Low Countries
The European region known as the Low Countries or Lowlands (
Historically, the regions without access to the sea linked themselves politically and economically to those with access to form various unions of ports and hinterland,[3] stretching inland as far as parts of the German Rhineland. Because of this, nowadays not only physically low-altitude areas, but also some hilly or elevated regions are considered part of the Low Countries, including Luxembourg and the south of Belgium. Within the European Union, the region's political grouping is still referred to as the Benelux (short for Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg).
During the Roman Empire, the region contained a militarised frontier and contact point between Rome and Germanic tribes.[4] With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Low Countries were the scene of the early independent trading centres that marked the reawakening of Europe in the 12th century. In that period, they rivalled northern Italy as one of the most densely populated regions of Western Europe. Guilds and councils governed most of the cities along with a figurehead ruler; interaction with their ruler was regulated by a strict set of rules describing what the latter could and could not expect. All of the regions mainly depended on trade, manufacturing and the encouragement of the free flow of goods and craftsmen.[5] Dutch and French dialects were the main languages used in secular city life.
Terminology
Historically, the term Low Countries arose at the Court of the Dukes of Burgundy, who used the term les pays de par deçà ("the lands over here") for the Low Countries as opposed to les pays de par delà ("the lands over there") for the Duchy of Burgundy and the Free County of Burgundy, which were part of their realm but geographically disconnected from the Low Countries.[6][7] Governor Mary of Hungary used both the expressions les pays de par deça and Pays d'Embas ("lands down here"), which evolved to Pays-Bas or Low Countries. Today the term is typically fitted to modern political boundaries[8][9] and used in the same way as the term Benelux.
The name of the country of the Netherlands has the same etymology and origin as the name for the region Low Countries, due to "nether" meaning "low".[10] In the Dutch language itself De Lage Landen is the modern term for Low Countries, and De Nederlanden (plural) is in use for the 16th century domains of Charles V, the historic Low Countries, while Nederland (singular) is the normal Dutch name for the country of the Netherlands. However, in official use, the name of the Dutch kingdom is still Kingdom of the Netherlands, Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (plural). This name derives from the 19th-century origins of the kingdom which originally included present-day Belgium.
In Dutch, and to a lesser extent in English, the Low Countries colloquially means the Netherlands and Belgium, sometimes the Netherlands and Flanders—the Dutch-speaking north of Belgium. For example, a Low Countries derby (Derby der Lage Landen), is a sports event between Belgium and the Netherlands.
Belgium separated in 1830 from the (northern) Netherlands. The new country took its name from Belgica, the Latinised name for the Low Countries, as it was known during the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). The Low Countries were in that war divided in two parts. On one hand, the northern Federated Netherlands or Belgica Foederata rebelled against King Philip II of Spain; on the other, the southern Royal Netherlands or Belgica Regia remained loyal to the Spanish king.[11] This divide laid the early foundation for the later modern states of Belgium and the Netherlands.
History
The region politically had its origins in the
Early history
The Low Countries were part of the
Frankish empire
By the end of the 8th century, the Low Countries formed a core part of a much expanded Francia and the Merovingians were replaced by the Carolingian dynasty.[14] In 800, the Pope crowned and appointed Charlemagne Emperor of the re-established Roman Empire.
After the death of
After the death of Lothair, the Low Countries were coveted by the rulers of both
Duchy of Burgundy
In the 14th and 15th century, separate fiefs came gradually to be ruled by a single family through royal intermarriage. This process culminated in the rule of the House of Valois, who were the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy. At the height of Burgundian influence, the Low Countries became the political, cultural, and economic centre of Northern Europe, noted for its crafts and luxury goods, notably early Netherlandish painting, which is the work of artists who were active in the flourishing cities of Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Leuven, Tournai and Brussels, all in present-day Belgium. Musicians of the Franco-Flemish School were highly sought by the leading classes of all Europe.
