Editing Southern Netherlands (section)

{{short description|Historical region in Belgium}}
{{History of Belgium}}

{{Confused|South Netherlands}}

The '''Southern Netherlands''',{{NoteTag|name=foreign-names}} also called the '''Catholic Netherlands''', were the parts of the [[Low Countries]] belonging to the [[Holy Roman Empire]] which were at first largely controlled by [[Habsburg Spain]] ([[Spanish Netherlands]], 1556–1714) and later by the [[Austria]]n Habsburgs ([[Austrian Netherlands]], 1714–1794) until occupied and annexed by [[French Revolution|Revolutionary France]] (1794–1815).

The region also included a number of smaller states that were never ruled by Spain or Austria: the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]], the [[Imperial Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy]], the [[County of Bouillon]], the [[County of Horne]] and the [[Thorn Abbey|Princely Abbey of Thorn]]. 
{{Multiple image|
|image1=Espagnols.PNG|caption1=The (Habsburgs') Low Countries (c.{{nbsp}}1515 –1715; including [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège|Liège]], [[Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy|Stavelot-Malmedy]] and [[County of Bouillon|Bouillon]]), the border between the Northern Netherlands and the Southern Netherlands is marked in red.<br />'''''Note''''' that 'Upper Guelders' (''south'' of the main area of Guelders in Netherlands, and east of the Duchy of Brabant, in light yellow) was mistakenly left ''white'' on this map!
|image2=Belgium Catholicum seu Decem Provinciae Germaniae Inferioris 02.jpg|caption2="Catholic Belgium" ([[Tobias Mayer]], 1747); including United Provinces–controlled [[Generality Lands]] and territories which fell to the [[Kingdom of France]] in 1659–1678 while excluding the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]].
}}
The Southern Netherlands comprised most of modern-day [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]], small parts of the modern [[Netherlands]] and [[Germany]] (the [[Upper Guelders]] region, as well as the [[Bitburg]] area in Germany, then part of Luxembourg), in addition to (until 1678) most of the present [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]] region, and [[Longwy]] area in northern [[France]]. The (southern) Upper Guelders region consisted of what is now divided between Germany and the modern Dutch [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Province of Limburg]] (in 1713 largely ceded to [[Prussia]]).