Description

The Belgian occupied territories where "reunited" with France between 1794 and 1795. They where liberated in the spring of 1814 and occupied by a Anglo-Dutch coalition for Western Belgium and by a German coaltion for the eastern part of Belgium. In 1815 this occupation ended with the reunification of the Low Countries by King Willem I of the Netherlands.

Territorial Subdivisions

List of the 9 departements, with the name of actual Belgian province (click on the republican name for their subdivisions):

• Département de la Sambre et Meuse: Namur, Namen
• Departement der Beide Neten - Département des Deux Nèthes: Antwerpen, Anvers, Antwerp
• Departement de Jemappes: Hainaut, Henegouwen
• Departement van de Nedermaas - Département de la Basse Meuse: Limburg, Limbourg, Limburg
• Département de l'Ourthe: Liège, Luik
• Département des Forêts: Luxembourg, Luxemburg
• Scheldedepartement - Département de l'Escaut: Oost-Vlaanderen, Flandre Orientale, East Flanders
• Departement van de Dijle - Département de la Dyle: Brabant (was in 1994 splitted in the provinces Walloon Brabant, Flemish Brabant and the region Brussels)
• Departement der Leie - Département de la Lys: West-Vlaanderen, Flandre Occidentale, West Flanders

The other 4 where situated in current German territory:

• Département de Roer (partly current Dutch territory)
• Département de Rhin et Moselle
• Département de la Sarre
• Département du Mont Tonnere

Map of the 13 départements (Year XIII - Charles Oudiette)

Short History with Bibliography

• Contemporary history - French Era

  • General

    • The French Occupation of Belgium 1794-1815

    • 1815: The Battle of Waterloo

      The "Belgians" at Waterloo by Marcel Blanchaert

  • Chronology

    • 1794-1795: Epuration of the local administration

      16 November 1794:

      subdivision of the former Austrian territories and Liège in arrondissements,

      instauration of the civil mariage

      abolition of the torture.

      1 March 1795:

      introduction of the jury

      31 August 1795:

      suppression of the arrondissements and creation of the 9 departments, with natural limits (no relation with the feudal limits and subdivision)

      Ex: The Departement de l'Ourthe (Liège) is subdivided in 36 cantons. Before it was mainly the Arrondissment de Liège, with the territories of Gedinne, Franchimont, Logne, Stavelot-Malmedy and part of Limbourg.

      17 September 1795:

      creation of the "Conseil du Gouvernement Provisoire"

      1 October 1795:

      The French law of 1 october 1795 (Loi sur la réunion de la Belgique, du pays de Liège à la République Française du 9 vendimaire an IV) did specify the following groups of territories (depending on their attitude towards the Revolution):

      1. Pays de Liège, de Stavelot, de Logne et de Malmedy: confirmation of the reunification laws of 2 March, 4 March and 8 May 1793
      2. Hainaut, Tournaisis, le Pays de Namur and a large group of municipalities of Flanders and Brabant: confirmation of the reunification laws of 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 11, 19 and 23 March 1793
      3. the municipalities of Ipres (Ieper), Grammont (Geraadsbergen) and other municipalities of Flanders, Brabant and the former Austrian Gueldre (Gelderland, NL) (territories who did ask on their initiative for their reunification with France)
      4. the former Austrian territories on this [left] side of the Rhine and the former Dutch territories [on the left side of the Rhine], conceded by the Treaty of 27 floréal IV: the last where mainly the former Dutch parts of the Departement "Schelde" and "Nedermaas" and the Duchies of Luxembourg and Limbourg.

      The same law did create the following 13 départements, with a specific legal status within France until 6 december 1796 (first elections in February 1797):
      

      Sambre et Meuse (BEL), Deux Nèthes (BEL+NL), Gemappes (BEL), Basse Meuse (BEL), l'Ourthe (BEL+D), Forêts (BEL+LUX+D), l'Escaut (BEL+NL), Dyle (BEL), Lys (BEL), Bouches de l'Escaut (NLD), Bouches du Rhin (NLD), Roer (DEU), Rhin et Moselle (DEU).

      Some territories, as the Duchy of Bouillon, wheren't included in those 13 départements.

    • 1798: Peasants War (Boerenkrijg)

      • The Flemish Peasants War (1798)

  • Images

    • Napoleon - Battle of Ligny in 1815 by André Bodart (and Flo. Day)

  • Interesting links

    • The French occupation of Belgium (1794-1815) by Marcel Blanchaer
      with focus on the "Boerenkrijg" (Peasant's War)

Sources

Repositories

Societies

Migration / Emigration / Immigration

Families and Family Histories

Sciences

• Cartography

  • Map of the 13 départements (Year XIII - Charles Oudiette)
  • Treaty of Vienna (Adjustements 1814-1815) with inset of the Dutch-French border (UT Library Online)

This web site is the collective work of the subscribers to the mail list BELGIUM-ROOTS-L founded June 1998 by Georges Picavet (see our members page and the copyrights page for more info) Q:\webbeta\rw_belgiumroots\bel\bel_fr\index.html (br_bel_fr) This Global file was last updated 18/01/2007 23:49:01 CET and uploaded Thursday, 18-Jan-2007 16:11:57 MST