(Dr. Schärfe, 4th
Supplement, June 1984)
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Since middle of
the 15th century
the total Netherlands consisting of 17 provinces were united by
Burgundy
through inheritance, purchase or contracts.
Because the heiress of Charles the Bold, Maria, married
Maximilian of
Austria, the Netherlands come to Habsburg.
They were raised 1548 by Charles V. to the Burgundian circle and
thus
detached extensively from the empire.
Therewith a long and cruel pursuit of the protestant was upset,
which led
already 1579 with the union of Utrecht to the separation of the
northern
provinces (about the present Netherlands).
Spain did not succeed to win back this part.
Since the
separation the southern
provinces formed the Spanish Netherlands.
They finally formed in 1830
Belgium. Before, however, this zone had
to bear much sorrow. Again and again it
was theatre of wars and lost in this period numerous cities and the
Artois to
France.
After the Spanish
succession war,
the Spanish Netherlands fell to Austria and was called then Austrian
Netherlands. That was 1714.
After the outbreak
of the war
between Austria and France in combination with the French revolution,
the zone
finally was occupied by France after the victory of Pichegru in Fleurus
at the
26.6.1794. In the peace of Campo Formio
(1797) and Luneville (1801), Austria transferred its Netherlands to
France out
of which later on Belgium emerged. They
were divided immediately into 9 departments and were fused by
arrangements and
laws with France. This union lasted 20
years until the collapse of Napoleon in 1814.