Burgundian Netherlands
Burgundian Netherlands Burgundiae Belgicae () | |
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| 1384–1482 | |
 Coat of arms
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Roman Catholicism | |
| Government | Composite monarchy |
| Legislature | States General of the Netherlands |
| Historical era | Late Middle Ages |
• Established | 1384 |
• Disestablished | 1482 |
| History of the Low Countries | ||||||||
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| Frisii | Belgae | |||||||
| Cana– nefates |
Chamavi, Tubantes |
Gallia Belgica (55 BC–c. 5th AD) Germania Inferior (83–c. 5th) | ||||||
| Salian Franks | Batavi | |||||||
| unpopulated (4th–c. 5th) |
Saxons | Salian Franks (4th–c. 5th) |
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| Frisian Kingdom (c. 6th–734) |
Frankish Kingdom (481–843)—Carolingian Empire (800–843)
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| Austrasia (511–687) | ||||||||
| Middle Francia (843–855) | West Francia (843–) |
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Duchy of Lower Lorraine (959–)
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| Frisia | ||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Frisian Freedom (11–16th century) |
 County of Holland (880–1432) |
 Bishopric of Utrecht (695–1456) |
Duchy of Guelders (1046–1543) |
 County of Flanders (862–1384) |
 County of Hainaut (1071–1432)  County of Namur (981–1421) |
 P.-Bish. of Liège (980–1794) |
 Duchy of Luxem- bourg (1059–1443) | |
 Burgundian Netherlands (1384–1482) |
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Habsburg Netherlands (1482–1795) (Seventeen Provinces after 1543) |
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 Dutch Republic (1581–1795) |
Spanish Netherlands (1556–1714) |
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 Austrian Netherlands (1714–1795) |
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United States of Belgium (1790) |
 R. Liège (1789–'91) |
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 Batavian Republic (1795–1806) Kingdom of Holland (1806–1810) |
 associated with French First Republic (1795–1804) part of First French Empire (1804–1815) | |||||||
 Princip. of the Netherlands (1813–1815) |
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| Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830) |  Gr D. L. (1815–) | |||||||
Kingdom of the Netherlands (1839–) |
 Kingdom of Belgium (1830–) | |||||||
Gr D. of Luxem- bourg (1890–) | ||||||||
In the history of the
The period began with Duke Philip the Bold taking office as count of Flanders and Artois in 1384 and lasted until the death of Duchess Mary of Burgundy in 1482 after which the Burgundian State was dissolved, and the Low Countries came under the rule of the Habsburg monarchy by inheritance.
In the 15th century, it was customary to refer to the Low Countries where the Duke of Burgundy ruled and usually resided as les pays de par-deçà meaning "the lands over here" as opposed to Burgundy proper (in Central France) which was designated les pays de par-delà meaning "the lands over there" (see also Terminology of the Low Countries).
History
A fair share (but not most) of these territories were inherited by the
The Dampierre legacy further comprised the French counties of
In the following decades, the Burgundian dukes expanded their territories in the Low Countries by the acquisition of several
The Valois era would last until 1477, when Duke Charles the Bold died at the
In her testament, Mary of Burgundy had bequested the Burgundian heritage to her and Maximilian's son, Philip the Handsome. His father, dissatisfied with the terms of the Arras agreement, continued to contest the seized French territories. In 1493, King Charles VIII of France according to the Treaty of Senlis finally renounced Artois, which together with Flanders was incorporated into the Imperial Seventeen Provinces under the rule of Philip.
