This is a list of stadtholders (, ) or governors () in the Low Countries, or historical Netherlands region. This includes all the territories in the Low Countries that were acquired by the House of Habsburg in the 15th and 16th centuries and were politically united as the Habsburg Netherlands, then known as the "Seventeen Provinces". It also includes non-Habsburg territories, such as the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (until 1794), the Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy (until 1794), the Prince-Bishopric of Cambrésis and the Imperial City of Cambray (until 1678), the Principality of Sedan (until 1651), the Duchy of Bouillon (until 1795), and the Duchy of Jülich (until 1795).
Background The stadtholders or governors were appointed from the ranks of the high nobility, and acted as deputies of a monarch, such as the dukes of Burgundy, Saxony and Guelders, the kings of Spain, or the archdukes of Austria. During the Eighty Years' War, the States(-General) of provinces that rebelled against the Spanish crown started appointing their own stadtholders, establishing a symbiotic relationship between States and stadtholders in what would become the Dutch Republic. Throughout the war, some areas had two stadtholders: those appointed by the Habsburgs and those appointed by the States in revolt.
By territory
County of Artois The County of Artois () was a province of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/1482, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659. Through the Burgundian treaty of 1548, it was made part of the Habsburg Netherlands (Seventeen Provinces) until 1659, when it was reincorportated into France.
In Habsburg service 1500–1504: Engelbert II of Nassau, count of Nassau-Breda 1506–1513: James II of Luxemburg-Fiennes, lord of Fiennes 15??–1524: Ferry of Croÿ, lord van Roeulx 1524–1553: Adrian of Croÿ, count of Roeulx 1553–1558: Pontus of Lalaing, lord of Bugnicourt, Relations des ambassadeurs vénitiens sur Charles-quint et Philippe II (1847) 86. 1559–1568: Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavre 1568–1571: none (?) 1571–1578: Ferdinand of Lannoy, duke of Bojano 1578–1579: Gillis van Berlaymont, lord of Hierges 1579–1597: Florent de Berlaymont, count of Lalaing and Berlaymont 1597–1610: Charles III de Croÿ, Prince de Chimay 1610–1624: Lamoral, Prince of Ligne
Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant had no stadtholder, since the governor-general administered this region directly from Brussels. William the Silent once proposed to appoint a kind of stadtholder (he called it superintendent) to be able to persuade the States of Brabant to obey, because without the stadtholder, the States could act too independently. He implied that he himself would be a good candidate for the office. However, his proposal was rejected by Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle.Robert Fruin, Het voorspel van den tachtigjarigen oorlog (1859). At the Entry of William the Silent to Brussels in September 1577, William did receive the medieval title of ruwaard from the hands of the States of Brabant, which came down to a stadtholdership, but mainly had symbolic value.
Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai Although the Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai () or Cambrésis was not formally part of the Habsburg Netherlands but was sovereign and directly under the emperor, the emperor was also always from the House of Habsburg, and the city of Cambrai had had a Spanish garrison as its occupation since 1543. The Spanish Habsburgs therefore appointed governors (stadtholders) over Cambrai who were not answerable to the prince-bishop residing in Le Cateau-Cambrésis.
In Habsburg service 1566–1574: Philip of Noircarmes 1574–1576: Philip of Récourt, baron of Licques (Liques), viscount of Lens. Taken captive and deposed by Baudouin de Gavre in 1576.
In States-General service 1576–1581: Baudouin de Gavre, lord of Inchy, conquered Cambrai and was appointed commander/governor/stadtholder of Cambrai in the service of the States-General. 1589: Cambrai conquered by the French.
In French service 1594–1595: Jean de Moltluc, lord of Balagny (on behalf of the king of France) 1595: Siege of Cambrai (1595), Balagny capitulated on 9 October 1595 and the city fell back into Spanish hands.
In Habsburg service 1617–1630: Carlos Coloma, previously governor of Roussillon (1600–1611) and viceroy of Mallorca (1611–1617) 1630–16??: Juan Carlos de Guzman, Marquis of Fuentès Siege of Cambrai (1677): French forces took control of Cambrai. By the 1678–1679 Treaties of Nijmegen, France annexed Cambrésis.
