Spanish Netherlands

Austrian Netherlands

The Low Countries fragmented into numerous small countries after the dissolution of the Duchy of Lower Lorraine during the 11th and 12th centuries—the much smaller Duchy of Brabant being its legal successor. Beginning in 1384, the Duchy of Burgundy began acquiring Netherlandic territory, starting with the County of Flanders and completing its consolidation of the non-ecclesiastical countries in the region with Guelders in 1473. In 1477, however, Burgundy was defeated by a coalition of countries to its south and had to surrender all of its territories to the Habsburgs—hence, the name “Habsburgian Netherlands”.

 

In 1548, the countries were converted into seventeen provinces of a legally indivisible, but unnamed, country (generally referred to as the “Seventeen Provinces”). I ignore that country as redundant with the Habsburgian Netherlands. Instead, I continue to recognize all of the entities that emerged from the dissolution of Lower Lorraine as countries. Only three of them, however, contained territory within modern Germany and are thus represented in the database— the Duchies of Guelders, Limburg, and Luxemburg.

 

In 1556, the Habsburg Empire split into Austrian and Spanish branches, with the Netherlands being assigned to Spain—hence the name “Spanish Netherlands”. I start the database at that point. (Note that the Netherlands were in personal union with Castile or Spain as early as 1504, but I only recognize the Spanish Netherlands after the Spanish branch of the Habsburg Empire was created.) In 1581, seven countries broke free of the Habsburgs to form the Republic of the United Netherlands—formally recognized in the Peace of Westfalia in 1648. The Spanish line of Habsburgs became extinct in 1700 and the Austrian Habsburgs were unable to retain the throne of Spain. They were, however, able to retain possession of most of the remaining Netherlands—hence the creation of the “Austrian Netherlands” in 1714. (Parts of the Duchy of Guelders within modern Germany were lost to Prussia and Wittelsbachian Germany in the process.) The Austrian Netherlands were occupied by France in 1794 and the database ends at that point.

 

In the following list of countries in the Habsburgian Netherlands, countries and dates outside the chronological scope of the database are shown in italics. Entities in blue-gray fall outside the geographic scope of the database. Entities in gray are not Habsburgian during the specified time period, but are included to facilitate a comprehensive accounting of those territories over time.

 

Countries with territory in modern Germany
  • County of Lingen (in personal union with Spain) (1547-1556-1597; 1605-1632)
  • Duchy of Guelders (1543-1556-1795)
    • self-governing (1339-1473)
    • in personal union with Burgundy (1473-1477)
    • disputed with Habsburgs (1477-1492)
    • self-governing (1492-1538)
    • in personal union with Cleves (1538-1543)
    • in personal union with Spain (1543-1556-1714)
    • in personal union with Austria (1714-1795)
  • Duchy of Limburg (including Übermaas) (1477-1556-1795)
    • self-governing (1139-1288)
    • in personal union with Brabant (1288-1430)
    • in personal union with Burgundy (1430-1504)
    • in personal union with Castile (1504-1516)
    • in personal union with Spain (1516-1556-1714)
    • in personal union with Austria (1714-1795)
  • Duchy of Luxemburg (1477-1556-1795)
    • self-governing (1354-1443)
    • in personal union with Burgundy (1443-1504)
    • in personal union with Castile (1504-1516)
    • in personal union with Spain (1516-1556-1714)
    • in personal union with Austria (1714-1795)
  • [holding pen for territory administered by Baden to be moved there when the page is created]
    • Lordship of Rodemachern (1492-1535-1796)
      • administered by Baden (1492-1535)
      • administered by Baden-Baden (1535-1536)
      • administered by Baden-Baden-Rodemachern (1556-1666)
      • administered by Baden-Baden (1666-1771)
      • administered by Baden (1771-1796)

 

Countries joining the United Netherlands (excluding parts of Brabant, Flanders & Guelders)
  • County of Holland (1477-1556-1581)
  • County of Zeeland (1477-1556-1581)
  • Lordship of Friesland (1515-1556-1581)
  • Lordship of Utrecht (1528-1556-1581)
  • Lordship of Overijssel (1528-1556-1581)
  • Lordship of Groningen (including Ommelanden) (1536-1556-1581)
  • Lordship of Drenthe (1536-1556-1581)

 

Countries remaining in the Austrian Netherlands (excluding Limburg, Luxemburg & part of Guelders)
  • Duchy of Brabant (1477-1556-1795)
  • County of Flanders (1477-1556-1795)
  • County of Namur (1477-1556-1795)
  • Lordship/County of Mechelen (1477-1556-1795)
  • County of Hennegau (1477-1556-1795)

 

Countries reverting to France (excluding part of Flanders)
  • County of Artois (1477-1556-1659)