French Flanders
Encyclopedia
French Flanders is a part of the historical County of Flanders
in present-day France. The region today lies in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas de Calais
, the department of Nord, and roughly corresponds to the arrondissements
of Lille
, Douai
and Dunkirk
on the Belgian
border.
.
French Flanders consists of two regions:
, who was crowned at Tournai
, Flanders gradually fell under the control of the English and then Spanish. When French power returned under Louis XIV, a part of historically French Flanders
was returned.
The region now called French Flanders was originally part of the feudal Countship of Flanders, then part of the Southern Netherlands
, in present-day Belgium. It was separated from the countship (part of Habsburg's Burgundian inheritance) in 1659 due to the Peace of the Pyrenees, which ended the French-Spanish conflict in the Thirty Years War, and other parts of the region were added in successive treaties in 1668 and 1678. The region was ceded to the Kingdom of France
, and became part of the province of Flanders and Hainaut
. The bulk became part of the modern French administrative Department of Nord, although some western parts of the region, which separated in 1237 and became the Countship of Artois before the cession to the French, are now part of Pas-de-Calais.
During World War II, French Flanders referred to all of Nord-Pas de Calais
which was first attached to military administration of German
-occupied Belgium, then part of Belgien-Nordfrankreich under a Reichskommissar
, and finally part of a theoretical Reichsgau
of Flanders.
Rich in coal, and bordering the North Sea, French Flanders was fought over numerous times between the Middle Ages and World War II.
known as West Flemish
, specifically, a subdialect known as French Flemish, spoken by around 20,000 daily speakers and 40,000 occasional speakers. A traditional language of southern French Flanders (Romance Flanders), is Picard
(and its dialects, such as Ch'ti or Rouchi).
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
in present-day France. The region today lies in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas de Calais
Nord-Pas de Calais
Nord-Pas de Calais , Nord for short, is one of the 27 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Most of the region was once part of the Southern Netherlands, within the Low Countries, and gradually became part of France...
, the department of Nord, and roughly corresponds to the arrondissements
Arrondissements of France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts.The capital of an arrondissement/district is called a subprefecture...
of Lille
Arrondissement of Lille
The arrondissement of Lille is an arrondissement of France, located in the Nord department, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. It has 28 cantons and 124 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Lille are:# Armentières# La Bassée# Cysoing...
, Douai
Arrondissement of Douai
The arrondissement of Douai is an arrondissement of France, located in the Nord department, in the Nord-Pas de Calais region. It has 7 cantons and 64 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Douai are:# Arleux# Douai-Nord# Douai-Nord-Est...
and Dunkirk
Arrondissement of Dunkirk
The arrondissement of Dunkirk is an arrondissement of France, located in the Nord department, in the Nord-Pas de Calais region. It has 16 cantons and 115 communes....
on the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
border.
Geography
French Flanders is mostly flat marshlands in the coal-rich area just south of the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
French Flanders consists of two regions:
- French Westhoek to the northwest, lying between the Lys RiverLys RiverThe Leie or Lys is a river in France and Belgium, and a left tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is ....
and the North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, roughly the same area as the Arrondissement of Dunkirk - LilleLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
Flanders (French: La Flandre Lilloise; Dutch: Rijsels-Vlaanderen), the French parts of Romance FlandersRomance FlandersRomance Flanders or Gallicant Flanders is the part of the county of Flanders where people speak Romance languages, like varieties of Picard. It currently straddles the border of France and Belgium.-Name:...
(historically also Walloon FlandersWalloon FlandersWalloon Flanders is part of the County of Flanders.Walloon Flanders usually means the same territory, the bailiwick of Douai and the castelleny of Lille, but in two different periods :In the Spanish Low Countries, it was the part of Romance Flanders which signed the Union of Arras on January 6,...
) to the southeast, south of the Lys and now the arrondissements of Lille and Douai
History
Once a part of ancient Frankia since the inception of the Frankish kingdom under the Merovingian monarchs such as ClovisClovis I
Clovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
, who was crowned at Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
, Flanders gradually fell under the control of the English and then Spanish. When French power returned under Louis XIV, a part of historically French Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
was returned.
The region now called French Flanders was originally part of the feudal Countship of Flanders, then part of the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
, in present-day Belgium. It was separated from the countship (part of Habsburg's Burgundian inheritance) in 1659 due to the Peace of the Pyrenees, which ended the French-Spanish conflict in the Thirty Years War, and other parts of the region were added in successive treaties in 1668 and 1678. The region was ceded to the Kingdom of France
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
, and became part of the province of Flanders and Hainaut
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
. The bulk became part of the modern French administrative Department of Nord, although some western parts of the region, which separated in 1237 and became the Countship of Artois before the cession to the French, are now part of Pas-de-Calais.
During World War II, French Flanders referred to all of Nord-Pas de Calais
Nord-Pas de Calais
Nord-Pas de Calais , Nord for short, is one of the 27 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Most of the region was once part of the Southern Netherlands, within the Low Countries, and gradually became part of France...
which was first attached to military administration of German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-occupied Belgium, then part of Belgien-Nordfrankreich under a Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
, and finally part of a theoretical Reichsgau
Reichsgau
A Reichsgau was an administrative subdivision created in a number of the areas annexed to Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945...
of Flanders.
Rich in coal, and bordering the North Sea, French Flanders was fought over numerous times between the Middle Ages and World War II.
Language
The traditional language of northern French Flanders (Westhoek) is a dialect of the Dutch languageDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
known as West Flemish
West Flemish
West Flemish , , , Fransch vlaemsch in French Flemish) is a group of dialects or regional language related to Dutch spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France....
, specifically, a subdialect known as French Flemish, spoken by around 20,000 daily speakers and 40,000 occasional speakers. A traditional language of southern French Flanders (Romance Flanders), is Picard
Picard language
Picard is a language closely related to French, and as such is one of the larger group of Romance languages. It is spoken in two regions in the far north of France – Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy – and in parts of the Belgian region of Wallonia, the district of Tournai and a part of...
(and its dialects, such as Ch'ti or Rouchi).
See also
- Nord (department)
- French Flemish
- Nord-Pas-de-Calais
- Greater Netherlands
- Seventeen ProvincesSeventeen ProvincesThe Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of Western Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held by...
- Burgundian NetherlandsBurgundian NetherlandsIn the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to a number of Imperial and French fiefs ruled in personal union by the House of Valois-Burgundy and their Habsburg heirs in the period from 1384 to 1482...
- FrisiansFrisiansThe Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
Sources and references
- Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré, 1952.
- French Flanders
- Ethnologue Report for West Flemish
- Flemish in France