Editing Austrian Netherlands (section)

==French rule==
{{Main|Battle of Sprimont|Southern Netherlands#French annexation }}
1794 was the third year of the [[War of the First Coalition]]. The Austrians gave up on contesting the Low Countries after the [[Battle of Fleurus (1794)#Aftermath|Battle of Fleurus]] (26 June), and left them to the French. After three months of military occupation, on 15 October a Central High Administration of Belgium was installed. On 1 October 1795 the departments were activated and the definitive annexation started, liquidating the Belgian Governing Council, which ceased on 22 November. France annexed the Austrian Netherlands from the Holy Roman Empire and integrated them into the [[French First Republic|French Republic]]. The commissioner of the [[French Directory|Directory]], 
{{ILL|Louis Ghislain de Bouteville du Metz|fr}}, finished his work on January 20, 1797, after which no common Belgian authority remained.