In the early Middle Ages, it was part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, which was confirmed in 910.

In practice, the area was ruled by the local Berthout family, against the will of the Prince-Bishops of Liège.

The Duchy of Brabant tried to annex the Lordship, but as a reaction, Liège gave the area in 1333 to the County of Flanders.

The Dukes of Burgundy and later the Habsburg Emperors and Kings were personally Lords of Mechelen and for a while turned the city more or less into the capital of the Netherlands.

They established here the highest jurisdictional court of the Seventeen Provinces, called the Great Council of Mechelen.