Factionalism in the medieval Low Countries, in Dutch historiography known as ''partijstrijd'' or ''(partij)twisten'', comprises several political, military and socio-economic conflicts in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, especially the Late Middle Ages (circa 1300 to 1500). The so-called 'parties' ( nl, partijen) usually behaved like factions, which were formed ''ad hoc'', could rapidly change in composition, and usually did not have strong

ideological An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied prim ...

underpinnings. They were not officially organised

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...

as would emerge in the 19th century. The parties were normally led by an aristocratic clan (which usually gave the faction its name), followed by patrician families, and eventually several groups from the bourgeoisie, generally organised by

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

s. These groups could often switch allegiances, names and goals, secede or defect, depending on how situations and interests evolved. Usually there were long-term tensions and only brief military confrontations, which either resulted in a new balance of power, or confirmed the status quo. The ruling dynasties or bishops could be dependent on the support from the strongest faction in order to govern, and in case of a

war of succession A war of succession is a war prompted by a succession crisis in which two or more individuals claim the Order of succession, right of successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are typic ...

, pretenders were compelled to ally themselves with one party or the other to stand a chance as seizing power. Foreign powers could interfere in factionalist struggles by providing financial or military support, and sometimes take over control of a province with the help of a local party. Some well-known examples of factionalism in the medieval Low Countries were: * Frisian lands (

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

, the

Ommelanden The Ommelanden (; ) are the parts of Groningen province that surround Groningen city. Usually mentioned as synonym for the province in the expression ("city and surrounding lands"). The area was Frisian-speaking, but under the influence of th ...

and

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

): between Schieringers and

Vetkopers The Vetkopers and Schieringers ( fry, Fetkeapers en Skieringers) were two opposing Frisian factional parties from the medieval period. They were responsible for a civil war that lasted for over a century (1350–1498) and which eventually led to t ...

, see

Vetkopers and Schieringers The Vetkopers and Schieringers ( fry, Fetkeapers en Skieringers) were two opposing Frisian factional parties from the medieval period. They were responsible for a civil war that lasted for over a century (1350–1498) and which eventually led to t ...

(1325–1524) *

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

: between

Van Heeckeren Van Heeckeren is an old Dutch noble family from the Dutch provinces Overijssel and Gelderland. History The earliest bearer of the name may have taken it from the town of Ekeren, which was also referred to in 1167 as ''Hecerna''. The oldest kn ...

and Van Bronckhorst (1348–1379) *

County of Holland The County of Holland was a State of the Holy Roman Empire and from 1433 part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading province of the Dutch Republic, of which it remained a part ...

: between the Hook league and the Cod league, see

Hook and Cod wars The Hook and Cod wars ( nl, Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten) comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the u ...

(1350–1490) *

Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial State, Imperial Estate, so the List of ...

: between

Awans Awans (; wa, Awan) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Awans had a total population of 8,696. The total area is 27.16 km² which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per k ...

and Waroux, see (1296–1335) *

Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht The Bishopric of Utrecht ( nl, Sticht Utrecht) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries, in the present-day Netherlands. From 1024 to 1528, as one of the prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, it w ...

: between Lichtenbergers and Lokhorsten (known as Gunterlingen until 1413), previously also Fresingen (13th–16th century), see for example the

Utrecht Schism The Utrecht Schism ( nl, Utrechts Schisma) was a diocesan feud in the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht from 1423 to 1449. The legitimate prince-bishop of Utrecht was at issue. The war of succession was fought by Zweder van Culemborg and his brother ...

of the 15th century *

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was a historic territory in the Low Countries. From 862 onwards, the counts of Flanders were among the original twelve peers of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, their estates around the cities of Ghent, Bruges and Ypr ...

: between leliaards and liebaards/klauwaarts (13th–14th century),Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Leliaarts", "Klauwaarts". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum. for example the

Franco-Flemish War The Franco-Flemish War (french: Guerre de Flandre; nl, Vlaamse opstand) was a conflict between the Kingdom of France and the County of Flanders between 1297 and 1305. Causes Philip IV of France became king in 1285, and was determined to stren ...

(1297–1305) and the

1323–1328 Flemish revolt The Flemish peasant revolt of 1323–1328, sometimes referred to as the Flemish coast uprising ( nl, Opstand van Kust-Vlaanderen, french: soulèvement de la Flandre maritime) in historical writing, was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe. Beg ...

References

{{Reflist Medieval Belgium Medieval Luxembourg Medieval Netherlands Factionalism Military history of Europe

See also

References