Seventeen Provinces Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Zeventien Provinciën
Diecisiete Provincias
Siebzehn Provinzen
Dix-sept Provinces
The Seventeen Provinces

1482–1581

Flag

Map of the Provinces

Status

Capital

Common languages

Religion

Roman Catholic (official)
After 1530s Protestantism and Anabaptism (inside northern areas, minority, unofficial)

Government

Monarchy

Historical era

• Established

1482

1512

July 26 1581

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Burgundian Netherlands

Dutch Republic
Spanish Netherlands

The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century. The lands were about the same as the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France (Artois, French Flanders), and a small part of Western Germany.

The Seventeen Provinces were first held by the Dukes of Burgundy of the House of Valois. Later they were held by the Habsburgs. From 1512 the Provinces formed the major part of the Burgundian Circle.

Composition

The map matches to the following provinces:

the County of Artois
the County of Flanders, including the burgraviates of Lille, Douai, Orchies, the Lordship of Tournai and the Tournaisis
the Lordship of Mechelen
the County of Namur
the County of Hainaut
the County of Zeeland
the County of Holland
the Duchy of Brabant, including the Margraviate of Antwerp, the counties of Leuven and of Brussels, and the advocacy of the Abbey of Nivelles and of Gembloux
the Duchy of Limburg, including the counties of Dalhem and Valkenburg and the Lordship of Herzogenrath
the Duchy of Luxembourg
the Prince-Bishopric, later Lordship of Utrecht
the Lordship of Frisia
the Duchy of Guelders
the Lordship of Groningen (including the Ommelanden)
the Lordship of Drenthe, Lingen, Wedde, and Westerwolde
the Lordship of Overijssel
the County of Zutphen

It was not always the same Seventeen Provinces.