Holland and Belgium Author:Thomas Colley Grattan, Karl Dändliker General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1907 Original Publisher: J.D. Morris and Company Subjects: Netherlands Switzerland Belgium History / Europe / Western History / World History / Medieval History / Europe / Greece Travel / Europe / Benelux Countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) Travel... more » / Europe / Switzerland Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Chapter V POWER OF THE HOUSE OF BURGUNDY. 1384-1506 THUS the house of Burgundy, which soon after became so formidable and celebrated, obtained this vast accession to its power. The various changes which had taken place in the neighboring provinces during the continuance of these civil wars had altered the state of Flanders altogether. John cTAvesnes, Count of Hainault, having also succeeded in 1299 to the county of Holland, the two provinces, although separated by Flanders and Brabant, remained from that time under the government of the same chief, who soon became more powerful than the bishops of Utrecht, or even than their formidable rivals, the Frisians. During the wars which desolated these opposing territories in consequence of the perpetual conflicts for superiority, the power of the various towns insensibly became at least as great as that of the nobles to whom they were constantly opposed. The commercial interests of Holland also were considerably advanced by the influx of Flemish merchants forced to seek refuge there from the convulsions which agitated their province. Every day confirmed and increased the privileges of the people of Brabant, while at Liege the inhabitants gradually began to gain the upper hand and to shake off the former subjection to their sovereign bishops. Although Philip of Burgundy became C...« less