View source for Austrian Netherlands

{{Short description|Austrian territory (1714–1797)}}
{{Expand French|topic=hist|Pays-Bas autrichiens}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{native name|de|Österreichische Niederlande}}<br/>{{native name|fr|Pays-Bas Autrichiens}}<br/>{{native name|nl|Oostenrijkse Nederlanden}}<br/>{{native name|la|Belgium Austriacum}}
| conventional_long_name = Austrian Netherlands
| common_name            = Austrian Netherlands
| era                    = [[Early modern]]
| life_span              = 1714–1797
| status                 = Vassal
| status_text            = [[Personal union]] of [[Holy Roman Empire|Imperial]] [[fief]]s within [[Holy Roman Empire|Empire]]
| empire                 = 
| government_type        = [[Governorate]]
| event_start            = [[Treaty of Rastatt]]
| date_start             = 7 March 1714
| event_end              = [[Battle of Sprimont]]
| date_end               = {{nowrap|18 September 1794}}
| event1                 = {{nowrap|[[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1785)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]]}}
| date_event1            = 8 November 1785
| event2                 = [[Brabant Revolution]]
| date_event2            = 1789–1790
| event_post             = {{nowrap|[[Treaty of Campo Formio]]}}
| date_post              = {{nowrap|17 October 1797}}
| p1                     = Spanish Netherlands
| flag_p1                = Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg
| s1                     = French First Republic
| flag_s1                = Flag of France.svg
| flag_s2                = Flag_of_the_Brabantine_Revolution.svg
| s2                     = United Belgian States
| image_map              = Austrian Netherlands 1789.svg
| image_map_caption      = The Austrian Netherlands in 1789
{{plainlist | style = padding-center: 0.6em; text-align: center; |
* {{Legend|#008000|Austrian Netherlands}}
* {{Legend|#C6DEBD|[[Habsburg monarchy]]}}
}}
| image_map2             = Map of Austrian Netherlands 1789.svg
| image_map2_caption     = 
| capital                = [[Brussels]]
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = 
| common_languages       = {{ubl|[[German language|German]]|[[French language|French]]|(including [[Walloon language|Walloon]], [[Picard language|Picard]] and [[Champenois language|Champenois]])|[[Luxembourgish]]|[[Dutch language|Dutch]]|[[Latin language|Latin]]}}
| religion               = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]
| currency               = [[Austrian Netherlands Kronenthaler|Kronenthaler]]|
| representative1        = [[Prince Eugene of Savoy|Eugene Francis]]
| representative3        = [[Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen|Charles Louis]]
| year_representative1   = 1716–1724 (first)
| year_representative3   = 1793–1794 (last)
| title_representative   = [[List of governors of the Habsburg Netherlands|Governor]]|
| deputy1                = [[Dominik von Königsegg-Rothenfels|Lothar Dominik]]
| deputy2                = [[Franz Georg Karl von Metternich|Franz Karl]]
| year_deputy1           = 1714–1716 (first)
| year_deputy2           = 1793–1794 (last)
| title_deputy           = [[List of plenipotentiaries of Austrian Netherlands|Plenipotentiary]]
| legislature            = 
| house1                 = Habsburg
| type_house1            = 
| house2                 = Bourbon
| type_house2            =
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
| today                  = {{ubl|[[Netherlands]]|[[Belgium]]|[[Germany]]|[[Luxembourg]]}}
| footnotes              = 
}}
{{History of Belgium}}
The '''Austrian Netherlands'''{{efn|{{langx|nl|Oostenrijkse Nederlanden}}; {{langx|fr|Pays-Bas Autrichiens}}; {{langx|de|Österreichische Niederlande}}; {{langx|la|Belgium Austriacum}}}} was the territory of the [[Burgundian Circle]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian [[Habsburg monarchy]] of the former [[Spanish Netherlands]] under the [[Treaty of Rastatt]] in 1714. It lasted until [[Revolutionary France]] [[annexation|annexed]] the territory after the [[Battle of Sprimont]] in 1794 and the [[Peace of Basel]] in 1795. Austria relinquished its claim on the province in 1797 through the [[Treaty of Campo Formio]].

