Editing West Friesland (region)

{{short description|Contemporary region in the Northwest of the Netherlands}}
[[File:West Friesland-Position.png|thumb|right|The contemporary region of West Friesland highlighted on a map of the Netherlands]]

'''West Friesland''' ({{langx|nl|West-Friesland}}) is a contemporary region in the  Northwest of the [[Netherlands]], in the province of [[North Holland]].

==History==
[[File:West-Frise.jpg|thumb|right|West Friesland in the 17th century.]]
[[Image:WF historisch.jpg|right|290px|thumb|The historical region of West Friesland, mixed map, old map overlaid on a modern geographic map]]

The River Vlie (also called Fli), is an extension of the [[IJssel]] branch of the [[Rhine|Rhine River.]] The river divides the northern Netherlands into two parts, the western and the eastern part. In the eleventh century, heavy rainfall caused the river to flood over large parts of the land. The [[Zuiderzee]] [[bay]] (previously a [[lake]] called [[lake Flevo|Lacus Flevo]] by [[Roman Empire|Roman]] authors) was formed, separating West Friesland from the contemporary [[Friesland|Province of Friesland]].<ref name=Reinhardt>{{cite book|editor=Reinhardt, Andreas |language=de |title=Die erschreckliche Wasser-Fluth 1634 |publisher=Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft |location=Husum |isbn=3-88042-257-5 |year=1984 |page=189}}</ref> In the [[Middle Ages]], the Westflinge area of West Friesland became an [[island]], bordered on the north by the [[Medem]] and [[Zijpe]] [[inlet]]s, and to the south by various interconnecting lakes (now [[polder]] land) that were connected with the Zuiderzee. Because of this, the toponym "West Friesland" was applied more to the Westflinge area than to the original West Friesland.

For approximately 300 years, West Friesland operated as an autonomous area as the West Frisians did not wish to be vassals of lords from [[Holland]]. [[Floris V, Count of Holland]], attempted to unite Holland and West Friesland during his reign and he succeeded in annexing West Frisia.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNoiod5iQBEC&q=West+Frisia+borders&pg=PA5 |title=A Century of Dutch Manuscript Illumination |first=L. M. J. |last=Delaissé |page=5 |series=California Studies in the History of Art |publisher=[[University of California Press]] and [[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1968}}</ref> It was his successor, [[John I, Count of Holland|John I]], who achieved ultimate victory over the West Frisians in 1297. West Friesland formed a united province with Holland in the [[Dutch Republic]], though it was recognized an autonomous region, and the [[parliament]] of said province, commonly known as [[Holland]], was formally known as the [[States of Holland|States of Holland and West Friesland]]. During the time of the [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]], West Friesland had its own independent [[Admiralty of West Friesland|Admiralty of the Northern Quarter]]. Any admiral serving within this admiralty or the two other Hollandic admiralties ([[Admiralty of Amsterdam|Amsterdam]] and the [[Admiralty of Rotterdam|Admiralty of de Maze]]) had the title of ''Admiral of Holland and West Frisia''.

===Early Medieval Vroonen===

The first inhabitants of Alkmaar, Oudorp, and St Pancras likely settled along the high beach ridges of the Vroonermeer in the 9th century AD. Better known as [[Vronen|Vroonen]], this settlement subsequently grew into a village. In the late 13th century, when the Dutch conquered West Frisians, the victors crossed the village and set it on fire. The few surviving inhabitants fled the region. After a long time, people returned to Vroonen and a chapel was built. The village of St Pancras was founded around this church [1484]. Vroonermeer was drained in 1561.

The reclamation of the North Holland lakes was a purely private business affair intended for the establishment of new tracts of fertile land. Investors financed the operation and leased their new land to farmers.

