A poisoned inheritance? The Southern Netherlands and the establishment of the Austrian regime (1716-1725)

This paper focuses on the establishment of the Austrian regime in the Southern Netherlands after the War of the Spanish Succession. These remote regions never topped the Viennese wish list, and the Barrier Treaty of 1715 considerably restricted the sovereignty of the new ruler. As a result, the new regime faced serious problems right from the start, both on a financial level, concerning relations with influential cities and Estates, and regarding the legitimacy of the new monarch, Charles VI. These illustrate the inherent difficulties of governing a dynastic agglomeration which the Austrian monarchy clearly was. In this paper I will explain the often hesitant and sometimes unfortunate ways in which the new administrators dealt with the above-mentioned challenges. In addition, I will argue that in doing so, the first decade of Austrian rule was a learning process with a lasting impact under Charles VI and Maria Theresa