The Netherlands, previously the [[Burgundian Netherlands]], inherited by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs, having revolted against the absolutism and centralism of [[Philip II of Spain]], their common sovereign, launched a war which led in fact, in 1568, to the formation in the north of the [[Republic of the United Provinces]], a new state whose independence would finally be recognized by the [[King of Spain]] in 1648 during the [[Treaty of Münster (October 1648)|Treaty of Münster]], and in the south of a group of around ten provinces which Philip II and then his successors managed to preserve under the name of [[Spanish Netherlands]].

In 1700, [[Charles II of Spain|King Charles II]] of Spain designated the French Prince [[Philip of Anjou]], grandson of [[Louis XIV]], as his successor. He preferred him to a member of the cousin branch of the Austrian Habsburgs. Louis XIV accepted this choice on behalf of his wife, whose dowry had never been paid. A coalition was formed between the Austrian Habsburgs, [[England]], and the United Provinces against Louis XIV's France and Philip V's Spain.

This marked the beginning of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] (1701–1714), during which the [[Spanish Netherlands]] were occupied by France on behalf of Louis XIV's grandson.

At the end of this war ([[Treaties of Utrecht]] in 1713 and [[Treaty of Rastatt|Rastatt]] in 1714), the Kingdom of Spain remained in the hands of Philip V. However, he had to relinquish the Spanish Netherlands, which were transferred to the [[House of Austria]], constituting a sort of [[buffer state]] between the United Provinces and France. The [[Treaty of the Barrier]] (1715) granted the United Provinces the right to garrison certain strongholds in the Austrian Netherlands. These were again occupied by France during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] (1744–1748). The [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]] returned them to Maria Theresa in 1748. 

==History==
{{See also|History of Belgium}}
{{multiimage
|image1=Austrian Netherlands national flag - Marko de Haeck.png
|caption1=Naval jack of Flanders in the 18th century
|image2=1 kronenthaler Maria Theresa - 1767.png
|caption2=Silver coin: 1 kronenthaler Maria Theresa, 1767
|image3=1 kronenthaler Francis II - 1793.png
|caption3=Silver coin 1 kronenthaler Francis II, 1793
}}

The [[Eighty Years' War]] (1568–1648) later led to a division of the Low Countries between the Dutch Republic in the north and the Southern Netherlands, which later became Belgium and Luxembourg. The area had been held by the Habsburgs, but was briefly under Bourbon control in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. Under the [[Treaty of Rastatt]] (1714) which ended that war, the remainder of the Spanish Netherlands was ceded to Austria. Administratively, the country was divided into four traditional [[duchy|duchies]], three [[County|counties]] and various [[lordship]]s.
=== From the Burgundian Netherlands to the Austrian Netherlands (1477-1714) ===
[[File:Locator Burgundian Circle.svg|thumbnail|The [[Burgundian Circle]] in 1512]]

The provinces of the Netherlands, which at the end of the reign of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] (1555), numbered seventeen (the [[Seventeen Provinces]]), were gathered by the [[List of Dukes of Burgundy|dukes of Burgundy]] from 1384 to 1477. The main ones were the [[Duchy of Brabant]], the [[County of Artois]], the [[County of Flanders]], the [[County of Hainaut]], the [[Duchy of Luxembourg]], the [[County of Namur]], the [[County of Holland]], and the [[County of Zeeland]]. Most of them are part of the [[Holy Roman Empire|Holy Empire]], except Artois and Flanders, fiefs of the Kingdom of France.

The death of [[Charles the Bold]] led to a conflict with France, the [[War of the Burgundian Succession]], at the end of which Charles's successor, [[Philip the Handsome]], son of [[Mary of Burgundy]] (1457–1482) and the Habsburg [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] ([[Holy Roman Emperor]]) but retained the remaining Burgundian possessions (County of Burgundy and the Burgundian Netherlands).

His successor, [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles of Habsburg]] (1500–1558), who became ruler of the Netherlands in 1516, became [[List of rulers of Castile|king of Castile]] and [[king of Aragon]] the same year, and in 1519, upon the death of Maximilian, he became head of the House of Habsburg and was elected emperor under the now common name of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] (Charles V). To the Dutch provinces he already held, he added [[Tournaisis|Tournai]] (1521), the Principality of Utrecht (1528) and the [[Duchy of Guelders]] (1543), and obtained from the King of France the end of French suzerainty over Artois and Flanders ([[Treaty of Madrid (1526)|Treaty of Madrid of 1526]]), which were integrated into the Empire.

