e cession to
Margaret in 1347 of the margraviate of Antwerp by John III., but a war
broke out in 1356 between Wenzel supported by the gilds, and Louis, who
upheld the burgher-patrician party in the Brabant cities. The democratic
leaders were Everhard Tserclaes at Brussels and Peter Coutercel at
Louvain. In the course of a stormy reign Wenzel was taken prisoner in
1371 by the duke of Gelderland, and had to be ransomed by his subjects.
After his death (1383) his widow continued to rule over the two duchies
for eighteen years, but was obliged to rely on the support of the house
of Burgundy in her contests with the turbulent city gilds and with her
neighbours, the dukes of Julich and Gelderland. In 1390 she revoked the
deed which secured the succession to Brabant to the house of Luxemburg,
and appointed her niece, Margaret of Flanders (d. 1405), daughter of
Louis II. and Margaret of Brabant (see FLANDERS), and her husband,
Philip the Bold of Burgundy, her heirs. Margaret of Flanders had married
(1) Philip I. de Rouvre of Burgundy (d. 1361) and (2) Philip II., the
Bold, (d. 1404), son of John II., king of France (see BURGUNDY). Of her
three sons by her second marriage John succeeded to Burgundy, and
Anthony to Brabant on the death of Johanna in 1406. Anthony was killed
at the battle of Agincourt in 1415 and was succeeded by his eldest son
by Jeanne of Luxemburg St Pol, John IV. (d. 1427). He is chiefly
memorable for the excitement caused by his divorce from his wife Jacoba
(q.v.), countess of Holland. John IV. left no issue, and the succession
passed to his brother Philip I., who also died without issue in 1430.

On the extinction of the line of Anthony the duchy of Brabant became the
inheritance of the elder branch of the house of Burgundy, in the person
of Philip III., "the Good," of Burgundy, II. of Brabant, son of John.
His grand-daughter Mary (d. 1482), daughter and heiress of Charles I.,
"the Bold," (d. 1477) married the archduke Maximilian of Austria
(afterwards emperor) and so brought Brabant with the other Burgundian
possessions to the house of Habsburg. The chief city of Brabant,
Brussels, became under the Habsburg regime the residence of the court
and the capital of the Netherlands. In the person of the emperor Charles
V. the destinies of Brabant and the other Netherland states were linked
with those of the Spanish monarchy. The attempt of Philip II. of Spain
to impose despotic rule upon the Netherlands led to the