:''This article deals with the historical duchy of Brabant, for other meanings see
Brabant.''
The 'Duchy of Brabant' was a historical region in the
Low Countries. It consisted not only of the three actual
Belgian provinces of
Flemish Brabant,
Walloon Brabant and
Antwerp and
Brussels-Capital Region but also the present-day
Dutch province of
North Brabant. In
Roman times, Brabant was situated in the Roman provinces of
Belgica and
Germania Inferior and inhabited by
Celtic tribes, until
Germanic peoples replaced them and made an end to
roman imperial rule. Its most important cities were
Brussels (Brussel),
Antwerp (Antwerpen),
Leuven,
Breda,
's-Hertogenbosch,
Lier,
Tilburg and
Eindhoven. The region's name is first recorded as the Carolingian shire ''pagus Bracbatensis'', located between the rivers
Scheldt and
Dijle, from ''bracha'' "new" and ''bant'' "region".
History
The Landgraviate of Brabant was established as a
feudal imperial
fief within the
duchy of Lotharingia, more specifically
Lower Lotharingia after the partition of the duchy in
959. As such, it was an integral part of
Middle Francia and a historical
stem duchy within the
Holy Roman Empire. The imperial fief was assigned to count
Henry III of Leuven about
1085-
1086, more exactly after the death of the preceding margrave of Brabant, Count Palatine Herman II of Lotharingia.
The Duchy of Brabant was formally established in
1183-
1184 and the hereditary title of
Duke of Brabant was created by the German Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa in favour of
Henry I of Brabant, son of
Godfrey III of Leuven, Duke of Lower Lotharingia. Although the corresponding county was quite small and limited to the territory between the rivers
Dender en
Zenne, situated to the west of
Brussels) its name was applied to the entire country under control of the dukes from the 13th century on.
In
1190, after the death of Godfrey III,
Henry I of Brabant also became duke of Lower Lotharingia, a title practically without territorial authority. According to protocol, all his successors where therefore called dukes of Brabant and Lower Lotharingia. Later on this was changed to
Duke of Lothier.
After the
Battle of Worringen in
1288, the dukes of Brabant also acquired the
duchy of Limburg. In
1354 the
Blijde Inkomst, or charter of liberty was granted to the citizens of Brabant by
John III, Duke of Brabant. In
1430, the Duchies of Lotharingia, Brabant and Limburg were inherited by
Philip the Good of
Burgundy. In
1477 the titles fell to the
Habsburgs by dowry of
Mary of Burgundy. The subsequent history of Brabant is part of the history of the Low Countries or
Seventeen Provinces.
The
Eighty Years' War (
1568-
1648) brought independence from the Habsburgs for the northern provinces. After the
Treaty of Westphalia in
1648, the
United Provinces' ''de jure'' independence was confirmed and the northern part of Brabant, which was already under Dutch military control, was ceded to the United Provinces as
Staats-Brabant, a federally governed territory (the present
North Brabant).
The southern part remained in Habsburg hands as a part of the
Southern Netherlands. It was transferred to the
Austrian family branch of the House of Habsburg in
1714. During the French occupation of the
Southern Netherlands in
1795 the duchy of Brabant was dissolved. The territory was reorganised in the ''
départements'' of
Deux-Nèthes (present
province of Antwerp) and
Dyle the later province of Brabant).
See also
★
Dukes of Brabant
★
Dukes of Brabant family tree
★
War of Devolution (1667 – 1668)
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