:''For the union of Old Catholic churches named 'Union of Utrecht', see
Utrecht Union.''
The 'Union of Utrecht' (
Dutch: ''Unie van Utrecht'') is a treaty signed on
January 23,
1579 in
Utrecht, the
Netherlands, unifying the northern
provinces of the Netherlands, until then under the control of
Spain. The Union of Utrecht is regarded as the foundation of the
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, which was not recognized internationally until the
Peace of Westphalia in
1648 ended the
Eighty Years' War.
The treaty was signed on
January 23 by
Holland,
Zeeland,
Utrecht (but not entire Utrecht) and the province (but not the city) of
Groningen. The treaty was a reaction of the
Protestant provinces to the 1579
Union of Arras (Dutch: ''Unie van Atrecht''), in which the southern provinces (most of them now part of
Wallonia) declared their support for the
Catholic Spanish.
On
February 4,
Ghent also signed. In March some cities from
Friesland joined it, as well as 3 of the 4 quarters of
Guelders. In the summer,
Amersfoort from the province of
Utrecht also joined, together with
Ypres,
Antwerp,
Breda and
Brussels. In February
1580,
Lier,
Bruges and the surrounding area also signed the Union. The city of
Groningen shifted from contra to pro under influence of the
stadtholder for Friesland,
George van Rennenberg, and also signed the treaty. Later on,
Zutphen also signed so
Guelders (of which Zutphen is one of the quarters) supported the Union completely. This happened in April
1580, as did the signing of
Overijssel and
Drenthe.
Map of the Spanish Netherlands, the Union of Utrecht and the Union of Arras (
1579).
This leads to a general and simplified overview of the parts that joined:
★ the county of
Holland
★ the county of
Zeeland
★ the bishopric of
Utrecht
★ the duchy of
Guelders
★ the lordship of
Groningen
★ the lordship of
Friesland
★
Drenthe
★ the lordship of
Overijssel
★ the
duchy of Brabant
★ the county of
Flanders
Flanders was almost entirely conquered by the Spanish troops, as was half of Brabant, so they dropped out. The United Provinces still recognized Spanish rule after the Union of Utrecht. However, the Union contributed to the deterioration in the relationship between the provinces and their lord, and in
1581 the United Provinces declared their independence of the king in the
Oath of Abjuration.
See also
★
List of treaties
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