▁times ▁with ▁forces ▁of ▁Arn ulf ▁of ▁Car inth ia , ▁who ▁had ▁taken ▁control ▁of