Brabant, former province, central Belgium. The region is drained by the Dijle, Senne, and Demer rivers. Much of its soil is fertile and under cultivation, and industry is prevalent. Belgian Brabant occupies the southern part of the former duchy of Brabant. In 1995 it was split into two provinces—Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant (1995 pop. 999,186), 813 sq mi (2,106 sq km), with its capital at Louvain, and French-speaking Walloon Brabant (1995 pop. 339,062), 421 sq mi (1,091 sq km), with its capital at Wavre (1995 pop. 29,906). The Brussels capital region is surrounded by, but not part of, Flemish Brabant.

Brabant, duchy of, former duchy, divided between Belgium (Brabant and Antwerp provs.) and the Netherlands (North Brabant prov.). Louvain, Brussels, and Antwerp were its chief cities. The duchy of Brabant emerged (1190) from the duchy of Lower Lorraine. In 1430 it passed to Philip the Good of Burgundy, and in 1477 it was taken by the Hapsburgs. (For the history of Brabant from 1477 to 1794 see Netherlands, Austrian and Spanish.) Like the rest of the S Low Countries, Brabant owed its extraordinary prosperity during the Middle Ages to its wool and other textile industries and to the commercial enterprise of the inhabitants of its cities and towns. Antwerp, its greatest city, was for a time the financial capital of Europe. The dukes of Brabant, who relied on the towns to finance their wars and luxurious lifestyles, granted them virtual self-government and an ever-increasing share in the management of the duchy. In 1356 this trend culminated in a charter of liberties known as the Joyeuse Entrée, so called because each subsequent duke had to swear to it when entering Louvain after acceding. According to the charter, the dukes could not declare war, conclude alliances, or coin money without the consent of delegates of the clergy, nobility, and towns, who together formed an assembly later known as the Estates of Brabant. The charter was abolished (1789) by Emperor Joseph II. In 1830, S Brabant led a revolt against Dutch rule that resulted in Belgium independence. Since 1840 the eldest son of the king of the Belgians has held the title duke of Brabant.

(born 1240, duchy of Brabant—died between 1281 and 1284, Orvieto, Tuscany) French philosopher. He taught at the University of Paris and was a leader of the school of radical Aristotelianism. From circa 1260 he and others gave lectures on the works of Greek, Arabic, and medieval philosophers without regard for church teaching, which had blended Aristotelianism with the Christian faith. Some of his teachings were condemned in 1270 by the bishop of Paris, and in 1277 many more were condemned by the bishop. When summoned by the Inquisition (1276), he fled to Italy. Dante, in The Divine Comedy, put Siger in the Heaven of Light.

Learn more about Siger de Brabant with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Old duchy, northwestern Europe. Located in what is now the southern part of The Netherlands and central and northern Belgium, the region in the 9th century AD was part of the kingdom of Lotharingia. In the late 12th century it became independent; it finally passed to the house of Burgundy in 1430. Inherited by the Habsburgs in 1477, it became a centre of culture and commerce (see Antwerp; Brussels). The northern section of Brabant took part in a revolt from Spain, and in 1609 it was awarded to the United Provinces, while the southern section remained part of Spanish (later Austrian) Netherlands. The northern section now forms the Dutch province of North Brabant. The southern section eventually became part of Belgium and is divided between the provinces of Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant.

Learn more about Brabant with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Historically, Brabant has been the name of several administrative entities in the Low Countries with quite different geographical extent:

• The Carolingian pagus Bracbatensis, located between the rivers Scheldt and Dijle between the 9th and 11th century;
• Brabant (landgraviat), the part of the pagus between the rivers Dender and Dijle (from 1085/1086 up to 1183/1184);
• Duchy of Brabant: territory established in 1183-84, covering approximately the present Dutch province North Brabant and the three Belgian provinces Antwerp, Walloon Brabant and Flemish Brabant, and the Brussels-Capital Region.
• Province of Brabant in Belgium, which in 1995 was split up into Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant.
• North Brabant, a province of the Netherlands.
• East Brabant, the Brabant area East of Brussels, also referred to as the Hageland (= the area between the 4 cities Leuven, Aarschot, Diest and Tienen)
• Klein Brabant, the municipalities Bornem, Puurs and Sint-Amands in the Antwerp province of Flanders.

Along the international border between the Netherlands and Belgium there are a few enclaves and exclaves, as relicts of the old duchy of Brabant: the municipalities Baarle-Hertog (Belgium) and Baarle-Nassau (Netherlands).

See also

• The Brabant massacres 1982–85, a series of unexplained terrorist attacks in Belgium, linked to the Nijvel gang and the Belgian stay-behind network.
• Brabantic, a dialect of the Dutch language.
• Brabant, West Virginia, USA.
• Belgian (horse), some of which are referred to as Brabant, if originating from West-Brabant.
• Brabant Island, in Antarctica
• Le Morne Brabant, Mountain on Mauritius