Map of the Seventeen Provinces and Neighboring Domains
In 1548, much of the Low Countries (modern Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and parts of northern France) were brought together into a single political entity called the Seventeen Provinces - directly under the control of Charles V.
Though united by proximity, there were sharp divisions of history, culture, and language cutting through the provinces - divisions which would become highlighted by the political, religious, and military struggles which would follow.
Though united by proximity, there were sharp divisions of history, culture, and language cutting through the provinces - divisions which would become highlighted by the political, religious, and military struggles which would follow.
While much of the Low Countries were united as the “Seventeen Provinces,” some regions remained outside of Charles’ control, such as the ecclesiastical holdings of Liège, various territories under the control of German princes, and a smatter of smaller, independent holdings.
Add to that mix the fact that contemporaries – and historians today – are dividing on just which provinces made up the seventeen, and you get a complicated geography to decipher. Use the following map to identify provinces and major geographical landmarks.
This is a work in progress!
