Duchy of Brabant

Duchy of Brabant, former duchy comprising the present-day provinces of North Brabant, Netherlands, and of Antwerp and Brabant, Belgium. In the 1st century bc, the region later known as Brabant was occupied by the Romans. It became a possession of the Franks in the 5th century ad, but with the disintegration of the Frankish Empire in the 9th century it was included first in the duchy of Lorraine and later in the duchy of Lower Lorraine. By 1190, when the region became the duchy of Brabant, its cities of Brussels, Antwerp, and Louvain were prosperous centres of trade. Textile industries and other commercial activities flourished, and the towns and cities were granted a large share of the government of the duchy in return for the revenue they provided to finance its expenditures. In 1356 these powerful local governments forced the reigning duke to sign a charter called La Joyeuse Entrée (The Joyful Entry). The charter stipulated that the duke could not coin money, declare war, or contract alliances without the consent of the people; it remained in effect until 1789 and had to be sworn to by each new duke before he could enter the capital, Louvain.

In 1430 the duchy became part of Burgundy, but in 1477 it passed into the control of the Habsburg family, through the marriage of Mary of Burgundy to Archduke Maximilian, later Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. In 1556 Brabant passed into the possession of the kings of Spain. The southern part of the duchy remained under Spanish rule until 1713, when sovereignty reverted to Austria. The northern part of the duchy, however, was incorporated into the United Provinces (the Netherlands) in 1648. Brabant became part of the kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1830, when Belgium separated from the Netherlands, Brabant was divided between the two countries; the eldest son of the Belgian ruling monarch generally bears the title Duke of Brabant.