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The Burgundian Circle () was an Imperial Circle
Imperial Circle

An Imperial Circle was a regional grouping of territories of the Holy Roman Empire, primarily for the purpose of organizing a common defense and of collecting imperial taxes, but also as a means of organization within the Reichstag and the Reichskammergericht....
 of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
. It was created in 1512.

In addition to the Franche Comté (Free County of Burgundy), the circle roughly covered the Low Countries
Low Countries

The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the country on low-lying land around the river delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse River rivers....
, i.e. the areas currently known as the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
, Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
 and Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
 and two northern districts of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 (Artois
Artois

Artois is a former provinces of France of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km? and a population of about one million....
, Nord
Nord (département)

Nord is a departments of France in the far north of France. It was created from the western halves of the historical counties of County of Flanders and County of Hainaut , and the Archdiocese of Cambrai....
).

The Seventeen Provinces
Seventeen Provinces

The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of the West of Germany....
 were originally united as a personal union
Personal union

A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch, while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct....
 by the Dukes of Burgundy of the House of Valois.






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Burgundian Circle 2005 10 14 En
The Burgundian Circle () was an Imperial Circle
Imperial Circle

An Imperial Circle was a regional grouping of territories of the Holy Roman Empire, primarily for the purpose of organizing a common defense and of collecting imperial taxes, but also as a means of organization within the Reichstag and the Reichskammergericht....
 of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
. It was created in 1512.

In addition to the Franche Comté (Free County of Burgundy), the circle roughly covered the Low Countries
Low Countries

The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the country on low-lying land around the river delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse River rivers....
, i.e. the areas currently known as the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
, Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
 and Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
 and two northern districts of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 (Artois
Artois

Artois is a former provinces of France of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km? and a population of about one million....
, Nord
Nord (département)

Nord is a departments of France in the far north of France. It was created from the western halves of the historical counties of County of Flanders and County of Hainaut , and the Archdiocese of Cambrai....
).

The Seventeen Provinces
Seventeen Provinces

The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of the West of Germany....
 were originally united as a personal union
Personal union

A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch, while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct....
 by the Dukes of Burgundy of the House of Valois. In 1477 they fell to the Austrian (temporarily Spanish) House of Habsburg.

The circle's territorial scope was reduced considerably in the 17th century with the secession of the Seven United Provinces
Dutch Republic

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the successor state....
 in 1581 and the annexation of the Free County of Burgundy to France
Early Modern France

Early Modern France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century . During this period France evolved from a feudalism regime to an increasingly centralized state organized around a powerful absolute monarchy that relied on the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings and the explic...
 in 1678.

The occupation and subsequent annexation of German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 territory to the west of the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 by revolutionary France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 in the 1790s effectively brought an end to the circle's existence.

Composition

The circle was made up of the following territories:

The Seventeen Provinces

  1. the County of Artois
    County of Artois

    The County of Artois was a Carolingian lordship , established in Western Francia. In Ancient Rome times, Artois was situated in the Roman provinces of Belgica and Germania Inferior and inhabited by Celts, until Germanic peoples replaced them as the Roman Empire waned....
    , ceded
    Treaty of Senlis

    The Treaty of Senlis concerning the Burgundy was signed at Senlis, Oise in May of 1493 between Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and King Charles VIII of France....
     by France in 1493, annexed
    Treaty of the Pyrenees

    The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years' War. It was signed on Pheasant Island, a river island on the border between the two countries....
     by France in 1659.
  2. the Duchy of Brabant
    Duchy of Brabant

    The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of not only the three modern-day Belgium provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp as well as the Brussels-Capital Region, but also the present-day Netherlands province of North Brabant....
    , including the Margraviate of Antwerp
    Antwerp

    ||-||-||-||}Antwerp is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions....
    .
  3. the County of Drenthe
    Drenthe

    Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east....
    , which seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.
  4. the County of Flanders
    County of Flanders

