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The Union of Utrecht is a treaty signed on 23 January 1579 in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands province of Utrecht . It is located in the North-Eastern end of the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 300,030....
, 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....
, unifying the northern provinces of the Netherlands, until then under the control of Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. The Union of Utrecht is regarded as the foundation of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, which was not recognized by the Spanish Empire until the Twelve Years' Truce
Twelve Years' Truce

The Twelve Years' Truce was the name, given later, to the 12-year period ofceasefire within the Eighty Years' War in the Low Countriesfrom March 1609-1621,...
 in 1609.

The treaty was signed on 23 January by Holland
Holland

Holland is a name in common usage given to two regions in the western part of Netherlands. The name 'Holland' is also often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of The Netherlands....
, 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....
, 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....
 (but not entire Utrecht) and the province (but not the city) 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....
.






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The Union of Utrecht is a treaty signed on 23 January 1579 in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands province of Utrecht . It is located in the North-Eastern end of the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 300,030....
, 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....
, unifying the northern provinces of the Netherlands, until then under the control of Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. The Union of Utrecht is regarded as the foundation of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, which was not recognized by the Spanish Empire until the Twelve Years' Truce
Twelve Years' Truce

The Twelve Years' Truce was the name, given later, to the 12-year period ofceasefire within the Eighty Years' War in the Low Countriesfrom March 1609-1621,...
 in 1609.

The treaty was signed on 23 January by Holland
Holland

Holland is a name in common usage given to two regions in the western part of Netherlands. The name 'Holland' is also often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of The Netherlands....
, 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....
, 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....
 (but not entire Utrecht) and the province (but not the city) 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....
. The treaty was a reaction of the Protestant provinces to the 1579 Union of Arras (Dutch: Unie van Atrecht), in which the southern provinces (most of them now part of Wallonia
Wallonia

Wallonia is the Francophone southern part of Belgium. This region makes up about 31% of the Belgian population.Since 1970, Wallonia has approximately coincided with the territory of the Walloon Region, which is a federated component of the Belgian state and provides a government and a parliament to both Wallonia and the smaller German-s...
) declared their support for the Catholic
Catholic

Catholic is an adjective derived from the Greek language adjective , meaning "whole" or "complete". In the context of Christianity ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages....
 Spanish.

On 4 February Ghent
Ghent

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region, Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys River and became in the Middle Ages one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe....
 also signed. In March some cities from Friesland
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....
 joined it, as well as 3 of the 4 quarters of Guelders
Guelders

Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy in the Low Countries.The duchy was named after the town of Geldern, which is now in Germany....
. In the summer, Amersfoort
Amersfoort

Media:Nl-Amersfoort.ogg is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly and has a well-preserved medieval core....
 from the province 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....
 also joined, together with Ypres
Ypres

Ypres , Ieper , or Ypern is a Belgium Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
, Antwerp
Antwerp

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

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
. In February 1580, Lier
Lier, Belgium

Lier is a municipality located in the Belgium province of Antwerp . The municipality comprises the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt....
, Bruges
Bruges

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
 and the surrounding area also signed the Union. 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....
 shifted from contra to pro under influence of the stadtholder
Stadtholder

A Stadtholder in the Low Countries was a medieval function which during the 18th century developed into a rare type of de facto hereditary head of state of the thus "crowned" Dutch Republic....
 for Friesland, George van Rennenberg
George van Rennenberg

George de Lalaing count Rennenberg , was stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel in the service of Philip II of Spain from 1577 to 1581....
, and also signed the treaty. Later on, 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....
 also signed so Guelders
Guelders

Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy in the Low Countries.The duchy was named after the town of Geldern, which is now in Germany....
 (of which Zutphen is one of the quarters) supported the Union completely. This happened in April 1580, as did the signing 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....
 and 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....
.

This leads to a general and simplified overview of the parts that joined:
  • the county of Holland
    Holland

    Holland is a name in common usage given to two regions in the western part of Netherlands. The name 'Holland' is also often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of The Netherlands....
  • 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....
  • the bishopric 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....
  • the duchy of Guelders
    Guelders

    Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy in the Low Countries.The duchy was named after the town of Geldern, which is now in Germany....
  • 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....
  • the lordship of Friesland
    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....
  • 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....
  • 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....
  • 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....
  • the county of Flanders
    Flanders

    Flanders is a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Over the course of history, the geographical territory that was called "Flanders" has varied....
  • the cities of Tournai
    Tournai

    Tournai is a Walloon Region city and Municipalities in Belgium of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut ....
     and Valenciennes
    Valenciennes

    Valenciennes is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded....


Flanders was almost entirely conquered by the Spanish troops, as was half of Brabant, so they dropped out. The United Provinces still recognized Spanish rule after the Union of Utrecht. However, the Union contributed to the deterioration in the relationship between the provinces and their lord, and in 1581 the United Provinces declared their independence of the king in the Act of Abjuration.

See also

  • List of treaties
    List of treaties

    This list of treaties contains historic agreements, pacts, peaces, and major contracts between states, armies, governments, and tribal groups....