Meuse-Inférieure

The Département de la Meuse - Inférieure ( German department of the lower Maas Maas also low; Dutch Department van de Beneden- Maas also Nedermaas ) was a 1795 to 1814 the French State belonging to the department. It included parts of the present states of Belgium and the Netherlands and to a lesser extent Germany.

History

The territory of the department involved until the end of the 18th century, various territories, mainly:

• Parts of the Duchy of Limburg and the Duchy of Geldern, both belonging to the Austrian Netherlands,
• Parts of the Principality of Liège,
• Belonging to the Generalitätslanden the Republic of the Seven United Provinces areas of Maastricht and Venlo.

After the Brabant Revolution, the Republic of the United States of Belgium was in 1790 from the previously belonging to the Austrian Netherlands territory emerged. The Prince-Bishopric of Liège in 1791 occupied. The entire region was formally connected on 1 October 1795 France. Maastricht and Venlo were ceded by the now formed of the Seven United Provinces Dutch Batavian Republic in France.

Already in 1795 the administration and the judicial system has been adapted to the new French system, it emerged on the territory of the former Austrian Netherlands and the other lying in the region Territories nine departments, which were administratively divided into arrondissements, cantons and municipalities. The cantons were also justice of the peace districts.

After the victory over Napoleon in the Battle of Leipzig (1813 ) and the Congress of Vienna (1815 ), the Department as a province of Limburg part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, a small part ( Niederkruechten ) came to Prussia.

Structure

Capital ( chef-lieu ) of the department or office of the prefecture was the city of Maastricht. It was divided into three arrondissements and 23 cantons and 310 municipalities divided:

The Department had an area of ​​3,786 square kilometers and in 1812 a total of 267 249 inhabitants.