| Native Name: | |
| Conventional Long Name: | Department of Ourthe |
| Common Name: | Ourthe |
| Year Start: | 1795 |
| Year End: | 1814 |
| Flag: | Flag of France |
| Image Map Caption: | Ourthe and other annexed departments |
| Common Languages: | Dutch, German |
| Status: | Department of the French First Republic and the French First Empire |
| Admin Center Type: | Chef-lieu |
| Admin Center: | Liège 50.45°N 60°W |
| Stat Year1: | 1796 |
| Stat Pop1: | 325,278 |
| Ref Pop1: | [1] |
| Stat Year2: | 1800 |
| Stat Pop2: | 327,121 |
| Ref Pop2: | [2] |
| Stat Year3: | 1812 |
| Stat Pop3: | 352,264 |
| Ref Pop3: | [3] |
| Era: | French Revolutionary Wars |
| Event Start: | Creation |
| Date Start: | 1 October |
| Event End: | Treaty of Paris, disestablished |
| Date End: | 30 May |
| P1: | Austrian Netherlands |
| Flag P1: | Austrian Netherlands national flag - Marko de Haeck.png |
| P2: | Prince-Bishopric of Liège |
| Flag P2: | LuikVlag.svg |
| P3: | Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy |
| S1: | Province of Liege |
| Flag S1: | Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg |
| Today: |
Ourthe (in French uʁt/, Dutch; Flemish: Ourte, German: Urt) was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium and Germany. It was named after the river Ourthe (Oûte). Its territory corresponded more or less with that of the present-day Belgian province of Liège and a small adjacent region in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. 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] Before this annexation, the territory included in the department had lain partly in the Bishopric of Liège, the Abbacy of Stavelot-Malmedy, the Duchies of Limburg and Luxembourg, and the County of Namur.
After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, most of the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as the province of Liège. The easternmost part (Eupen, Malmedy, Sankt Vith, Kronenburg, Schleiden) became part of the Prussian Rhine Province; part of this (Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt Vith) was taken back into Liège province after the First World War, under the Treaty of Versailles.
The Chef-lieu of the department was Liège. The department was subdivided into the following three arrondissements and cantons:
The Prefect was the highest state representative in the department.
| Term start | Term end | Office holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 March 1800[5] | 17 April 1806 | Antoine François Ehrard Marie Catherine Desmousseaux de Givre | |
| 17 April 1806[6] | 30 May 1814 | Charles Emmanuel Micoud d'Umons |
The Secretary-General was the deputy to the Prefect.
| Term start | Term end | Office holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 March 1800 | ?? ?? 1806 | Rémy Victor Gaillard | |
| ?? ?? 1806 | ?? ?? 1809 | Aubert | |
| ?? ?? 1809 | ?? ?? 1811 | Caselli | |
| ?? ?? 1811 | 30 May 1814 | Georges Bénigne Liegeard |
| Term start | Term end | Office holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1800[7] | 5 August 1810 | Robinot-Varin | |
| 5 August 1810 | 30 May 1814 | Collomb d’Arcine |
The office of Subprefect of Liège was held by the Prefect until 1811.
| Term start | Term end | Office holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 April 1800 | 3 February 1804 | Jean Thomas Lambert Bassenge | |
| 3 February 1804 | 30 May 1814 | Taillevis de Périgny |