Bilateral partition plan of the southern Netherlands

The Bilateral partition plan of the southern Netherlands was a secret agreement that took shape in the eighty years ' war in consultation between the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of France and sought theSouthern Netherlands to divide into two pieces, after which both States according to a pre-negotiated area designation would shift their borders. The plan was included in a Treaty on 8 February 1635, the Traité de Partage, but the execution picked up different than expected.



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[hide] *1 Prior  ==Prior[ Edit] == Prince Frederick-HenryAfter the death of Archduke Albrecht of Austria Archduchess Isabella of Spain was forced to govern alone. In a conspiracy of nobles put out in 1632 the partition idea of the southern Netherlands head on. the Duchess unbuttoned with the northern Netherlands to negotiations to the twelve years ' truce in a peace treaty to convert but the Dutch did not turn out of compliance. On the contrary, Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, stadtholder in the Republic, undertook a successful campaign along the river Meuse. He became in addition as a much more capable and driven politician than his deceased half-brother Maurice. He tried, for example, no one in against itself. By the support of the provinces, he gave up a good counterweight at the moods of the States General and could thus sufficient grip on the Governing Board. Through the 'Secrete Concerns', committees consisting of varying members of the States General, Frederick Henry could influence. By a good understanding with France to maintain, he envisaged mutual conquest and partition of the southern Netherlands. In a secret bilateral agreement of 15 april 1634 became the Republic of the seven United Netherlands and France it finally agreed on the preparation of distribution based on an older idea that principle on which the secret partition plan Van den Bergh and Warfusée was based. ==Convention on the partition plan[ Edit] == The Richelieu
 * 2 Convention on the partition plan
 * 3 attempted implementation
 * 4 Consequences
 * 4.1 counteroffensive by from the South
 * 4.2 Loss of Arras and French Flanders

(Philippe de Champaigne, 1637 or 1642)The actual Treaty, the Traité de Partage, was on 8 February 1635 by the Republic under Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, by Johan Adriaan Pauw and the Kagan, with Franceunder Cardinal Richelieu in close. The bilateral multiple points were agreed, including partition plan of the southern Netherlands, which is now concrete was made. Would the Dutch Limburg and North Brabant , Artois, while the French occupy the current French Flandersand Wallonia, as well as annex would Montmédy .

With inflammatory pamphlets would be the southern provinces encouraged within the first three months to revolt against Spain. They would in that case in a sovereign State be United, hull while preserving religion and freedoms and under the protection of his Majesty and of the States General, which the whole coastal region between BlankenbergeGravelingen and, in addition to Names and Vavra, in French hands would come, while Venus, the Land van Waas, Breda, Gelderland and Stevensweert to the Republic would be added, "because the new State could not defend itself this"... On the other hand, In case the country would refuse to shake off ' the Spanish yoke ', then the ultimate plan the country as a whole under both allies to divide along a line running from Blankenberge to Rupelmonde, then along the Scheldt, and on the northern border of Hainaut, Namur and Luxembourg. Designer of the first plan was Richelieu, which is basically a buffer state between France and the Republic, which he intended rather not as a neighbour wanted. ==Attempted implementation[ Edit] == Looting villacastin on a print from 1635.But the response in the southern Netherlands on the manifest that on 2 June 1635, a few days after the Declaration of war by France to Spain (May 19), called to arms, showed different dish to extract it. Together with the Prince-Cardinal, which saw the country on 24 June replied, in the French volkenrechtschenners just yet, and disruptors instigators of the heresy of the Catholic religion, and that made them in the southern Netherlands total junk. The French army of 20,000 men that already in May of Luxembourg had made, put out by master to Maastricht to itself according to an old plan of Frederick Henry at his army and to keep together an impressive advance to Brussels with 40,000 fighters. But Tens, the first city on their way from Brabant, refused to open the gates. This was followed by a storming and looting of the city as deterrent. The women were raped, and the city-accidentally-burned to the ground. However, on July 3, Leuven was besieged in vain and the other cities also kept the gates were shut, and willing to defend for dear life on risk to undergo the same fate as Tienen. The planned popular uprising in the southern Netherlands remained so from. The attacking army stood now in a dire situation, required on to advance between closed fortresses, amid open land and faced the troops of the cardinal-Infante, which under the Brussels red light district stationed layers. The allies on 4 July drooped to Roermond, bombarded by the farmers along the way, that their stragglers killed "like rabbits". ==Consequences<span class="mw-editsection" len="370" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Counteroffensive by from the South<span class="mw-editsection" len="395" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Now the Cardinal-Infante, retorted that came with the Army of Flanders a reinforcement of 15,000 keizerlijken, supplied by Ottavio Piccolomini, had received with a bold campaign to fort Grant, one of the gates of the United provinces, which also fell into the hands him. He then took the city of Goch, while his lieutenants Limburg and some neighboring places outflanked. Frederick Henry could not fail, without itself to attack, the movements were, while the French who wintered in the Betuwe, were swept off by misery and a terrible typhus fever which developed from their camp in the provinces and made many victims everywhere.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Nudged by the cardinal-Infante to Roermond that he besieged to surrender. When he decided to now to attack Northern, Frederick Henry, Prince of schenkenschans take backcould, because the expected extra supports for the Prince-Cardinal came under Matthias Gallas late show up. While in 1637 Piccolomini undertake certain to stop the French in the South, did the Prince of Orange by the capture of Breda on October 10 his martial fame and increase its political influence. With the territory of Breda and then the meierij of 's-Hertogenbosch, was quite the left bank of the Basse-Meuse in the power of the Republic.

