Belgium: History Of Antwerp

History

During the early Middle Ages the region was part of the Frankish Empire, which was divided into several pagi. The territory of the present day province belonged to several pagi of which the region around Antwerp belonged to the Pagus Renesium. The Pagus Toxandria stretched from North Brabant into the Campine region. To the south there was the Pagus Bracbatinse and the Pagus Hasbaniensis. In 843 the Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne was divided among his sons and the river Scheldt became the border between West Francia and East Francia. In 974 Otto II established the Margraviate of Antwerp as a defence against the County of Flanders.

In 1106, Henry V granted the Margraviate to Godfrey I of Leuven. His descendants would from 1235 onwards become the Dukes of Brabant and the region itself was the northern part of the Duchy of Brabant. In 1430 the Duchy became part of the County of Burgundy until 1477 when it fell to the House of Habsburg. In 1713, at the end of the Spanish Succession War the region became part of the Austrian Netherlands until 1794, with in 1790 the short lived United States of Belgium. On 1 October 1795 the former Austrian Netherlands were annexed by France under the French Directory.

The modern province was created as the Department of the two Netes during the First French Empire (when the Southern Netherlands were part of France). After the defeat of Napoleon, the territory became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as the province of Antwerp. In 1830, after the Belgian Revolution the province kept its name.

Prefects from 1800 until 1814

Prefects of the Department of the two Netes during the First French Empire

• Marquis Charles Joseph Fortuné d'Herbouville (1800–1805)
• Charles Cochon (1805–1808)
• Marc René Marie de Voyer d'Argenson (1809–1813)
• Baron Jacques Fortunat de Savoye-Rollin (1813–1814)

Governors from 1815 until 1830

Governors of the province of Antwerp during the United Kingdom of the Netherlands

• Charles–Louis van Keverberg van Kessel (1815–1817)
• Pierre Joseph Pycke (1817–1820)
• Leonard Pierre Joseph du Bus de Gisignies (1820–1823)
• André Charles Membrede (1823–1828)
• Edmond Charles Giullaume Ghislain de la Coste (1828–1829)
• Alexandre François Ghislain van der Fosse (1830)

Governors since 1830

Governors of the Belgian province of Antwerp

• François de Robiano (1830–1831)
• Jean-François Tielemans (1831)
• Charles Rogier (1831–1832 and 1834–1840)
• Henri de Brouckère (1840–1844)
• Jules Malou (1844–1845)
• Jan Teichmann (1845–1862)
• Edward Pycke d'Ideghem (1862–1887)
• Charles du Bois de Vroylande (1887–1888)
• Edward Osy de Zegwaart (1889–1900)
• Fredegand Cogels (1900–1907)
• Louis de Brouchoven de Bergeyck (1907–1908)
• Ferdinand de Baillet-Latour (1908–1912)
• Gaston van de Werve de Schilde (1912–1923)
• Georges Holvoet (1923–1945)
• Richard Declerck (1946–1966)
• Andries Kinsbergen (1967–1993)
• Camille Paulus (1993–2008)
• Cathy Berx (since 2008)