From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Southern Netherlands
,
[1]
also called the Catholic Netherlands, were part of the
Low Countries
. They were controlled by
Spain
(1556?1714),
Austria
(1714?94) and added into
France
(1794?1815). This area was most of modern
Belgium
, the
Imperial Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy
, the
County of Bouillon
and
Luxembourg
, and in addition some parts of the
Netherlands
, as well as, until 1678, most of the present
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
region in northern France. The Southern Netherlands were part of the
Holy Roman Empire
until it was added to France.
The northern seven provinces, led by
Holland
and
Zeeland
, started their independence as the
United Provinces
after 1581. The southern Netherlands were reconquered by the Spanish general
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
. The Southern Netherlands passed to the Austrian Habsburgs after the
War of the Spanish Succession
in the early 18th century. After the
French Revolutionary Wars
they were joined with the northern Netherlands. They were made a single kingdom under the
House of Orange
at the 1815
Congress of Vienna
. The south-eastern third of Luxembourg Province was made into
Luxembourg
. In 1830 the mostly Roman Catholic southern half became independent as the Kingdom of Belgium.
- ↑
(Dutch: Zuidelijke Nederlanden, Spanish: Paises Bajos del Sur, French: Pays-Bas meridionaux)