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 Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

during the

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

, especially the Late Middle Ages (circa 1300 to 1500). The so-called 'parties' () usually behaved like

factions Faction or factionalism may refer to: * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * The Faction, an American punk rock band * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planescape'' * Faction (literatu ...

, 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 values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...

underpinnings. They were not officially organised

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

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 territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

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 to be the Order of succession, rightful successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are ...

, 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 ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

, 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 ...

and

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

): between Schieringers and Vetkopers, see

Vetkopers and Schieringers The Vetkopers and Schieringers () 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 the end of the so-called " Frisi ...

(1325–1524) *

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) 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 present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...

: 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 Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire from its inception until 1433. From 1433 onward it was part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading pro ...

: between the Hook league and the Cod league, see

Hook and Cod wars The Hook and Cod wars (; sometimes semi-anglicised as the wars of the Hoecks and the Cabbeljaws) comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over who should hold the title ...

(1350–1490) *

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

: between

Awans Awans (; ) 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 km². The ...

and Waroux, see (1296–1335) *

Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht The Bishopric of 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 was ruled by the b ...

: between Lichtenbergers and Lokhorsten (known as Gunterlingen until 1413), previously also Fresingen (13th–16th century), see for example the Utrecht Schism of the 15th century *

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...

: 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>(; ) was a conflict between the Kingdom of France and the County of Flanders between 1297 and 1305. The war should be seen as related to the original Gascon War and the First War of Scottish Independence, as Philip IV of ...

(1297–1305) and the

1323–1328 Flemish revolt Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number) * Any of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, or 2013 Music Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ''13'' (Blur album), 1999 * ''13'' (Borgeous album), 2016 * ''13'' (Brian Setzer album), 2006 * ...

References

{{Reflist Factionalism Military history of Europe

See also

References