As early 1512, Maximilian I grouped the possessions of the [[House of Burgundy]] into an imperial circle, the [[Burgundian Circle]] (the other nine being Austria, Bavaria, Swabia, Franconia, Upper and Lower Saxony, Westphalia, the Upper Rhine, and the Lower Rhine). 

By an ordinance of 26 June 1548, the [[Transaction of Augsburg]], Charles V gave the Circle of Burgundy a special status within the Empire, ensuring it almost-independence.{{efn|François Marchal, "''Histoire politique du règne de l'empereur Charles V''", 1836: The purpose of this treaty was to note and cement by solemn knots the old union, and to ensure the Circle of Burgundy a new protection, while nevertheless preserving the right enjoyed by the Netherlands, to be freed from the jurisdiction of the Empire.}}

When Charles V abdicated sovereignty of the Netherlands in October 1555, he passed it on to his eldest son [[Philip II of Spain|Philip]], who also became King of Spain in January 1556, while the Habsburg possessions in Austria went to [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand]] (1503–1564), Charles's brother. This established a special bond between the [[Burgundian Netherlands]] and the Spanish crown. The unity of the Netherlands was reinforced in 1561 by the reorganization of the dioceses: creation of the [[Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels|primatial seat of Malines]], of two other archbishoprics ([[Archdiocese of Cambrai|Cambrai]] and [[Diocese of Utrecht (695–1580)|Utrecht]]) and of fifteen dioceses.

The relations between Philip II (King of Spain) and his Dutch subjects quickly turned sour. In 1566, the [[Eighty Years' War]] began, which escalated into a war in 1568 under the leadership of [[William the Silent|Prince William The Silent]]. In 1581, the insurgent provinces and cities of the [[Union of Utrecht]] proclaimed Philip II's deposition ([[Act of Abjuration]]). The war continued, allowing Philip's troops to reconquer Ghent, Brussels, and the Siege of Antwerp (1585), but the provinces of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, and Friesland were lost for good. This loss was made official in 1648, when the King of Spain recognized the independence of the [[United Provinces of the Netherlands|Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands]].

By the end of the 16th century, the Circle of Burgundy was thus reduced to the southern provinces: the [[Duchy of Brabant]], with the Marquisate of Antwerp, the [[Duchy of Limburg]] and the three territories of Outre-Meuse (the lands of Fauquemont, Daelem, and Rolduc), the [[Duchy of Luxembourg]] and the [[County of Chiny]], the [[Duchy of Guelders]], the [[County of Flanders]], the [[County of Hainaut]], the [[County of Namur]], the [[Lordship of Mechelen]], and the Bailiwick of Tournai and Tournaisis. The territory of the Spanish Netherlands was discontinuous: indeed, even though it was under the protectorate of the King of Spain, the vast Episcopal [[Principality of Liège]] remained in the hands of its prince,{{efn|Unlike the [[Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht]], whose temporal property was confiscated in 1543 by Charles V.}} the [[Bishop of Liège]], a vassal of the Emperor. South of Liège, the less important [[Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy]] found itself in a similar situation. 

These are the provinces which fell to the Habsburgs of Austria in 1714, the principalities of Liège and Stavelot-Malmedy continuing to be separate.

=== Brabant Revolution ===
{{Main|Brabant Revolution}}
In the 1780s, opposition emerged to the liberal reforms of Emperor [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II]], which were perceived as an attack on the Catholic Church and the traditional institutions of the Austrian Netherlands. Resistance grew, focused in the autonomous and wealthy [[Duchy of Brabant]] and [[County of Flanders]]. In the aftermath of rioting and disruption in 1787 known as the Small Revolution, many opponents took refuge in the neighboring [[Dutch Republic]] where they formed a rebel army. Soon after the outbreak of the [[French Revolution|French]] and [[Liège Revolution|Liège]] revolutions, the ''émigré'' army crossed into the Austrian Netherlands and decisively defeated the Austrians at the [[Battle of Turnhout (1789)|Battle of Turnhout]] on 27 October 1789. The rebels, supported by uprisings across the territory, soon took control over much of the territory and proclaimed independence. Despite the tacit support of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], the independent [[United States of Belgium|United Belgian States]], established in January 1790, received no foreign recognition and soon became divided along ideological lines. The [[Vonckists]] led by [[Jan Frans Vonck]] advocated progressive and liberal government, whereas the [[Statists (Belgium)|Statists]], led by [[Hendrik Van der Noot]], were staunchly conservative and supported by the Church. The Statists, who had a wider base of support, drove the Vonckists into exile through [[Revolutionary terror|terror]].<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1080/03096564.2017.1299964|title = Artist and Patrons: Court Art and Revolution in Brussels at the end of the Ancien Regime|year = 2017|last1 = Brown|first1 = Kevin|journal = Dutch Crossing| volume=48 |pages = 1–28}}</ref>