    The County of Flanders was a historical region in the Low Countries.It consisted not only of the two actual Belgium provinces of East-Flanders and West-Flanders but also much of the present-day France d?partement of the Nord , in parts of which there is still a minority speaking the French Flemish dialect of Dutch language, and the sout...
    .
  5. the Lordship of West-Frisia
    Friesland

    Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the bigger region known as Frisia. In order to distinguish it from the other Frisian regions, it is commonly specified as Westerlauwer Frisia, Westerlauwer Friesland, West Frisia or West Friesland....
    , which seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.
  6. the Lordship of Groningen
    Groningen (province)

    Groningen is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the Germany state of Lower Saxony , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea....
     (former Ommelanden
    Ommelanden

    The Ommelanden are the parts of Groningen that surround Groningen . Usually mentioned as synonym for the province in the expression Stad en Ommeland ....
    ), which, with the exception of the City of Groningen
    Groningen (city)

    ||-| |-| |-| |-| |-| |-| |-| |-| |}Groningen is the capital city of the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. With a population of 185,000, it is by far the largest city in the north of the Netherlands....
    , seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579. The City of Groningen joined the United Provinces in 1594.
  7. the Duchy of Guelders, which, with the exception of Upper Guelders, seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.
  8. the County of Hainaut
    County of Hainaut

    The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of what is now the Belgium province of Hainaut and the southern part of the French d?partement Nord ....
    .
  9. the County of Holland, which seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.
  10. the Duchy of Limburg
    Duchy of Limburg

    The Duchy of Limburg was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of parts of the present Belgium provinces Li?ge and Limburg , the Netherlands province of Limburg , and a small part of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany ....
    , held by the Dukes of Brabant.
  11. the Duchy of Luxembourg.
  12. the Lordship of Mechelen
    Mechelen

    Mechelen is a Dutch-speaking city and municipality in the province of Antwerp , Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Mechelen proper, some quarters at its outskirts, the hamlets of Nekkerspoel and Battel , as well as the villages of Walem, Heffen, Leest, Hombeek, and Muizen....
    , held by the Dukes of Brabant.
  13. the County of Namur.
  14. the Lordship of Overijssel
    Overijssel

    Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics classification of NL21....
    , which seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.
  15. the Prince-Bishopric, later Lordship of Utrecht
    Utrecht (province)

    Utrecht is the smallest Provinces of the Netherlands of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest....
    , which seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.
  16. the County of Zeeland
    Zeeland

    Zeeland , also called Zealand in English language and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium....
    , held by the Counts of Holland; seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.
  17. the County of Zutphen
    Zutphen

    Media:Nl-Zutphen.ogg is a city in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It lies some 30 km north-east of Arnhem, on the Eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel....
    , held by the Dukes of Guelders; seceded to form part of the United Provinces from 1579.

The County of Burgundy

  1. the Free County of Burgundy
  2. the Imperial City
    Free Imperial City

    In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which belonged to a List of states in the Holy Roman Empire and so were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops....
     of Besançon
    Besançon

    Besan?on , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comt? Regions of France in eastern France, with approximately 220,000 inhabitants in the aire urbaine in 1999....
both annexed by France according to the 1678 Treaty of Nijmegen
Treaties of Nijmegen

The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen were a series of treaties, signed in the Netherlands city of Nijmegen, August 1678 - December 1679, ending war between various countries, including France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia, Sweden, Denmark, the Bishopric of M?nster, and the Holy Roman Empire, during the Franco-Dutch War ....
.

The Prince-bishopric of Liège remained a part of the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle
Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle

The Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire....
 until its dissolution in 1795.

History

The Seventeen Provinces originated from the Burgundian Netherlands
Burgundian Netherlands

In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to the period when the Duke of Burgundy ruled the area, as well as Luxembourg and parts of northern France, from 1384 to 1530....
. The dukes of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Sa?ne which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's West Franks....
 systematically became the lord of different provinces. Mary I of Valois, duchess of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy

Mary, called Mary the Rich , was suo jure Duke of Burgundy from 1477 – 1482. As the only child of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Isabella of Bourbon, she was the heiress to the vast Burgundian domains in France and the Low Countries upon her father's death in the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477....
 was the last of the House of Burgundy
House of Burgundy

The House of Burgundy was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of Robert II of France....
.