Seventeen Provinces
In 1477 the
The Pragmatic Sanction transformed the agglomeration of lands into a unified entity, of which the
Division
The Pragmatic Sanction is said to be one example of the Habsburg contest with
After the northern
-
Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer defending the walls during the Siege of Haarlem (1572–1573)
-
Sack of Maastricht by the Tercios de Flandes (Flemish Regiments) in 1579
-
Siege and capture of Tournai (1581)
-
Map of Ostend during the siege in 1601
Late Modern Period
The United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830) temporarily united the Low Countries again before it split into the three modern countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
During the early months of World War I (around 1914), the Central Powers invaded the Low Countries of Luxembourg and Belgium in what has been come to be known as the German invasion of Belgium. It led to the German occupation of the two countries. However, the German advance into France was quickly halted, causing a military stalemate for most of the war. In the end, a total of approximately 56,000 people were killed in the invasion.[21]
During
All three countries were occupied from May 1940 until early 1945. During the occupation, their governments were forced into exiled in Britain. In 1944, they signed the
Literature
One of the Low Countries' earliest literary figures is the blind poet Bernlef, from c. 800, who sang both Christian psalms and pagan verses. Bernlef is representative of the coexistence of Christianity and Germanic polytheism in this time period.[26]: 1–2
The earliest examples of written literature include the Wachtendonck Psalms, a collection of twenty five psalms that originated in the Moselle-Frankish region around the middle of the 9th century.[26]: 3
See also
- Burgundian Circle
- Burgundian Netherlands
- Early Netherlandish painting
- Greater Netherlands
- Lower Lorraine
- Pan-Netherlands
- Union of Brussels
References
Citations
- ^ "Low Countries". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ "Low Countries – definition of Low Countries by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia". Farlex, Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ISBN 9780230366305.
- ISBN 9781349586356.
- ISBN 9780520081161.
- ^ "1. De landen van herwaarts over" (in Dutch). Vre.leidenuniv.nl. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ Alastair Duke. "The Elusive Netherlands. The question of national identity in the Early Modern Low Countries on the Eve of the Revolt". Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "Low Countries". TheFreeDictionary.com.
- ^ "Low Countries | region, Europe". Encyclopedia Britannica. 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Netherlands". Origin & meaning of Netherlands by Online Etymology Dictionary. etymonline.com.
- ISBN 9789087045159.
- ^ "Franks". Columbia Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Lotharingia / Lorraine (Lothringen)". 5 September 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ISBN 9788126907755.
- ISBN 9780883862889.
- ISBN 9781351665391.
- ^ "History of Luxembourg: Primary Documents". EuroDocs. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ISBN 9781317880585. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ISBN 9781250015211. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ISBN 9781438108322. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ Great Britain. War Office (14 April 2018). "Statistics of the military effort of the British Empire during the Great War, 1914–1920". London H.M. Stationery Off. Retrieved 14 April 2018 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Frieser 2005, p. 74.
- ^ "Directive No. 6 Full Text". Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ Yapou, Eliezer (1998). "Luxembourg: The Smallest Ally". Governments in Exile, 1939–1945. Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ISBN 9780857931276.
- ^ ISBN 9781571132932.
Sources
- Paul Arblaster. A History of the Low Countries. Palgrave Essential Histories Series New York: ISBN 1403948283.
- J. C. H. Blom and E. Lamberts, eds. History of the Low Countries (1999)
- B. A. Cook. Belgium: A History (2002)
- Jonathan Israel. The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477–1806 (1995)
- Oscar Gelderblom. Cities of Commerce: The Institutional Foundations of International Trade in the Low Countries, 1250–1650 (Princeton University Press, 2013) 293 pp.
- J. A. Kossmann-Putto and E. H. Kossmann. The Low Countries: History of the Northern and Southern Netherlands (1987)
- The Cinema of the Low Countries
- Early Modern Women in the Low Countries
- The Reformation and Revolt in the Low Countries
External links
- Media related to Low Countries at Wikimedia Commons