Fort Liefkenshoek, Fort Lillo.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1638 Frederick Henry undertook a bold attempt to take Antwerp, but in the battle of Kallo was his army on 20 June vigorously by the army of Flanders in the clobbered and scattered. Also at its campaign against Gelderland in August toegesnelde he had to lose out against the army led by the Prince Consort.

For the battle of the downs, Reinier Nooms.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Because by the war with France the way land was completed, the Spaniards were forced to transport troops reinforcements to the Netherlands by sea. This ' second Armada ', 20,000 men in number, under the direction of Antonio de Oquendo was in the channel by the Dutch Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp awaited and despite protest of KingCharles I of England included with ' The Downs ' in South England. The battle of the downs followed on 21 October 1639, took the Spaniards 43 ships and six thousand men.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The operations on land, the rest of the year went by without much benefit for the one or the other. While the loss of the cardinal-Infante Frederick Henry on Hulst and Gelderland foiled, made the French by the intake of Hesdin on June 7, the defeat that Piccolomini under the ramparts of Vavra to the Marshal of Feuquières had inflicted. By the Emperor because of the recall of Piccolomini, the cardinal-Infante had an inadequate force for the situation and failed in the siege of the French at Arras on break. The surrender of the city on 9 August 1640 meant a heavy loss for the southern Netherlands, on which many other cities of Artois would follow. In the North the city of Gennep, Frederick Henry won in the Duchy of Cleves, while in the South the French continue their conquests in Artois, with intake of La Bassée, Lens and Bapaume. The troops, their winter quarters concerned when she learned that the death of the cardinal-Infante on 9 november on 33-year-old age of smallpox succumbed. ===Loss of Arras and French Flanders<span class="mw-editsection" len="401" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === Antwerp at the time of the siege in 1646.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The mighty provinces of the Republic, especially Holland, who were in the minority, meanwhile, gradually turned against Frederick Henry. That was especially evident after the marriage of his son Willem with Princess Mary Stuart in 1641, with which the ties between the House of Orange and the English Royal families were cited. The reputation of the House of Orange was increased, so that now the Royal Court of France Frederick Henry appealed with "his Highness", a title that normally is reserved for Kings. When he settled in the Hague with his wife Amalia of Solms-Braunfels also went with a quasi's Royal Court, grew especially in the Dutch Republicans fears of a monarchical power under political leadership of the House of Orange. In 1643 knew Holland even to drive a large troop reduction by. In the years that followed lost Frederick Henry more and more control of his mental and physical abilities and was able again to the bovenplan Holland to work themselves politically.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1646 he did despite his illness still an ultimate attempt to capture Antwerp, which however failed. The Republic retained Fort Liefkenshoek and blocked the Schelde to Antwerp to obstruct commerce.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Frederik Hendrik died in 1647 on 14 March after his health was deteriorated for quite some time. He was succeeded by his son, stadtholder William II. On 11 april the same year, Archduke Leopold of Austria, brother of the Emperor, Governor of the southern Netherlands. He would win back some cities conquered by the French, including Ypres. ButFrench Flanders and Arras for the Southern Netherlands were permanently lost.