County of Namur
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2013) |
County of Namur | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 981–1797 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
| |||||||||
 The county of Namur within the Low Countries in 1350 | |||||||||
| Status | Countyof theFrankishandHoly RomanEmpires | ||||||||
| Capital | Namur | ||||||||
| Common languages | Walloon,French | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | c. 981 | ||||||||
• Acquired byHainaut | 1189 | ||||||||
| 1482 | |||||||||
| 1556 | |||||||||
| 1714 | |||||||||
• Sold toBurgundy,joinsBurgundian Netherlands | 1429 1797 | ||||||||
•Treaty of Campo Formio:French annexation recognised by Austria | 1797 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Belgium | ||||||||
Namur(Dutch:Namen) was a county of theCarolingianand laterHoly Roman Empirein theLow Countries,a region innorthwestern Europe.Its territories largely correspond with the present-day French-speakingBelgianarrondissementNamurtogether with the northwestern part of the arrondissementDinant,which are both part of the modern province ofNamur.The modern provincial boundaries are based on theFrench Republicandepartment ofSambre-et-Meuse.
Prehistory to the Roman period[edit]
The city ofNamurmost likely arose around 'the Champeau', a rocky hill between theSambreandMeuserivers. Numerous prehistoric flint weapons have been found in the area. During Roman times, the region around Namur was first mentioned inJulius Caesar'sCommentarii de Bello Gallicoin the second half of the 1st century BC. To the west of Namur were theNervii,and to the east theGermani cisrhenani,but it has been suggested that Namur itself may have been home to theAduatuciwho Caesar described as descendants of theCimbriandTeutons.(Today it is considered more likely to have been atThuin.[1]) In Caesar's wars, the Roman legions conquered numerousBelgiccities and settlements. After this defeat, the Belgae and their territory were incorporated into theRoman Empire.
The Medieval period[edit]
The first mention of a region ruled by Namur (Latin:in pago Namurcensis) treated it as a part of the olderLommegau(pagusorcomitatus Lommensis) in the year 832 in a document byEmperor Louis the Pious.In 992,Emperor Otto IIIdescribedAlbert Ias a count of Namur for the first time.[2]
The first count of note wasAlbert III(1063–1102), who held the office ofadvocateof thePrincely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy.Until the start of the 12th century, Namur was threatened by its powerful neighboursBrabant,HainautandLiège.Important parts of the county were annexed. The city ofDinant,for example, came into possession of Liège. From the 12th century on, the counts of Namur managed to more or less compensate for the losses they had suffered. CountGodfrey,for example, acquired the county of Longwy, thanks to his marriage withErmesinde of Luxembourg.The last important figure from the first house that ruled Namur wasHenry I(1139–96). Henry I also inherited the counties ofDurbuy,La Roche-en-ArdenneandLuxembourg.After Henry's death, a fierce succession war broke out betweenBaldwin V, Count of Hainaut,and Henry's daughterErmesinde.Baldwin V eventually received the county of Namur, while Ermesine received Luxembourg, Laroche and Durbuy. The situation remained more or less stable until 1263. In this year, the count of Namur,Baldwin II of Courtenay,sold his county to the count ofFlanders,Guy of Dampierre.The house of Dampierre would rule until 1421, when the county of Namur was sold to theBurgundiandukePhilip the Good.
The Burgundian and Habsburg periods[edit]
After the county of Namur was bought byPhilip the Good,he integrated it into a large territorial and political union, called theBurgundian Netherlands.From the 15th century on, theSouthern Netherlands(and with it the county of Namur) were ruled by theHabsburgs.Under their new rule, the military importance of the city of Namur steadily grew. The Burgundians and Habsburgs strengthened the city and built new walls around it. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the city became an important military stronghold, and was repeatedly besieged for this reason.
The Spanish period[edit]
During the Spanish period (16th and 17th century), Namur receiveda bishopric's seat. The Spanish kingPhilip IIwanted to turn Namur into a Roman Catholic bastion as a bulwark against the rise ofCalvinism.Thus, Philip II required several religious orders to establish themselves in Namur. In consequence, the city gained a specific Catholic character. Philip II also managed to make considerable reinforcements to theCitadel of Namur.In 1577, Philip II sentDon Juan of Austriato the Netherlands as the new governor. In Namur, Don Juan receivedMargaret of Valois(the sister of the French king), and organised a magnificent celebration in her honor.
Troubled times and changing rulers[edit]
Namur has had a crucial military role throughout history. After the Spanish period, the strategically important city was repeatedly besieged. In 1692, the troops ofLouis XIV of Francetook the city after a lengthy and furious siege. Louis and his legendary military engineerSébastien Le Prestre de Vaubanpersonally oversaw the siege. Three years later, in 1695,William III of Orangeretook Namur. But the Dutch occupation did not last long. At theTreaty of Utrechtof 1713, theSouthern Netherlandscame under the rule of the Austrian house of Habsburg. Though the Austrians ruled over the city, the strategically important citadel remained in the hands of the Dutch. The Austrian rule returned peace and calm to the Netherlands.
The French revolutionists and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands[edit]
In 1790 the county of Namur was one of the founders of theUnited States of Belgium.In 1794 therevolutionaryFranceoccupied Namur, immediately introducing a repressive regime. Namur became part of theFrench departmentofSambre-et-Meuse.The French occupation was abruptly ended followingNapoleon's defeat at theBattle of Waterlooin 1815. In theCongress of Viennathat followed, the southern andNorthern Netherlandswere combined to form theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands.In this period, the citadel was again rebuilt and more or less received its present-day looks. The kingdom of the Netherlands would not last long. In 1830 theBelgian Revolutionbroke out, in whichBelgiumbecame independent from the Netherlands. The strategically important bastion of Namur played a decisive role in the battles associated with the Belgian Revolution.
Economic activities[edit]
The economic activities of the County of Namur were diverse. Next to the cultivation ofgrapesin the river valleys, the agriculture also cultivatedflax,that formed the basis of thewoolindustry. Clay formed the raw materials for theceramic-production and for the making of molds for the so-called dinanderie, the overall name for the yellow copperbrassart objects such as lecterns, candleholders, tableware and others. Themetal industrywas also important: in the 16th century the mouth of the Meuse (Dinant,Bouvignes,Namur, but alsoHuyandLiège) was the central region formetallurgyin the Southern Netherlands. Along the banks of the Meuse,limestonewas mined and exported.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Oppidum van de Aduatuci ligt in Thuin (Henegouwen)(in Dutch)
- ^Léon Vanderkindere,La formation territoriale des principautés Belges au Moyen Age,Tome II, p200
|  | |||||
| County | ||||||
| Cities | ||||||
| Dependent territories | ||||||
1until 1648;2until 1659;3until 1678.
Circles est. 1500:Bavarian,Swabian,Upper Rhenish,Lower Rhenish–Westphalian,Franconian,(Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512:Austrian,Burgundian,Upper Saxon,Electoral Rhenish·Unencircled territories | ||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