When she married Maximilian I of Habsburg, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor

Maximilian I of Habsburg was Holy Roman Empire from 1508 until his death, but had ruled jointly with his father for the last ten years of his reign, from circa 1483....
, the provinces were inherited by the House of Habsburg in 1482 . His grandson and successor Charles V of Habsburg, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and duke of Burgundy
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556....
 eventually united all seventeen provinces under his rule, the last one being the duchy of Guelders, in 1543.

Most of these provinces were fiefs under the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
, of which Charles himself became Emperor. Two provinces, the county of Flanders and county of Artois, were originally French fiefs, but sovereignty was ceded to the Empire in the Treaty of Cambrai in 1529.

The Pragmatic Sanction of 1549
Pragmatic Sanction of 1549

The Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 was an edict, promulgated by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, reorganizing the Seventeen Provinces.It was Charles' plan to centralize the administrative units of Holy Roman Empire....
 determined that the Provinces should remain united in the future and inherited by the same monarch. Therefore, Charles V introduced the title of Heer der Nederlanden (Lord of the Netherlands). Only he and his son ever used this title.

After Charles V's abdication in 1556, his realms became divided between his son, Philip II of Habsburg, king of Spain
Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, List of monarchs of Naples from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England, as husband of Mary I of England, from 1554 to 1558, lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as Duke or Count; and King of Portugal as Philip I...
, and his brother, Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand I was a Central European monarch from the Habsburg. He was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558, King of Bohemia and King of Hungary and Croatia from 1526....
. The Seventeen Provinces went to his son, the king of Spain.

Conflicts between Philip II and his Dutch subjects led to the Eighty Years' War, which started in 1568. The seven northern provinces gained their independence as a republic called the Seven United Provinces
Dutch Republic

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the successor state....
. They were:

  1. the Lordship of Groningen and of the Ommelanden
  2. the Lordship of Friesland
  3. the Lordship of Overijssel
  4. the duchy of Guelders (except its upper quarter) and the county of Zutphen
  5. the prince-bishopric, later lordship of Utrecht
  6. the county of Holland
  7. the county of Zeeland


The southern provinces, Flanders, Brabant, Namur, Hainaut, Luxembourg a.o., were restored to Spanish rule thanks to the military and political talent of the Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma

Alexander Farnese...
, especially at the siege of Antwerp (1584-1585)
Siege of Antwerp (1584-1585)

The Siege of Antwerp took place during the Eighty Years' War from July 1584 until August 1585. At the time Antwerp was not only the largest Netherlands city but was also the cultural, economic and financial centre of the Seventeen Provinces and of north-western Europe....
. Hence, these Provinces became known as the Spanish Netherlands or Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands

The Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and captured by France . This region comprised most of modern Belgium and Luxembourg as well as, until 1678, most of the present Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France....
.

The northern Seven United Provinces kept parts of Limburg, Brabant and Flanders during and after the Eighty Years' War (see Generality Lands
Generality Lands

The Generality Lands, Lands of the Generality or Common Lands were about one fifth of the territories of the Dutch Republic of the Netherlands, that were directly governed by the Estates-General of the Netherlands....
), which was ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648.

Artois, and parts of Flanders and Hainaut were ceded to France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 in the course of the 17th and 18th century.

See also

  • Seventeen Provinces
    Seventeen Provinces

    The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of the West of Germany....
  • Burgundian Netherlands
    Burgundian Netherlands

    In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to the period when the Duke of Burgundy ruled the area, as well as Luxembourg and parts of northern France, from 1384 to 1530....
  • Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands
    Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands

    The Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands ruled the Habsburg Netherlands, as a representative of the Duke of Burgundy , the King of Spain or the Archduke of Austria , all from the house of Habsburg....


External links

  • (1555)