In French service 168?–168?: François de Montbion 1741–1750?: Lodewijk Pieter Engelbert van der Marck.
County of Drenthe In Habsburg service 1536–1540: Georg Schenck van Toutenburg 1540–1548: Maximiliaan van Egmond 1549–1568: Jean de Ligne, count of Arenberg 1568–1572: Charles de Brimeu, count of Megen 1572–1574: Gillis van Berlaymont 1574–1576: Gaspar de Robles, lord of Billy 1576–1580: none; province in States-General control 1580–1581: George de Lalaing, Count of Rennenberg 1581–1594: Francisco Verdugo 1595–1618: Frederik van den Bergh, in name only.
In States-General service 1576–1580: George de Lalaing, Count of Rennenberg 1580–1584: William the Silent, prince of Orange (de facto)After the "Treason of Rennenberg" (3 March 1580), Orange became de facto stadtholder of the northern regions on behalf of the States-General; in fact, however, the States had no authority over Groningen and Drenthe in these years. 1584–1596: gnone; province in Spanish control, De Stadhouders van Drenthe, hunne magt en staatsregterlijke verhouding tot de landschap (1867) 4–6. 1593/1596–1620: William Louis of Nassau-DillenburgAfter Coevorden was captured from the Spanish government troops in 1592, the plenipotentiary Drenthe nobles appointed William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg on 5 January 1593 in Kampen as stadtholder of the County of Drenthe. This was not confirmed by the States-General in The Hague until 24 August 1596. 1620–1625: Maurice, Prince of Orange 1625–1632: Ernest Casimir, Count of Nassau-Dietz 1632–1640: Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz 1640–1647: Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange 1647–1650: William II, Prince of Orange 1650–1664: William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz 1664–1696: Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz 1696–1702: William III of England 1702–1722: Second Stadtholderless Period 1722–1751: William IV, Prince of Orange 1751–1795: William V, Prince of Orange
County of Flanders In Habsburg service 1490–1506: Engelbert II of Nassau, count of Nassau-Breda 1506–1513: James II of Luxemburg-Fiennes, lord of Fiennes 1513–1517: ? 1517–1532: James II of Luxemburg-Fiennes, lord of Fiennes 1532–1540: Stadtholderless period (office temporarily suspended due to concerns of political power), Bourgondië voorbij: De Nederlanden 1250-1650 (2010) 211–214. Uitgeverij Verloren. 1540–1553: Adrian of Croÿ, count of Rœulx 1553–1558: Pontus of Lalaing, lord of Bugnicourt 1559–1568: Lamoral, Count of Egmont, prince of Gavre 1568–1572: none (?)After Egmont's execution, Flanders (probably) temporarily had no stadtholder. Jean de Croÿ (the Count of Rœulx) is mentioned as his successor, but he did not receive his appointment until 3 July 1572. 1572–1577: 1577–1584: none (?); province in States-General control (Calvinist Republic of Ghent).
In States-General service 1577: Philippe III de Croÿ, duke of Aarschot 1577–1583: none (?); province in States-General control (Calvinist Republic of Ghent) 1583–1584: Charles III de Croÿ, Prince de Chimay, duke of Aarschot.
