Editing Austrian Netherlands (section)

{{Short description|Austrian territory (1714–1797)}}
{{Expand French|topic=hist|Pays-Bas autrichiens}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{native name|de|Österreichische Niederlande}}<br/>{{native name|fr|Pays-Bas Autrichiens}}<br/>{{native name|nl|Oostenrijkse Nederlanden}}<br/>{{native name|la|Belgium Austriacum}}
| conventional_long_name = Austrian Netherlands
| common_name            = Austrian Netherlands
| era                    = [[Early modern]]
| life_span              = 1714–1797
| status                 = Vassal
| status_text            = [[Personal union]] of [[Holy Roman Empire|Imperial]] [[fief]]s within [[Holy Roman Empire|Empire]]
| empire                 = 
| government_type        = [[Governorate]]
| event_start            = [[Treaty of Rastatt]]
| date_start             = 7 March 1714
| event_end              = [[Battle of Sprimont]]
| date_end               = {{nowrap|18 September 1794}}
| event1                 = {{nowrap|[[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1785)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]]}}
| date_event1            = 8 November 1785
| event2                 = [[Brabant Revolution]]
| date_event2            = 1789–1790
| event_post             = {{nowrap|[[Treaty of Campo Formio]]}}
| date_post              = {{nowrap|17 October 1797}}
| p1                     = Spanish Netherlands
| flag_p1                = Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg
| s1                     = French First Republic
| flag_s1                = Flag of France.svg
| flag_s2                = Flag_of_the_Brabantine_Revolution.svg
| s2                     = United Belgian States
| image_flag             = Austrian Low Countries Flag.svg
| flag                   = List of Belgian flags
| flag_type              = Flag
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of the Austrian Netherlands.svg
| symbol                 = Coat of arms of Belgium
| symbol_type            = Coat of arms
| image_map              = Austrian Netherlands 1789.svg
| image_map_caption      = The Austrian Netherlands in 1789
{{plainlist | style = padding-center: 0.6em; text-align: center; |
* {{Legend|#008000|Austrian Netherlands}}
* {{Legend|#C6DEBD|[[Habsburg monarchy]]}}
}}
| image_map2             = Map of Austrian Netherlands 1789.svg
| image_map2_caption     = 
| capital                = [[Brussels]]
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = 
| common_languages       = {{ubl|[[German language|German]]|[[French language|French]]|(including [[Walloon language|Walloon]], [[Picard language|Picard]] and [[Champenois language|Champenois]])|[[Luxembourgish]]|[[Dutch language|Dutch]]|[[Latin language|Latin]]}}
| religion               = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]
| currency               = [[Austrian Netherlands Kronenthaler|Kronenthaler]]|
| representative1        = [[Prince Eugene of Savoy|Eugene Francis]]
| representative3        = [[Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen|Charles Louis]]
| year_representative1   = 1716–1724 (first)
| year_representative3   = 1793–1794 (last)
| title_representative   = [[List of governors of the Habsburg Netherlands|Governor]]|
| deputy1                = [[Dominik von Königsegg-Rothenfels|Lothar Dominik]]
| deputy2                = [[Franz Georg Karl von Metternich|Franz Karl]]
| year_deputy1           = 1714–1716 (first)
| year_deputy2           = 1793–1794 (last)
| title_deputy           = [[List of plenipotentiaries of Austrian Netherlands|Plenipotentiary]]
| legislature            = 
| house1                 = Habsburg
| type_house1            = 
| house2                 = Bourbon
| type_house2            =
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
| today                  = {{ubl|[[Netherlands]]|[[Belgium]]|[[Germany]]|[[Luxembourg]]}}
| footnotes              = 
}}
{{History of Belgium}}
The '''Austrian Netherlands'''{{efn|{{langx|nl|Oostenrijkse Nederlanden}}; {{langx|fr|Pays-Bas Autrichiens}}; {{langx|de|Österreichische Niederlande}}; {{langx|la|Belgium Austriacum}}}} was the territory of the [[Burgundian Circle]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian [[Habsburg monarchy]] of the former [[Spanish Netherlands]] under the [[Treaty of Rastatt]] in 1714. It lasted until [[Revolutionary France]] [[annexation|annexed]] the territory after the [[Battle of Sprimont]] in 1794 and the [[Peace of Basel]] in 1795. Austria relinquished its claim on the province in 1797 through the [[Treaty of Campo Formio]].

The Netherlands, previously the [[Burgundian Netherlands]], inherited by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs, having revolted against the absolutism and centralism of [[Philip II of Spain]], their common sovereign, launched a war which led in fact, in 1568, to the formation in the north of the [[Republic of the United Provinces]], a new state whose independence would finally be recognized by the [[King of Spain]] in 1648 during the [[Treaty of Münster (October 1648)|Treaty of Münster]], and in the south of a group of around ten provinces which Philip II and then his successors managed to preserve under the name of [[Spanish Netherlands]].

In 1700, [[Charles II of Spain|King Charles II]] of Spain designated the French Prince [[Philip of Anjou]], grandson of [[Louis XIV]], as his successor. He preferred him to a member of the cousin branch of the Austrian Habsburgs. Louis XIV accepted this choice on behalf of his wife, whose dowry had never been paid. A coalition was formed between the Austrian Habsburgs, [[England]], and the United Provinces against Louis XIV's France and Philip V's Spain.

This marked the beginning of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] (1701–1714), during which the [[Spanish Netherlands]] were occupied by France on behalf of Louis XIV's grandson.

At the end of this war ([[Treaties of Utrecht]] in 1713 and [[Treaty of Rastatt|Rastatt]] in 1714), the Kingdom of Spain remained in the hands of Philip V. However, he had to relinquish the Spanish Netherlands, which were transferred to the [[House of Austria]], constituting a sort of [[buffer state]] between the United Provinces and France. The [[Treaty of the Barrier]] (1715) granted the United Provinces the right to garrison certain strongholds in the Austrian Netherlands. These were again occupied by France during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] (1744–1748). The [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]] returned them to Maria Theresa in 1748.