tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1151402917402794542006-06-27T11:08:00.000+01:002006-06-27T11:08:00.000+01:002006-06-27T11:08:00.000+01:00I would like to say something about the name Brabant.<BR/><BR/>Brabant is an old duchy which was part of the Habsburg empire in the 16th century. Brabant was one of the 17 provinces in an area that nowadays cover the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Norhern-France and which in the 16th centrury was ruled by the (Spanish) Habsburgs. In the second half of 16th centrury a revolt took place in the 17 provinces. The northern (seven) Low Countries succeeded in breaking away from the Spanish Habsburg empire and became the Netherlands (or Holland named after the most powerful province). The bulk of the southern Netherlands became the Spanish Netherlands (in the 18th century the Austrian Netherlands and in the 19th centry Belgium).<BR/>The province of Brabant was divided in the independence struggle between the northern (independent) Netherlands and the Southern Netherlands. That is why Brabant is nowadays divided between the Netherlands and Belgium. The Netherlands' part is consists of the province Norhern Brabant and the Belgian part consists of the provinces Antwerp and Brabant. Southern Holland is not the same as the Southern Netherlands, because Holland is only a part of the Netherlands. Southern Holland is in a fact a province on its own. It sounds very funny to a Dutchman that Brabant is a part of Southern Holland, bit like that Scotland is part of Norhern England.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com