| Boekel | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Flag Size: | 100x67px |
| Map Alt: | Highlighted position of Boekel in a municipal map of North Brabant |
| Coordinates: | 51.6°N 45°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Brabant |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Governing Body: | Municipal council |
| Leader Party: | CDA |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Pierre Bos |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
| Elevation M: | 16 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Uden-Veghel |
| Population Blank1: | 175119 |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postcode |
| Postal Code: | 5427–5428 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 0492 |
Boekel (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈbukəl/) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.
Previously it was assumed the name Boekel referred to the forest ("loo" in Dutch) of the lords Boc, similar to places like Boxmeer and Boxtel. The lords Boc were the first lords of Boxmeer, but have no connection to the other two places.
Currently, it is presumed that the name derives from Beukeloo, which is a type of beech forest.
Boekel was founded at some point in the Middle Ages as a settlement with a number of farms.
In the 13th century Boekel was part of de heerlijkheid Uden. In 1233 a separation took place between the Land van Cuijk and the and Uden. At that time Uden, together with Herpen, formed a unit of government called a heerlijkheid. Until the foundation of the city of Ravenstein, Herpen was the main city of this region. Rutger van Herpen sold or leased in 1313 or 1314 the community rights (gemene gronden) to the residents of Boekel and Volkel. When the noble lord wanted to improve his cash position, he charged the use of any of its soil, beginning with the wasteland in his heerlijkheid. This common land was mainly marshy land and barren higher grounds, such as heaths.
In 1324 the heerlijkheid of Uden administratively belonged to the Land of Ravenstein, under the rule of the House of Valkenburg until 1396.
From the aldermen Herpen and Uden the Heikantsgericht was created in 1339. These stretched across the entire former heerlijkheid of Uden, consisting of Uden, Boekel and Zeeland. Of these aldermen, which in total had seven members, two were from Boekel.
Reinoud of Valkenburg (married to Elisabeth van Kleef) died childless so the Duke of Brabant Adolf van Kleef gained Herpen, Ravenstein and Uden, so in 1397 Kleef's territory was enlarged. Afterwards the area came under the rule of Neuburg-Palts in 1629. Under the Neubergers' rule, the area had religious freedom.
Because the neighboring provinces of Brabant and Gelderland from 1648 officially fell under the States-General, this more and more was seen as "foreign". The religious freedom provided opportunities for Catholics in the States of Brabant. The Catholics of Erp built their own barn church on the border with Boekel. Due to the religious freedom several Catholic religious orders also settled in the Land of Ravenstein. In 1741 members of the Brothers Penitent, from the Handelse Kluis themselves wanted to settle in Boekel. Led by the brothers laid the foundation for the Psychiatric Hospital Huize Padua.
From the 17th century various conflicts arose among the villages of Boekel, Uden and Gemert around the demarcation lines between the Ravenstein, Cuijk and Gemert areas. In 1663 the boundary dispute with the Vrije Heerlijkheid Gemert was settled. In 1729, a similar problem with Uden was settled.