By mid-1790, Habsburg Austria ended [[Austro-Turkish War (1787–91)|its war with the Ottoman Empire]] and prepared to suppress the rebels. The new [[Holy Roman Emperor]], [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold II]], was also a liberal and proposed an amnesty for the rebels. After defeating a Statist army at the [[Battle of Falmagne]] (22 September 1790), the territory was soon overrun and the revolution was defeated by December. The Austrian reestablishment was short-lived and the territory was overrun by the [[French First Republic|French]] in 1794 (during the [[War of the First Coalition]]) after the 
[[Battle of Fleurus (1794)|Battle of Fleurus]].

=== Imperial Council of State===
The Council of State acted as government, and formed the council by imperial consent:<ref>Almanach de la cour de Bruxelles sous les dominatione autrichienne et francaise, la monarchie des Pays-Bas et le gouvernement belge, de 1725 a 1840 (etc.)</ref>

* Baron {{ILL|Franz von Reischach|nl|Franz Johann von Reischach}}, Imperial Diplomat
* Cardinal [[Christoph Bartholomäus Anton Migazzi]]
* [[Joannes-Henricus de Franckenberg|Cardinal von Frankenberg]]
* [[:fr:Gottignies (Belgique|Baron]] of {{ILL|Gottignies|fr|Famille de Gottignies}}, Imperial Lord Chamberlain
* [[Cobenzl|Philippe von Cobenzl]], vice Chancellor of the Imperial Council of State.
* Henri d'Ognies, Prince of Grimberghen, Imperial Lord Chamberlain
* Count of Neny president of the Privy Council, member of the Imperial Council of State
* Count of Woestenraedt, Imperial Lord Chamberlain.
* [[Chasteler|Marquess of Chasteler]], Lord Chamberlain
* Count of [[Gommegnies]], President of the Council of [[County of Hainaut|Hainaut]]
* Viscount of Villers; Imperial Treasurer General
* Franz Joseph, Prince of Gavre: Grand Marshall of the Imperial Court of the Archduchess.

==French rule==
{{Main|Battle of Sprimont|Southern Netherlands#French annexation }}
1794 was the third year of the [[War of the First Coalition]]. The Austrians gave up on contesting the Low Countries after the [[Battle of Fleurus (1794)#Aftermath|Battle of Fleurus]] (26 June), and left them to the French. After three months of military occupation, on 15 October a Central High Administration of Belgium was installed. On 1 October 1795 the departments were activated and the definitive annexation started, liquidating the Belgian Governing Council, which ceased on 22 November. France annexed the Austrian Netherlands from the Holy Roman Empire and integrated them into the [[French First Republic|French Republic]]. The commissioner of the [[French Directory|Directory]], 
{{ILL|Louis Ghislain de Bouteville du Metz|fr}}, finished his work on January 20, 1797, after which no common Belgian authority remained.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* Heinrich Benedikt. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ocwJAQAAIAAJ Als Belgien österreichisch war]''. Herold, Vienna, 1965.

{{coord missing|Europe}}
{{Belgium topics}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Austrian Netherlands| ]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of the Habsburg monarchy|Netherlands]]
[[Category:Early modern history of Luxembourg]]
[[Category:Former states in the Low Countries]]
[[Category:18th century in the Southern Netherlands]]
[[Category:18th century in the Habsburg monarchy]]
[[Category:18th century in Luxembourg]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1714]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1797]]
[[Category:1714 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1797 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]