Lordship of Frisia 1515–1518: Floris van Egmont, Count of Buren 1518–1521: Wilhelm von Roggendorf 1522: Jancko Douwama, Frisian rebel 1521–1540: Georg Schenck van Toutenburg 1548–1559: Maximiliaan van Egmond, Count of Buren 1559–1568: Jean de Ligne 1568–1572: Charles de Brimeu, Count of Megen 1572–1574: Gillis van Berlaymont, Lord of Hierges 1574–1576: Gaspar de Robles 1576–1581: George de Lalaing, Count of Rennenberg, in the service of Philip II of Spain 1581–1594: Francisco Verdugo, in the service of Philip II 1580–1584: William I, Prince of Orange 1584–1620: William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg 1620–1632: Ernest Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz 1632–1640: Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz 1640–1664: William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz 1664–1696: Henry Casimir II of Nassau-Dietz 1696–1711: John William Friso, Prince of Orange 1711–1747: William IV, Prince of Orange
Lordship of Groningen 1519–1522: Cristoffel van Meurs 1522–1530: 1530–1536: Charles of Guelders 1536: Ludolf Coenders 1536–1540: Georg Schenck van Toutenburg 1540–1548: Maximiliaan van Egmond 1549–1568: Jean de Ligne 1568–1572: Charles de Brimeu 1572–1574: Gillis van Berlaymont 1574–1576: Gaspar de Robles 1576–1581: George de Lalaing, Count of Rennenberg 1581–1594: Francisco Verdugo 1594–1620: William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg 1620–1625: Maurice, Prince of Orange 1625–1632: Ernest Casimir, Count of Nassau-Dietz 1632–1640: Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz 1640–1647: Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange 1647–1650: William II, Prince of Orange 1650–1664: William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz 1664–1673: Albertine Agnes of Nassau, regentess for Hendrick Casimir II 1664–1696: Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz 1696–1707: Henriette Amalie of Anhalt-Dessau, regentess for John William Friso 1696–1711: John William Friso, Prince of Orange 1711–1729: Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel, regentess for William IV, Prince of Orange 1711–1747: William IV, Prince of Orange
Duchy of Guelders 1473–1475: William IV of Egmont 1475–1476: William V of Egmont 1474–1477: Philip I of Croÿ-Chimay 1480–1481: William V of Egmont 1481–1492: Adolf III of Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein 1492–1504: Guelders independent 1504–1505: John V, Count of Nassau-Siegen 1505–1507: Philip of Burgundy 1507–1511: Floris van Egmond 1511–1543: Guelders independent 1543–1544: René of Châlon 1544–1555: Philip de Lalaing 1555–1560: Philip de Montmorency 1560–1572: Karel van Brimeu 1572–1577: Gillis van Berlaymont 1578–1581: Johann VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg 1581–1585: William IV of Bergh 1585–1587: Claude de Berlaymont 1587–1626: Florent de Berlaymont 1584–1589: Adolf van Nieuwenaar 1590–1625: Maurice, Prince of Orange 1625–1647: Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange 1647–1650: William II, Prince of Orange 1650–1675: First Stadtholderless Period 1675–1702: William III, Prince of Orange 1702–1722: Second Stadtholderless Period 1722–1747: William IV, Prince of Orange
Upper Guelders 1502–1522: Reinier of Guelders 1522–1543: Occupation by the Habsburgs 1543–1579: No stadtholder 1579–1589: Jan van Argenteau 1589–1592: Marcus de Rye de la Palud 1592–1593: Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg 1593–1611: Herman van den Bergh 1611–1618: Frederik van den Bergh 1618–1632: Hendrik van den Bergh 1632–1637: Occupation by the Dutch Republic 1640–1646: Guillaume de Bette, 1st Marquess of Lede 1646–1652: Jan Koenraard van Aubremont 1652–1680: Filips Balthasar van Gendt 1680–1699: John Francis Desideratus, Prince of Nassau-Siegen 1699–1702: Philippe Emanuel, Prince of Hornes
County of Hainaut 1477–1482: Adolph of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein 1482–1511: Philip I de Croÿ 1511–1521: Charles I de Croÿ 1521–1549: Philippe II de Croÿ 1549–1558: Charles II de Lalaing 1558–1560: Charles de Brimeu 1560–1566: John IV of Glymes 1566–1574: Philip of Noircarmes 1574–1582: Philip de Lalaing, 3rd Count of Lalaing 1582–1590: Emanuel Philibert de Lalaing 1592–1606: Charles III de Croÿ 1613–16??: Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, 2nd Count of Bucquoy 1663–1674: Philippe François, 1st Duke of Arenberg
County of Holland, Zeeland, and Utrecht