Generals lands
The Generalitätslande ( Dutch Generaliteitslanden ) were areas that were under the direct control of the States General of the Netherlands during the time of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces .
In contrast to the seven provinces ( west ) - Groningen , Friesland , Overijssel , Gelderland , Utrecht , Holland and Zeeland - they had no say in the state administration. The generals were predominantly Catholic territories that were conquered by the troops of the republic at a later stage of the Eighty Years' War . They were then ceded to the Netherlands by the Spanish or Austrian Habsburgs on the basis of various peace treaties. Their constitutional status roughly corresponded to that of the common lords of the confederates. In the 17th and 18th centuries, numerous fortresses and other defensive structures were established and maintained in the generalship lands. Above all, the land on the Schelde and Meuse served as a fortified deployment area in the numerous armed conflicts between the republic, initially with the Spanish and later Austrian Netherlands , but since the Barrier Treaty of 1715 in particular for defense against France.
The generals countries included:
- State of Brabant, roughly today's province of Noord-Brabant (see also Duchy of Brabant )
- Staats-Vlaanderen, today's Zeeuws Vlaanderen (see also Flanders and County of Flanders )
- Staats-Opper-Gelre (Overkwartier), the area around Venlo
- A large part of Obergeldern ( Opper-Gelre ) remained Spanish and was partially annexed by Prussia in 1702 (Prussian Obergeldern), while another part became Austrian Geldern (see also Duchy of Geldern ).
- Staats-Limburg or Staats- Overmaas , the area around Maastricht (see also Duchy of Limburg )
- Westerwolde and Wedde, the south-east of the present-day province of Groningen , which was generality country from 1594 to 1619
Note: State roughly means belonging to the States General . State Brabant is the part of Brabant that was administered by the Estates General (in contrast to the rest of Brabant).
Areas outside Europe were also often claimed in the name of the States General: Staten Island near Nieuw Amsterdam ( New York ) or States Island on the south coast of Argentina .
There were other areas that were not generals and did not belong to any of the provinces ( west ), but were politically connected to the republic in different ways:
- the Drenthe landscape
- the county of East Friesland
- a number of smaller glories :
- the county of Lingen
- the county of Buren (near today's municipality of Buren )
- the Baron Ameland
- the glory of Vianen (near today's municipality of Vianen )
- the glory of Culemborg (near today's parish of Culemborg )
- the county of Leerdam (near today's municipality of Leerdam )
- the glory of Asperen (near today's parish Lingewaal )
- the barony of IJsselstein (near today's municipality of IJsselstein in the province of Utrecht )
- the county of Megen (near today's municipality of Oss )
- the glory Bokhoven (near today's parish 's-Hertogenbosch )
- the office of Oeffelt (near today's municipality of Boxmeer )
- the Barony of Boxmeer (at what is now Boxmeer )
- the glory of Batenburg (near today's municipality of Wijchen )
- the glory of Ravenstein (near today's municipality of Oss )
- Luijksgestel (in the Diocese of Liège )
- the county of Bergh (Prussian)
- the office of Liemers , Huissen , Wehl and Gennep (Prussian)
- the Coming Gemert ( German Order ) (in Gemert )