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In the 16th and 17th Centuries what name defined Germany? I read different opinions that varied from HRE to House of Habsburg. Can someone please tell me the answer?
The Hapsburgs were usually elected HRE emporers, though it was not a hereditary title.
I think the official title of the political entity was "The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation", which in itself was a misnomer since the Kingdom of Bohemia belonged (it was Czech), historically (from the Middle Ages) as an "affliated partner", as did what is now French-speaking part of Belgium and todays Alsace and Lorraine.
That is a pretty good timeline. I see it was the Golden Bull that established the title I mentioned (forgot about the interests in Italy from back in the Middle Ages).
My ancestors lived in the area presently called Belgium in the middle ages. It was surrounded by France, Brabant, Noord Brabant, Luxembourg Nederland and the HRE?
I thought the golden bull established the original seven circles for taxation and protection purposes?. The Liege bishopric was in the Westphalian-Lower Rhenish Circle. (I have not looked at it for awhile so I may have the names reversed.)
All of this brings up another issue. I was under the impression the LIege bishopric owned that land that extended as far north as County Loon. For me this little piece of Europen history is proving to be a real sticky wicket, so to speak.
^
Nearly all of what is now Belgium was part of the Holy Roman Empire and remained in the HRE until the French Revolution.
The area, in the later years of the HRE, was called the Spanish Netherlands, later Austrian Netherlands, and was ruled by the Hapsburgs. This included Brabant. As you note Liege was a bishopric, a territorial state, and was surrounded by the Austrian Netherlands. Leige was also part of the HRE.
Heres' a map of the situation in the 1500s, showing both The Netherlands and what is now Belgium.
The question can be interpreted in either of two ways. Is it asking about the definition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1600, which encompassed virtually all of what is now Germany? Or is it asking about the political identity of "Germanic-speaking lands", which have logically been used to define the present borders of Germany and Austria, as well as parts of a few adjacent countries.
There was never a national status incorporating German speakers until 1815, when entities such as Prussia and Bavaria and the Palatinate formed a union to become known as Germany in English (Deutsch, Aleman, Tedesco, Nemecky, or Niemcy in the surrounding languages). Although the word "Germany" dates back to about 1520, using the Latin name for a part of the region. Before that, Teutonia was the widely-used term for German-speaking lands.
It wasn't until about the 6th century, that the Dutch language began to separate itself as a distinct language from those now classified as German.
^
Nearly all of what is now Belgium was part of the Holy Roman Empire and remained in the HRE until the French Revolution.
The area, in the later years of the HRE, was called the Spanish Netherlands, later Austrian Netherlands, and was ruled by the Hapsburgs. This included Brabant. As you note Liege was a bishopric, a territorial state, and was surrounded by the Austrian Netherlands. Leige was also part of the HRE.
Heres' a map of the situation in the 1500s, showing both The Netherlands and what is now Belgium. .
Can you take me back to 1575 and tell me who owned what is called the area of Limburg before it was divided between the Kingdoms of Netherland and Belgium?
My vision is poor, It looks to me as if in 1644 it was Limburg of The States? The Netherlands?
This particular area is very important to me as my ancestors allegedly lived in that area near a major trading route between Cologne and Antwerp.
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