==Geography==
The exact location of West Friesland is not clearly defined, but it has been suggested that it comprised the area north of an imaginary line through [[Hoorn]] and [[Alkmaar]].<ref name=vanNierop>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yEHiZejOzikC&q=West+Friesland&pg=PA10 |title=Treason in the Northern Quarter: War, Terror, and the Rule of Law in the Dutch Revolt |first=Henk |last=van Nierop |page=10 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=9780691135649}}</ref> Within this historical region is the contemporary region of West Friesland, a smaller area based on a dyke system on the [[Westfriese Omringdijk]] that lay in West Friesian district (''[[Gau (German)|gouw]]'') of [[Westflinge]].

The area between the rivers [[Vlie]] and [[IJ (Amsterdam)|IJ]] consists of the present-day municipalities of [[Alkmaar]], [[Amsterdam]] (Landelijk Noord), [[Beemster]], [[Bergen, North Holland|Bergen]], [[Castricum]], [[Den Helder]], [[Drechterland]], [[Edam-Volendam]], [[Enkhuizen]], [[Heerhugowaard]], [[Heiloo]], [[Hollands Kroon]], [[Hoorn]], [[Koggenland]], [[Landsmeer]], [[Langedijk]], [[Medemblik]], [[Purmerend]], [[Oostzaan]], [[Opmeer]], [[Schagen]], [[Stede Broec]], [[Texel]], [[Uitgeest]], [[Vlieland]], [[Waterland]], [[Wognum]], [[Wormerland]], and [[Zaanstad]].

=== Municipalities ===
The [[region]] covers an area of about {{convert|800|km2|0|abbr=on}}, delineated by the [[Westfriese Omringdijk]]. It consists of the following municipalities:

{| class="toccolours" style="margin: 0 2em 0 0em;"
|'''[[Dutch language|Dutch]] name'''||'''''[[West Frisian (dialect)|West Frisian]] Name'''''
|-
|[[Alkmaar]] ||''Alkmar''
|-
|[[Beverwijk]] ||''Beverwyk''
|-
|[[Den Helder]] ||''Dan Haldar''
|-
|[[Dijk en Waard]] || ''Doik en Weerd''
|-
|[[Drechterland]]||''Drechterland''
|-
|[[Edam-Volendam]]||''Edam Volendam
|-
|[[Enkhuizen]]||''Henkhúze''
|-
|[[Hollands Kroon]]||''Hollands Kroon''
|-
|[[Hoorn]]||''Hoorn''
|-
|[[Koggenland]]||''Koggeland''
|-
|[[Medemblik]]||''Memeloik''
|-
|[[Opmeer]]||''Obmar'' or ''Opmar''
|-
|[[Purmerend]]||''Purmerend''
|-
|[[Schagen]]||''Skagen''
|-
|[[Stede Broec]]||''Stee Broek''
|-
|[[Uitgeest]]||''Uitgeezd''
|-
|[[Velsen]]||''Velzen''
|-
|[[Wormerland]]||''Wormerland''
|-
|[[Zaanstad]]||''Zaanzdat''
|}

Major cities include Hoorn (which was the capital of West-Friesland) and Alkmaar.

==Dialect==
The traditional dialect of the region is the [[West Frisian (dialect)|West Frisian dialect]] of [[Hollandic]] Dutch. The contemporary region is similar in size and location to the historical district (''[[Gau (country subdivision)|gouw]]'') of [[Westflinge]] which itself was a part of a much larger [[West Friesland (historical region)|historical region of West Friesland]].

The [[West Frisian language]] has disappeared from the region<ref name=Reinhardt/> and the later [[West Frisian (dialect)|West Frisian]] dialects are now slowly disappearing. Although these dialects are subdialects of [[Hollandic]] Dutch, they were strongly influenced in vocabulary and grammar by a West Frisian [[Substrata (linguistics)|substratum]].

<gallery>
 Image:West-Friesland vlag.svg|Westfrisian flag
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Frisia]]
* [[Frisian Islands]]
* [[West Frisian Dutch]] language

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.west-friesland.com/ The region website] (in Dutch and partly Westfrisian)

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[[Category:Regions of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Regions of North Holland]]
[[Category:West Frisia]]