Escaut (department)

The north-western departments of the empire in 1812

Escaut was a department of the First French Empire in present day Belgium and Netherlands. It was named after the river Scheldt, which is called the Escaut in French. It was formed in 1795, when the Southern Netherlands were annexed by France. Before the occupation, the territory was part of the county of Flanders and the United Provinces (Staats-Vlaanderen).

The capital of the department was Ghent. The department was subdivided into the following arrondissements and cantons (situation in 1812):^[1]

Ghent, cantons: Deinze, Evergem, Ghent (4 cantons), Kruishoutem, Lochristi, Nazareth, Nevele, Oosterzele, Waarschoot and Zomergem.
Dendermonde, cantons: Aalst (2 cantons), Beveren, Hamme, Lokeren, Sint-Gillis-Waas, Sint-Niklaas, Temse, Dendermonde, Wetteren and Zele.
Eeklo, cantons: Assenede, Axel, Kaprijke, Eeklo, Sluis, Hulst, Oostburg and IJzendijke.
Oudenaarde, cantons: Oudenaarde (2 cantons), Geraardsbergen, Herzele, Sint-Maria-Horebeke, Nederbrakel, Ninove, Ronse and Zottegem.

Its population in 1812 was 636,438, and its area was 357,000 hectares.^[1]

After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its territory corresponded with the present Belgian province of East Flanders and the Dutch region of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen.

References

1 2 Almanach Impérial an bissextil MDCCCXII, p. 400-401, accessed in Gallica 24 July 2013 (French)

Territories annexed to the First French Empire (1804–1814)

44 départements (now parts of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland) created from annexed territories

Alpes-Maritimes Apennins Arno Bouches-de-l'Èbre / Bouches-de-l'Èbre-Montserrat Bouches-de-l'Elbe Bouches-de-l'Escaut Bouches-de-l'Yssel Bouches-de-la-Meuse Bouches-du-Rhin Bouches-du-Weser Deux-Nèthes Doire Dyle Ems-Occidental Ems-Oriental Ems-Supérieur Escaut Forêts Frise Gênes Jemmape Léman Lippe Lys Marengo Méditerranée Meuse-Inférieure Mont-Blanc Montserrat Mont-Terrible Mont-Tonnerre Montenotte Ombrone Ourthe Pô Rhin-et-Moselle Roer Rome Sambre-et-Meuse Sarre Sègre / Sègre-Ter Sésia Simplon Stura Tanaro† Taro Ter Tibre Trasimène Yssel-Supérieur Zuyderzée †The Tanaro department was established in 1802 and disbanded in 1805. Its territory was divided between the three départments of Marengo, Stura, and Montenotte (the latter was created after the annexation of the Ligurian Republic).

Coordinates: 51°3′N 3°44′E / 51.050°N 3.733°E / 51.050; 3.733

Authority control	GND: 7593715-3

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