See also: Netherlands (homonymy)

The Spanish Netherlands are the territories had by the king of Spain between the 16th century and the 18th century. They would correspond today to the Belgium (except for the Principauté of Liege), with the Luxembourg, the current Netherlands, like the Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

The Burgundian Netherlands fully became Spanish by the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 and the abdication of Charles Quint on January 16th 1556.

The reign of Charles Quint

Before being under Spanish control, the provinces of the Netherlands were joined together under the same crown by the Ducs of Burgundy. Charles Quint (born with Ghent (1500), heir to the dukes, the Habsbourg and the crown of Spain, reigned on the Seventeen Provinces between 1515 - 1555. It carried the following titles:

Sovereign of the Netherlands Burgundian 1506

King d' Espagne (Aragon and Castille) 1516
King de Sicile 1516
Archduke of Austria 1519
Emperor 1519
King de Naples 1521

Charles Quint tried to reinforce the central capacity, by reducing constitutional freedoms of each '' State ''.

During the appearance of the Protestantism, it éradiqua the Lutheranism and surmounted the Anabaptisme, but the Calvinisme became too popular to prevent it from growing. Charles-Quint initiated the Inquisition in the Netherlands, and the first Martyr S of the Réforme, Henri Voes and Jean Van Eschen were burned on the Grand-Place of Brussels in July 1523.

The Reform and the Inquisition which was followed from there had consequences without precedent on the Provinces of the Netherlands and their citizens.

October 25th 1555, weakened by old age and the diseases, turned sour by the reverses, Charles Quint abdicates solemnly, in the big room of the palate of Coudenberg in Brussels of its sovereignty on its not-Austrian possessions. The duchy of Burgundy-Frank County and the Netherlands are transmitted to his/her son Philippe.

The other dignitaries in particular present were the queen Marie of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands, and the archduke Maximilien of Savoy, the cardinal of Granvelle, bishop of Arras, and several members of the general states of which the count d' Egmont, the Count de Hornes and William of Orange.

A few months later, on January 16th 1556, it also transmits to his/her son his Spanish heritage, while the Austrian possessions and the dignity of Germanic Roman Emperor, after election (March 24th, 1558), return to his/her younger brother Ferdinand Ier de Habsbourg.

Birth of a State

The Netherlands belonged to the Germanic Roman Holy roman Empire as a Cercle of Burgundy. In 1548, Charles Quint proposes a new statute for this Circle, in order to link the various Provinces more narrowly. At the time of the imperial Diet of Augsburg, the Circle acquires a statute of quasi-independence (it, for example, will not be subjected to the decisions of the Reichstag).

“In practice, the Netherlands constitute from now on a State independent taking into consideration international law, even if, in foreign politics, they remain related to other States of the dynasty habsbourgeoise. ” The situation is comparable with the States of the British Commonwealth of the XXè century. In addition, and since 1531, Brussels définivement becomes the capital of this State.

For Charles Quint, this does not constitute an end in itself. Indeed, in 1549, the emperor made sign the Pragmatic Sanction by the General states of the Netherlands in order to make sure that the control of the 17 Provinces would remain with the hands of Habsbourg. Indeed the Provinces were of an incomparable value for the crown of Spain under the reign of Charles: from the 5 million gold raised annually through its kingdom, 2 million came only from the Provinces of the Netherlands! Four times more than of Americas or Spain…

The reign of Philippe II

Under the reign of Philippe II, a conflict began with Spain. Indeed, as much Charles Quint was a native , as much Philippe II was a foreign sovereign , educated in Spain. With that a conflict against the government (centralizing) and a religious fracture are added (the kings, catholics, fighting firmly against l'" herisy protestante").

In addition, the unification of Aragon and Castille (and its colonial empire) do not make run the risk to the Provinces not to be any more but one satellite State. Up to now, they were the economic heart.

The revolt is spread out over several years:

Netherlands of the south

In 1581, the seven Protestant provinces with a majority , located at the north of the Netherlands made abjuration of the king and constituted the United Provinces. The ten provinces Catholique S remained however faithful to the crown of Spain, though some remained " fidèles" , after reconquest by the royal army.

Several wars will be necessary to ensure the United Provinces their independence (declared in 1581). The most tormented period Guerre Eighty Year old took place between 1581-1609, date on which intervenes the Twelve years Truce. The conflict began again at the conclusion of this truce, in 1621, but are not connected already more with one civil war , rather with a war between 2 States. Peace was final only in 1648.

See also: Netherlands of the south

The Netherlands of the south will not be any more, then, but one satellite state of a vaster empire, directed from Madrid by the habsbourgeois. After Philippe II, plus any sovereign will not come in the country, except for Joseph II in 1781. The Netherlands of the south were going then to proclaim their independence (they are the State-Belgium-Plain )… Henri Pirenne stresses that all the Spanish period then Austrian is marked by the catholic Counter-Reformation which mobilizes the religious orders, in particular the Jésuites and dontt one estimates the number at nearly 3% to the global population at the XVIIe century. The Jesuits and the Capucins divided the Belgian province into a province of Flanders and a province of Wallonia, underlining the cultural and ethnic duality country which, in their various activities (religious and caritative), necessitated them different approaches according to spaces and of populations differentiated.

Johan Huizinga will say: “(The southernmost Netherlands) formed a State and they missed a nationality but, during two centuries and half, it what forms a State and a nationality with whole share: freedom. ”

After the War of succession of Spain, the Spanish Netherlands are yielded to the Habsbourg of Austria, emperors of the Saint Empire and archdukes of Austria. They take then the name of Austrian Netherlands .

See also: Austrian Netherlands

See too

Internal bonds

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