WI: County of Flanders unites the Netherlands / Low Countries?

[Sevarics]

As the tin says, what if the County of Flanders unites all of the Low Countries? This would undoubtedly require the ruling House to not continuously go extinct since IOTL it passed hands several times.

 

[pompejus]

As the tin says, what if the County of Flanders unites all of the Low Countries? This would undoubtedly require the ruling House to not continuously go extinct since IOTL it passed hands several times.

You could claim it did. The unification of Netherlands started basicly when the dukes of Burgundy got Flanders and from there slowly gained several territories in the low countries, finaly unifying the Netherlads. You could even say the Dutch revolt started in Flanders, since Flanders was cradle of Dutch protestantism. Flanders was one of the province that was part of the union of Utrecht and signed the Plakkaat van verlatinghe.

 

[Sevarics]

You could claim it did. The unification of Netherlands started basicly when the dukes of Burgundy got Flanders and from there slowly gained several territories in the low countries, finaly unifying the Netherlads. You could even say the Dutch revolt started in Flanders, since Flanders was cradle of Dutch protestantism. Flanders was one of the province that was part of the union of Utrecht and signed the Plakkaat van verlatinghe.

I guess I see that more of as Burgundy uniting it since that was under the Valois-Burgundy after their marriage to the Flemish Dampierre heiress.