Brabant
Brabant, a former duchy that included the present Brabant and Antwerp provinces in Belgium and North Brabant province in the Netherlands. The duchy of Brabant appeared in the 12th century as one of the fragments of the ancient duchy of Lower Lorraine. Brabant was one of the leading manufacturing, commercial, and cultural centers of Europe. In 1430 the ruling family line died out, and Brabant was taken over by the duke of Burgundy. In 1516 Duke Charles of Burgundy became king of Spain and Brabant became part of the Spanish Netherlands. During the Dutch war for independence in the late 16th century, Brabant was divided between the Netherlands and what is now Belgium.