County of Namur
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County of Namur | |||||||||
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| c. 981–1797 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
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Habsburgs (Habsburg Netherlands) | 1482 | ||||||||
| 1556 | |||||||||
| 1714 | |||||||||
• Sold to Burgundy, joins Burgundian Netherlands | 1429 1797 | ||||||||
| : French annexation recognised by Austria | 1797 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Belgium | ||||||||
Namur (
French Republican department of Sambre-et-Meuse
.
Prehistory to the Roman period
The city of
Teutons. (Today it is considered more likely to have been at Thuin.[1]) In Caesar's wars, the Roman legions conquered numerous Belgic cities and settlements. After this defeat, the Belgae and their territory were incorporated into the Roman Empire
.
The Medieval period
The first mention of a region ruled by Namur (
The first count of note was
Guy of Dampierre. The house of Dampierre would rule until 1421, when the county of Namur was sold to the Burgundian duke Philip the Good
.
The Burgundian and Habsburg periods
After the county of Namur was bought by
Habsburgs
. Under their new rule, the military importance of the city of Namur steadily grew. The Burgundians and Habsburgs strengthened the city and built new walls around it. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the city became an important military stronghold, and was repeatedly besieged for this reason.
The Spanish period
During the Spanish period (16th and 17th century), Namur received
Don Juan of Austria to the Netherlands as the new governor. In Namur, Don Juan received Margaret of Valois
(the sister of the French king), and organised a magnificent celebration in her honor.
Troubled times and changing rulers
Namur has had a crucial military role throughout history. After the Spanish period, the strategically important city was repeatedly besieged. In 1692, the troops of
Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, the Southern Netherlands
came under the rule of the Austrian house of Habsburg. Though the Austrians ruled over the city, the strategically important citadel remained in the hands of the Dutch. The Austrian rule returned peace and calm to the Netherlands.
The French revolutionists and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
In 1790 the county of Namur was one of the founders of the
Belgian Revolution broke out, in which Belgium
became independent from the Netherlands. The strategically important bastion of Namur played a decisive role in the battles associated with the Belgian Revolution.
Economic activities
The economic activities of the County of Namur were diverse. Next to the cultivation of
Bouvignes, Namur, but also Huy and Liège) was the central region for metallurgy in the Southern Netherlands. Along the banks of the Meuse, limestone
was mined and exported.
See also
- List of rulers of Namur
- Category:Counts of Namur
References
- ^ Oppidum van de Aduatuci ligt in Thuin (Henegouwen) (in Dutch)
- ^ Léon Vanderkindere, La formation territoriale des principautés Belges au Moyen Age, Tome II, p200
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1 until 1648; 2 until 1659; 3 until 1678.
Circles est. 1500: Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish · Unencircled territories | ||||||
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