Editing Meierij van 's-Hertogenbosch (section)

== History ==
[[File: Locator Duchy of Brabant (1350).svg|upright=1.35|thumb|Duchy of Brabant {{circa|1350}}]]
Historically the Meierij is the descendant of [[Toxandri|Taxandria]], when that area comes under the rule of the dukes of Brabant in the 12th century. To protect the area from the counts of [[Gelre]], the dukes founded a new ring of cities. [[Henry I, Duke of Brabant|Hendrik I of Brabant]] granted [[city rights]] to [['s-Hertogenbosch]] ({{circa|1185}}), [[Oisterwijk]] (1213 or 1230), [[Sint-Oedenrode]] (1232) and [[Eindhoven]] (1232). However, despite these foundings, the Meierij often suffered from conflicts and wars between Brabant and Gelre.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Velthoven |first=H. van |url=https://www.google.com.mx/books/edition/Stad_en_meierij_van_s_Hertogenbosch/T-TmAAAAMAAJ?hl=es-419&gbpv=0&bsq=Meierij |title=Stad en meierij van 's-Hertogenbosch |date=1935 |publisher=Uitgeversmaatschappij Joost Van den Vondel |language=nl}}</ref>

The bailiwick was prosperous in the 15th and first part of the 16th century. In these times many new monumental buildings were built (like the famous [[gothic architecture|gothic style]] St. Jan's Cathedral of 's-Hertogenbosch), the activities of well-known painter [[Hieronymus Bosch]] (also called Jeroen Bosch) and the Latin school of 's-Hertogenbosch.
In the [[Eighty Years' War]], times turned bad for the Meierij. The area was literally a battlefield and was heavily plagued by continuous raids. Around 1590 the area was solidly in Spanish hands. Like the southern Dutch states of [[County of Flanders|Flanders]] and [[County of Hainaut|Hainaut]], the Duchy Brabant-Limburg had chosen the side of the Catholic Habsburg monarchs of [[Spain]]. The strong [[Roman Catholic Church|catholic]] [[Counter-Reformation]] had had much influence on the population's mentality and culture; the Bailiwick remained Catholic.

Though it was thought impossible, the mighty city of 's-Hertogenbosch was captured by the Dutch Protestants in 1629. As 's-Hertogenbosch was the main capital of the Meierij, the Protestants considered the bailiwick as their possession. However the Spanish kings refused to give it up, and thus one of the most difficult times for the city's people started, the so-called "retorsie tijd" in which the population suffered from both Spanish and Dutch oppression. Finally in 1648 the whole bailiwick was given to the Dutch republic at the [[Peace of Westphalia]].

The former Brabant and [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]] areas were then placed under the reign of the generality as well as [[Zeelandic Flanders]] which had been taken from Flanders. Reign of the generality in fact meant nothing else than oppression and colonisation by the [[Protestant]]s. There was no self-government and Catholicism was forbidden, which resulted in a flight of the Catholic clergy and occupation of the Catholic churches. Due to high taxes and oppression the bailiwick could not restore its old glory and became an intensely poor area without any importance. After the French war of 1795 and the proclamation of the [[Batavian Republic]], the Meierij disappeared as a political unity and went up into Brabant. The people regained their old rights; self-government and Catholicism were not forbidden any longer.

Since 1810 the area has been part of the province of [[North Brabant]] and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Nowadays the area is still known as Meierij and is still mostly [[cultural Christian|cultural Catholic]]. The population is considered to have a “Burgundian character” by the other Dutch, meaning that they are supposed to be companiable people who like to party exuberantly. (The term recalls the time of [[Burgundian Netherlands|Burgundian rule]] over the Netherlands.)

Around 1900 the area got an enormous growth of population when a combination of reviving Catholicism and economic recovery caused high birthrates. [[Eindhoven]], [[Tilburg]] and [[Helmond]] developed into major industrial centres.

At the moment the area is again highly developing its industries (especially in Eindhoven and the surrounding region), and is one of the most prosperous areas of the [[Netherlands]] and Northwest Europe.

{{coord missing|Netherlands}}