Union of Arras

Map of the Spanish Netherlands, the Union of Utrecht and the People of Arras (1579).

The People of Arras (Dutch: Atrecht) was an accord signed on 6 January 1579 in Arras (Atrecht), under which the southern states of the Netherlands, today in Wallonia and the Nord-Pas-de-Calais (and Picardy) régions in France and Belgium, expressed their loyalty to the Spanish king Philip II and recognized his Governor-General, Don Juan of Austria. It is to be distinguished from the Union of Utrecht, signed later in the same month.

These were the conditions:

There should be no more garrisons of foreign troops;
The Council of State should be organized like that of the time of Charles V;
Two thirds of the council members should be installed by all member states consenting.
All privileges that were in force before the Dutch Revolt should be reinstated.
Catholicism was the only religion. Any other religion (i.e. Calvinism) should be abolished.

The regions that signed it were:

The regions that favored the Union, but did not sign it, were Namur, Luxembourg and the Duchy of Limburg. Alexander Farnese, the duke of Parma, started his conquest of the separatist parts (members of the Union of Utrecht) in these parts.

[edit] See also

History of the Low Countries v • d • e
Bishopric of Liège 985–1790	Burgundian Netherlands		Duchy of Luxembourg integrated 1441
	1384–1477
	Habsburg Netherlands 1477–1556
	Spanish Netherlands 1556–1581
	Spanish Netherlands	United Netherlands 1581–1795	1581–1713
	Austrian Netherlands		1713–1790
United Belgian States			1790
Bishopric of Liège 1790–1795	Austrian Netherlands		1790–1794
French Republic		Batavian Republic 1795–1806	1795–1804
French Empire		Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810	1804–1815

United Kingdom of the Netherlands 1815–1830			Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Kingdom of Belgium since 1830		Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1830	(in personal union with the Netherlands until 1890)