Demographics
The population of the main provinces of the Low Countries in 1477 (Prince-Bishoprics in italic).[1][2]
| Province | Population in total | % rural | % urban | Province total as % of Netherlands total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flanders | 666,000 | 64 | 36 | 26.0 |
| Brabant | 413,000 | 69 | 31 | 16.0 |
| Holland | 275,000 | 55 | 45 | 10.5 |
| Artois | 140,000 | 78 | 22 | 5.5 |
| Hainault | 130,000 | 70 | 30 | 5.0 |
| Liège | 120,000 | - | - | 4.5 |
Guelders |
98,000 | 56 | 44 | 3.8 |
| Walloon Flanders | 73,000 | 64 | 36 | 2.8 |
| Friesland | 71,000 | 78 | 22 | 2.7 |
Luxemburg |
68,000 | 85 | 15 | 2.6 |
| Utrecht [a] | 53,000 | 52 | 48 | 2.0 |
Rulers
The Burgundian dukes who ruled the Burgundian territories were:
House of Valois, territorial Dukes of Burgundy
- Philip the Bold (1384–1404), son of King John II of France, by his wife Margaret III of Flanders
- John the Fearless (1404–1419), son
- Philip the Good (1419–1467), son
- Charles the Bold (1467–1477), son
House of Valois, titular Duchess of Burgundy
- Mary of Burgundy (1477–1482), Charles' daughter, married Maximilian I of Habsburg in 1477
House of Habsburg, titular Dukes of Burgundy (see Habsburg Netherlands)
- Philip the Handsome (1482–1506), Mary's son; Maximilian I, his father, as regent (1482–1493), Margaret of York, his step-grandmother, governess (1489-1493)
- Charles V (1506–1555), Philip's son; Margaret of Austria, regent (1507–1515) and (1519–1530)
Political
The sheer burden of variety of bishoprics and independent cities, the intensely local partisanship, the various taxation systems, weights and measures, internal customs barriers, fiercely defended local rights were all hindrances to a "good Valois". Attempts at enlarging personal control by the dukes resulted in revolts among the independent towns (sometimes supported by independent local nobles) and bloody military suppression in response. An increasingly modernized central government, with a bureaucracy of clerks, allowed the dukes to become celebrated art patrons and establish a glamorous court life that gave rise to conventions of behavior that lasted for centuries.
The first Estates General of the Burgundian territories met in the City Hall of Bruges on 9 January 1464. It included delegates from the Duchy of Brabant, the County of Flanders, Lille, Douai and Orchies, the County of Artois, the County of Hainaut, the County of Holland, the County of Zeeland, the County of Namur, the Lordship of Mechelen, and the Boulonnais.[3] Up to 1464, the Duke only maintained ties with each of the provincial States separately. In principle, the provincial Estates were composed of representatives of the three traditional estates: clergy, nobility and the Third Estate, but the exact composition and influence of each estate (within the provincial Estates) could differ. Convening an Estates General in which all provincial Estates were represented was part of Philip the Good's policy of centralisation.
Ducal patronage
From 1441, Philip based his ducal court in Brussels, but Bruges was the world center of commerce, though by the 1480s the inevitable silting of its harbor was bringing its economic hegemony to a close. Philip was a great patron of illuminated manuscripts and court painting reached new highs: Robert Campin, the famous Van Eyck brothers, and Rogier van der Weyden
Social and economic
In 1491 and 1492, the peasants revolted in some areas. They were suppressed by Maximilian's forces under the command of Duke Albert of Saxony at a battle at Heemskerk.[4]
"Burgundian character"
In the present-day
See also
References
- ^ Van Houtte (J. Α.). Economische en sociale geschiedenis van de Lage Landen, 1968, pp. 130–131.
- ^ De Bourgondische Nederlanden, by W. Blockmans & W. Prevenier, 1983, pp. 392–393.
- ^ Wim Blockmans, "De samenstelling van de staten van de Bourgondische landsheerlijkheden omstreeks 1464", Standen en Landen 47 (1968), pp. 57–112.
- ISBN 978-1400832002.
Notes
- Oversticht (which included most of the modern Overijssel and Drenthe) was very sparsely populated.
Bibliography
- Panofsky, Erwin (1947). Early Netherlandish Painting: Its Origins and Character. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Prevenier, W.; Blockmans, W. (1986). The Burgundian Netherlands. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-30611-6.
- Stein, Robert. 2017. Magnanimous Dukes and Rising States: The Unification of the Burgundian Netherlands, 1380–1480. Oxford University Press.
External links
- Metropolitan Museum: "Burgundian Netherlands: Court Life
- Metropolitan Museum: "Burgundian Netherlands: Private Life