List of wars in the southern Low Countries (1560–1829) explained

This is a list of wars that occurred in the southern Low Countries between 1560 and 1829.

Unlike the 'Northern Netherlands', where a set of united provinces and cities proclaimed its independence in 1581 and would become the Dutch Republic in 1588, the southern Low Countries would remain dependent territories throughout this time. These non-sovereign territories included the Habsburg-owned Southern Netherlands (Spanish Netherlands until 1715, Austrian Netherlands until 1795), the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (until 1795), the Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy (until 1794), the Prince-Bishopric of Cambrésis and the Imperial City of Cambray (until 1678), the Principality of Sedan (until 1651), the Duchy of Bouillon (until 1795), and some western parts of the Duchy of Jülich (until 1795). Aside from these, there were various other small political entities such as the County of Enghien (until 1569), the Imperial Lordship of Kessenich (until 1784), the Duchy of Aarschot, the Duchy of Hoogstraten, the County of Horne, the Double Lordship of Maastricht, the Redemptiedorpen, the County of the Vroenhof (all until 1795), and so on. During the Brabant and Liège Revolutions (1789–1791), the United Belgian States and Liège Republic briefly achieved de facto independence, but remained unrecognised before the Habsburgs restored their power, and French Revolutionary armies soon conquered all the southern Low Countries and annexed them into the French First Republic in 1795. Most of the Low Countries were unified in 1815 as the newly created United Kingdom of the Netherlands under the House of Orange-Nassau, in personal union with the newly created Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, until the Belgian Revolution broke out in 1830.

StartFinishName of conflictBelligentsOutcome
Combatant 1Combatant 2
15661648Eighty Years' War
(also called the Dutch Revolt)
(mixed with the Thirty Years' War)
Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)
Portuguese Empire (1580–1640)
Austrian Habsburgs (1598–1621)
Dutch States Party (incl. Flanders, Brabant,
Mechelen, Artois, Hainaut, Namur etc. c. 15761585)

Kingdom of England (1585–1604, 1625–30)
Kingdom of France (1596–8, 1635–48)

Peace of Münster
  • Dutch Republic attains independence
  • Southern Netherlands remain Spanish
    • Catholic Church remains the state religion, other religions remain illegal
15931595Luxemburg campaigns
(part of the Eighty Years' War)
Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)
Prince-Bishopric of Liège (1595)
Dutch Republic
Duchy of Bouillon
Spanish victory
  • Dutch and Bouillonese troops withdraw
16351659Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)
(emerged from the Thirty Years' War)
Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)
(1635–48)
Modena and Reggio (1635–46)
English Royalists (1657–59)
Kingdom of France
Dutch Republic (1635–48)
(1654–59)

Modena and Reggio (1647–49, 1655–59)
(1635–37)
Principality of Catalonia (1640–41)
Catalan Republic (1641) ----
Co-belligerent: Kingdom of Portugal (1640–59)
French victory
16671668War of Devolution Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)----Triple Alliance: Kingdom of FranceTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)
16721678Franco-Dutch War
(mixed with the Third Anglo-Dutch War)
(mixed with the Scanian War)
Dutch Republic
Brandenburg-Prussia
Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)
Duchy of Lorraine (from 1673)
Holy Roman Empire (from 1673):

Denmark–Norway (from 1675)

Kingdom of France
Kingdom of England (1672–74)
Prince-Bishopric of Münster (1672–74)
Electorate of Cologne (1672–74)
Kingdom of Sweden (from 1674)
Indecisive
16831684War of the Reunions
Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)
Kingdom of FranceFrench victory
16881697Nine Years' War Dutch Republic
Kingdom of England
Holy Roman Empire:

Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)
Kingdom of Portugal
Kingdom of Sweden
Duchy of Savoy---- Stavelot-Malmedy

Kingdom of France
17011714War of the Spanish Succession Austria
Great Britain
Dutch Republic
Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Portugal
Crown of Aragon
Duchy of Savoy
Kingdom of France
Spanish Empire (incl. Spanish Netherlands)
Electorate of Bavaria
Hungarian rebels
Peace of Utrecht (1713–5)
Treaty of Rastatt (1714)
17181720War of the Quadruple Alliance Austria (incl. Austrian Netherlands)
Kingdom of France
Great Britain
Duchy of Savoy
Dutch Republic
Spanish EmpireAllied victory
17401748War of the Austrian Succession Austria (incl. Austrian Netherlands)
Great Britain
Electorate of Hanover
Dutch Republic
Saxony (1743–45)
Kingdom of Sardinia (1742–48)
Russian Empire (1741–43, 1748)
Kingdom of France
Kingdom of Prussia (1740–42, 1744–45)
Spanish Empire
Kingdom of Naples
Electorate of Bavaria (1741–45)
Electoral Palatinate (1741–46)
Electorate of Saxony (1741–42)
Kingdom of Sweden (1741–43)
Republic of Genoa (1745–48)
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
  • Maria Theresia recognised as Empress of Austria
  • Spain acquires the Parma and Piacenza from Austria
  • Austria recognises Prussian conquest of Silesia
  • France withdraws from Low Countries, Dutch Republic retrieves Barrier forts
  • France exchanges Madras against Ile-Royale with England
17841784Kettle War Dutch Republic Austria (incl. Austrian Netherlands)Dutch victory:
17891791Liège Revolution Liège Republic
United Belgian States (1790)
Kingdom of Prussia (1790)
Prince-Bishopric of Liège
Austria
Austrian–episcopal victory
  • Restoration of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège
17891790Brabant Revolution Statists & Vonckists

Liège Republic
Kingdom of Prussia (1790)

AustriaAustrian victory
  • Temporary overthrow of Austrian rule by an émigré army, followed by local uprisings
  • Establishment of the United Belgian States
  • Growing friction between political factions
  • Exile of the liberal faction
  • First Austrian Restoration
17921797War of the First Coalition
(mostly the Low Countries theatre)
First Coalition:
Dutch Republic
Holy Roman Empire

Great Britain
Spanish Empire (1793–95)

Kingdom of the French (1792)
French First Republic (from 1792)

Spanish Empire (1796–97)

French victory
17981798Peasants' War (1798) Brigands French First RepublicFrench victory
  • Revolt suppressed
17981802War of the Second Coalition

    Spanish Empire

    French victory
    18031806War of the Third Coalition
    (part of the Napoleonic Wars)

      French victory
      18131814War of the Sixth CoalitionSixth Coalition:

      After Pläswitz (June–August 1813)

      • (12 August)
      • (8 Oct.)

      After Leipzig (October 1813)

      After January 1814 Denmark

      Until January 1814

      Coalition victory
      • Napoleon abdicates and is captured
      • Future of southern Low Countries determined at Congress of Vienna (1814–15)
      1815 1815Hundred Days
      (also called War of the Seventh Coalition)
      (part of the Napoleonic Wars)
      First French EmpireCoalition victory

      Notes and References

      1. Book: Tony Kellen . Malmedy und die preussische Wallonie . Fredebeul & Koenen . 1897 . de . 18.