Westphalia

Westphalia
Westphalian, adj., n.
/west fay"lee euh, -fayl"yeuh/, n.
a former province in NW Germany, now a part of North Rhine-Westphalia: treaty ending the Thirty Years' War 1648. German, Westfalen.

* * *

Former province of Prussia, now part of Germany.

It comprises (with the former state of Lippe) the present German state of North Rhine–Westphalia and parts of the states of Lower Saxony and Hesse. Settled by Saxons called Westphalians с AD 700, Westphalia was created a duchy (1180), which for several centuries was administered for the archbishop of Cologne. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) was signed at Münster. In 1807 Napoleon created for his brother, Jérôme Bonaparte, the kingdom of Westphalia; its capital was Kassel. Reorganized by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, it became a province of Prussia in 1816, with its capital at Münster. Its cities suffered severe bombings in World War II.

* * *

▪ historical region, Germany

      historic region of northwestern Germany, comprising (with the former state of Lippe) the present federal Land (state) of North Rhine–Westphalia and parts of the Länder (states) of Lower Saxony (Saxon) and Hesse.

      The ancient Saxons were divided into three main groups: the Westphalians, the Angrians (German: Engern), and the Eastphalians (Ostfalen). The Westphalians, who had settled in the area of the Ems and Hunte rivers about AD 700, spread south almost as far as Cologne and in 775 resisted the advance of the Franks under Charlemagne. For about three centuries, this region retained its separate identity in spite of the rise of the more powerful aggregated Saxon stem duchy. In the 12th century the old distinction between Westphalians and Angrians fell into disuse, and all Saxony west of the Weser River came to be called Westphalia.

      The archbishops of Cologne received Westphalia as a duchy in 1180, but the duchy was in fact confined mainly to the area just north of Cologne. Numerous other political entities grew up in the region of Westphalia, among them the bishoprics of Münster, Paderborn, Osnabrück, and Minden; the countships of Waldeck, Schaumburg, Lippe, Ravensberg, and Mark (with Limburg); the imperial city of Dortmund; and the abbey of Essen. In 1512 the Lower Rhine–Westphalian circle (Kreis) of the Holy Roman Empire was formed.

      From the early 17th century, the Hohenzollern (Hohenzollern Dynasty) rulers of Brandenburg-Prussia gained territories in Westphalia and became predominant there in 1803, when they acquired Paderborn and most of Münster. At the same time, Hesse-Darmstadt acquired Cologne's part of Westphalia. Osnabrück went to Hanover and the rest of Münster to Oldenburg.

      In 1807 Napoleon (Napoleon I) assigned most of traditional Westphalia to the Grand Duchy of Berg. The Kingdom of Westphalia, which he created for his brother Jérôme, was made up largely of Prussian and Hanoverian possessions between the Weser and the Elbe rivers and the greater part of electoral Hesse; its capital was Kassel. The Congress of Vienna (Vienna, Congress of) in 1814–15 restored most of old Westphalia to Prussia, which then established a province of Westphalia with its capital at Münster. Lippe and Waldeck remained under sovereign princes; Hanover and Oldenburg were awarded their former lands. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ruhr valley became very densely populated and the single most heavily industrialized area in the world.

      In 1946 the province of Westphalia, together with Lippe, was incorporated in the Land of North Rhine–Westphalia (q.v.). The north of the ancient Westphalia (most of it Prussian since 1866) went to the Land of Lower Saxony; and Waldeck (attached to Prussian Hesse since 1929) became part of the new Land of Hesse.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Westphalia — • Province of Prussia Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Westphalia     Westphalia     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • WESTPHALIA — WESTPHALIA, region in Germany. During the Middle Ages Jews lived not only in the duchy of Westphalia but also in many of the bishoprics, cities, and earldoms of the region known as Westphalia. Jews were present in most areas by the beginning of… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Westphalia — Westphalia, MO U.S. city in Missouri Population (2000): 320 Housing Units (2000): 152 Land area (2000): 0.506414 sq. miles (1.311606 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.506414 sq. miles (1.311606… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Westphalia — (lat. und engl. für Westfalen) heißen folgende Orte in den USA: Westphalia (Iowa) Westphalia (Kansas) Westphalia (Michigan) Westphalia (Missouri) Westphalia (Texas) Westphalia bezeichnet außerdem: die Zeche Westphalia, ehemaliges… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • WESTPHALIA — regio est ampla Germaniae, quae unum ex decem circulis Imperii constituit, inter Saxoniam inferiorem ad Ortum et Belgium ad Occasum; Sic dicta, quod Saxonibus Occidentalis est: Equus enim, quem Phalen, seu Falen antiqui Saxones dicebant, horum… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Westphalia, IA — U.S. city in Iowa Population (2000): 160 Housing Units (2000): 64 Land area (2000): 0.090836 sq. miles (0.235265 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.090836 sq. miles (0.235265 sq. km) FIPS code:… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Westphalia, KS — U.S. city in Kansas Population (2000): 165 Housing Units (2000): 75 Land area (2000): 0.197641 sq. miles (0.511889 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.197641 sq. miles (0.511889 sq. km) FIPS code:… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Westphalia, MI — U.S. village in Michigan Population (2000): 876 Housing Units (2000): 350 Land area (2000): 1.144112 sq. miles (2.963236 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.144112 sq. miles (2.963236 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Westphalia, MO — U.S. city in Missouri Population (2000): 320 Housing Units (2000): 152 Land area (2000): 0.506414 sq. miles (1.311606 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.506414 sq. miles (1.311606 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Westphalia — [west fā′lē ə, westfāl′yə] region in NW Germany, a part of the state of North Rhine Westphalia: formerly a duchy, a kingdom, and a province of Prussia (1816 1945); chief city, Münster: site, along with Osnabrück, of treaties (Peace of Westphalia) …   English World dictionary

  • Westphalia — [ Green : Kingdom of Westphalia (1807 1813) Red : Province of Westphalia (1815 1946) Dark grey : North Rhine Westphalia (1946 )] Westphalia ( de. Westfalen IPA| [vɛstˈfaːlən] ) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Bielefeld, Bochum,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”