Ourthe (department)

Ourthe ([uʁt], Dutch: Ourte, German: Urt) was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium and Germany. It was named after the river Ourthe (Oûte). Its territory corresponded more or less with that of the present-day Belgian province of Liège and a small adjacent region in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It was created on 1 October 1795, when the Austrian Netherlands, the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the left bank of the Rhine were officially annexed by the French Republic[4]. Before this annexation, the territory included in the department had lain partly in the Bishopric of Liège, the Abbacy of Stavelot-Malmedy, the Duchies of Limburg, Luxembourg and Brabant, and the County of Namur.

Department of Ourthe Département de l'Ourthe (fr) Departement Ourte (nl) Departement der Urt (de)
1795–1814
Flag
Ourthe and other annexed departments
Status	Department of the French First Republic and the French First Empire
Chef-lieu	Liège 50°27′N 3°57′E
Official languages	French
Common languages	Dutch, German
Historical era	French Revolutionary Wars
• Creation	1 October 1795
• Treaty of Paris, disestablished	30 May 1814
Area
1812	4,337 km^2 (1,675 sq mi)
Population
• 1796	325,278[1]
• 1800	327,121[2]
• 1812	352,264[3]
Preceded by Succeeded by Austrian Netherlands Prince-Bishopric of Liège Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Today part of	Belgium  Germany

The Chef-lieu of the department was Liège. The department was subdivided into the following three arrondissements and cantons:

• Liège: Dalhem, Fléron, Glons, Herve, Hollogne-aux-Pierres, Liège (4 cantons), Louveigné, Seraing and Waremme.
• Huy: Avennes, Bodegnée, Ferrières, Héron, Huy, Landen and Nandrin.
• Malmedy: Aubel, Néau, Kronenbourg, Limbourg, Malmedy, Saint Vith, Schleiden, Spa, Stavelot, Verviers and Vielsalm.

After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, most of the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as the province of Liège. The easternmost part (Eupen, Malmedy, Sankt Vith, Kronenburg, Schleiden) became part of the Prussian Rhine Province; part of this (Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt Vith) was taken back into Liège province after the First World War, under the Treaty of Versailles.

Administration

Prefects

The Prefect was the highest state representative in the department.

Term start	Term end	Office holder
2 March 1800[5]	17 April 1806	Antoine François Ehrard Marie Catherine Desmousseaux de Givre
17 April 1806[6]	30 May 1814	Charles Emmanuel Micoud d'Umons

Secretaries-General

The Secretary-General was the deputy to the Prefect.

Term start	Term end	Office holder
2 March 1800	?? ?? 1806	Rémy Victor Gaillard
?? ?? 1806	?? ?? 1809	Aubert
?? ?? 1809	?? ?? 1811	Caselli
?? ?? 1811	30 May 1814	Georges Bénigne Liegeard

Subprefects of Huy

Term start	Term end	Office holder
11 May 1800[7]	5 August 1810	Robinot-Varin
5 August 1810[7]	30 May 1814	Collomb d’Arcine

Subprefects of Liège

The office of Subprefect of Liège was held by the Prefect until 1811.

Term start	Term end	Office holder
11 January 1811[7]	30 May 1814	Charles Bouziès de Rouvroy

Subprefects of Malmedy

Term start	Term end	Office holder
25 April 1800[7]	3 February 1804	Jean Thomas Lambert Bassenge
3 February 1804[7]	30 May 1814	Taillevis de Périgny

References

1. Massin, Antoine (1801). Almanach du département de l'Ourte. J.F. Desoer. p. 149.
2. Oudiette, Charles (1804). Dictionnaire géographique et topographique des treize départements de la Belgique et de la rive gauche du Rhin. Imprimerie de Cramer. p. XIII.
3. Almanach Impérial. Imprimerie de Sa Majesté. 1812. p. 396.
4. Duvergier, Jean-Baptiste (1835). Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, réglemens et avis du Conseil d'état, t. 8. p. 300.
5. Archives Nationales. "DESMOUSSEAUX DE GIVRE, Antoine François Ehrard Marie Catherine". francearchives.fr. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
6. Archives Nationales. "MICOUD D'UMONS, Charles Emmanuel". francearchives.fr. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
7. Tulard, Jean & Marie-José (2014). Napoléon et 40 millions de sujets: La centralisation et le premier empire. p. 291.