Spanish Netherlands

The Spanish Netherlands is the name of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1556 to 1715. In 1581 separated the northern provinces from the south off and declared independence under the name Dutch Republic . Previously the Spanish Netherlands were also known as the Seventeen Provinces . The Southern Netherlands will continue under the name of Spanish Netherlands. In 1715 go the southern Netherlands from Spanish branch of the Austrian branch of the Habsburg and continue under the name Austrian Netherlands .

Contents

 * 1 History
 * 1.1 First decade
 * 1.2 Separation
 * 1.3 Albrecht and Isabella
 * 1.4 Wars
 * 1.5 War of Spanish Succession
 * 2 Areas

First decade
In 1555 took King Philip II of Spain, the government of the Habsburg Netherlands from his father, Emperor Charles V . As Philip first king of Spain was the Netherlands have since been called the Spanish Netherlands. This was not an official designation as political individual country manors "only" in personal union were united.

The first ten years (1556-1566), there was relative calm in the Spanish Netherlands. However, the king ordered the Protestants to tackle hard. Then came the Dutch nobility in trouble with the people who rebelled under the oppression. The nobles presented on April 5, 1566 the Petition of the Nobles of regent Margaret of Parma, but they could not do much because Philip II refused to cooperate.

So that on August 10, 1566 came by hedges sermon incited the population Iconoclasm began in Steenvoorde , Flanders . These and subsequent events led to the Dutch Revolt against sovereign Philip II, resulting in a battle that is known today as the Eighty Years' War .

[Separation edit ]
The Southern Netherlands came into being as a result of the secession of the Northern Netherlands in the Act of Abjuration of 1581. The de facto separation was effected by the Fall of Antwerp in 1585, and many other military successes of Alessandro Farnese, later the Duke of Parma.

Already at the death of ruler Philip II in 1598, the Netherlands appeared to be divided: Jeton with double portrait of Albrecht of Austria and Infanta Isabella of Spain, beaten in Antwerp in 1612. Front: portraits of Albert and Isabella. Reverse: Eagle with balance sheet date in 1612.
 * On the one hand liberated northern provinces (now called the United Provinces of the Dutch Republic), with the Calvinism as the dominant religion and a growing role for the House of Orange-Nassau .
 * On the other hand the southern provinces, where with the help of Spanish troops the Burgundian-Habsburg dynasty and the religion as Roman Catholicism were preserved and the present there Calvinism was eradicated.

Albrecht and Isabella [ edit ]
As Philip II had little faith in his son and successor, Philip III, he wore the southern Netherlands on May 6, 1598 to his daughter and confidante Isabella of Spain , as a dowry for her marriage to Archduke Albrecht in the Austrian line of the House of Habsburg. As one of the conditions for this transfer certain Philip II that did Isabella childless death, the southern Netherlands to the Spanish crown should fall.

Seven months after the death of Philip II on September 13, 1598 joined Albert and Isabella in marriage and settled in the palace on the Coudenberg in Brussels . They had an apparently happy marriage and had three children, deceased shortly after birth. Albert and Isabella did much to improve conditions in their regions. Under their reign the southern Netherlands enjoyed a large degree of autonomy, but could not yet develop into a full-fledged citizenship.

In 1609 Albrecht knew the Twelve Years' Truce to close, after a period of relative peace and prosperity dawned. In the same year 1609 Peter Paul Rubens was appointed court painter, which the baroque made ​​its appearance in the Netherlands. Also received religious life from the Counter-Reformation a new impetus. Albert and Isabella were here personally actively involved, so that they were loved by the people.

When in April 1621 the Twelve Year Truce ended, died in July Archduke Albrecht. Because he and Isabella had no offspring, the southern Netherlands fell back to Spain.As a regent in the name of the new Spanish King Philip IV Isabella remained in power in Brussels. Unlike Philip IV she remained committed to peace with the Northern Netherlands and sent for this purpose in 1623 her court painter Rubens to The Hague, but without result. Archduchess Isabella died in 1633.

Wars [ edit ]
In 1635 joined the United Provinces of France, which until the end of the seventeenth century to the southern border would gnaw. The incessant wars, during and after the alliance between France and the Republic, were particularly devastating for the southern provinces. So Brussels was in August 1695 by the French troops of Marshal Nicolas de Neufville, Duke of Villeroi, prolonged bombed.

During this military action was useless Grand Place and a large part of the city destroyed by fire. As a result of the struggle on two fronts, France in the south and the Republic in the north, originated in the seventeenth century not only the current northern and southern borders ( 1648 Peace of Westphalia , the Peace of Utrecht in 1713), but also a distinct South Dutch awareness over the continued diversity of the principalities.

Since 1580 it became Principality of Liege meanwhile by prince-bishops of the House Bavaria ruled. Since it had remained neutral, was largely escaped the ravages of past wars.

Meanwhile, Maurice of Orange and later his half-brother Frederick Henry of Orange large parts of the Netherlands managed to conquer the Republic of the United Netherlands. Following a secret treaty, the Traité de Partage, which Frederick Henry with France ended, became the Southern Netherlands during the war that followed considerable parts of their territory in the south and north respectively lost to France and the Republic.

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648, where the Southern Netherlands were excluded, the status quo was confirmed and was a border which cuts through the Seventeen Provinces ran.

War of Spanish Succession [ edit ]
The Spanish branch of the Habsburgs died out in 1701, after the War of Spanish Succession broke out. This war ended in 1713 with the Peace of Utrecht . It was determined that there was a king of the Spanish House of Bourbon came and the Southern Netherlands since formally only a personal union existed between Spain and the Southern Netherlands to the Austrian branch of the Habsburg monarchy was. From then stand the Southern Netherlands known as the Austrian Netherlands .

Areas [ Edit ]
The Spanish Netherlands were apparent from the following, formally independent country manors: Most of these areas nowadays belong to Belgium . Some are part of France , Netherlands and Luxembourg . Even in today's Germany are some small pieces.
 * County of Artois
 * Brabant (Konings Brabant 'against Staats-Brabant )
 * Lordship of Mechelen
 * Tournaisis
 * Duchy of Limburg
 * Upper Gelderland
 * County Hainaut
 * Luxembourg
 * County Names
 * Vlaanderen (Flanders King, "opposite States Flanders )
 * Lilloise Flanders
 * later, West Flanders