| Native Name: | |
| Conventional Long Name: | Department of Lys |
| Common Name: | Lys |
| Year Start: | 1795 |
| Year End: | 1814 |
| Flag: | Flag of France |
| Image Map Caption: | Lys and other annexed departments |
| Common Languages: | Dutch |
| Status: | Department of the French First Republic and French First Empire |
| Admin Center Type: | Chef-lieu |
| Admin Center: | Bruges 51.2°N 16°W |
| Stat Year1: | 1784 |
| Stat Pop1: | 444,260 |
| Stat Year2: | 1804 |
| Stat Pop2: | 461,659 |
| Ref Pop2: | [1] |
| Stat Year3: | 1805 |
| Stat Pop3: | 471,689 |
| Ref Pop3: | [2] |
| Stat Year4: | 1812 |
| Stat Pop4: | 491,143 |
| Ref Pop4: | [3] |
| Era: | French Revolutionary Wars |
| Event Start: | Creation |
| Date Start: | 1 October |
| Event End: | Treaty of Paris, disestablished |
| Date End: | 30 May |
| P1: | County of Flanders |
| Flag P1: | Austrian Netherlands national flag - Marko de Haeck.png |
| S1: | West Flanders |
| Flag S1: | Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg |
| Today: |
Lys (in French lis/, Dutch; Flemish: Leie) was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium. It was named after the river Lys (Leie). It was created on 1 October 1795, when the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège were officially annexed by the French Republic.[4] Prior to this annexation, its territory was part of the County of Flanders. Its Chef-lieu was Bruges.
The department was subdivided into the following four arrondissements and cantons (as of 1812):
After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its territory corresponded perfectly with the present-day Belgian province of West Flanders.
The Prefect was the highest state representative in the department.
| Term start | Term end | Office holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 March 1800[5] | 9 February 1804 | François Marie Joseph Justin de Viry | |
| 9 February 1804[6] | 12 May 1808 | François Bernard de Chauvelin | |
| 30 November 1810[7] | 25 August 1811 | Pierre Amédée Vincent Joseph Marie Arborio-Biamino | |
| 25 August 1811[8] | 30 May 1814 | Jean François Soult |
The General Secretary was the deputy to the Prefect.
Until 1811, the Prefect also held the office of Subprefect of Bruges.
| Term start | Term end | Office holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 April 1800 | 3 May 1801 | Jean Baptiste De Burck | |
| 3 May 1801 | 3 May 1802 | Constant | |
| 3 May 1802 | 30 May 1814 | Antoine Alexis Joseph Picquet |
| Term start | Term end | Office holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 April 1800 | 1 September 1801 | Van den Bussche | |
| 1 September 1801 | 3 May 1802 | Antoine Alexis Joseph Picquet | |
| 3 May 1802 | 25 March 1807 | Philippe Jacques Herwyn | |
| 25 March 1807 | 21 September 1808 | Nicolas Charles Joseph Dubois | |
| 21 September 1808 | 8 April 1813 | Delaëter | |
| 8 April 1813 | 30 May 1814 | F. Heim |