{{Short description|Former French department (1795–1814)}} {{Infobox former country |native_name = {{native name|fr|Département de la Lys}}<br />{{native name|nl|Departement Leie}} |conventional_long_name = Department of Lys |common_name = Lys |year_start = 1795 |year_end = 1814 |flag = |image_flag = |image_map = Lys departement (1812).svg |image_map_caption = Location of Lys in France (1812) |official_languages = French |common_languages = Dutch |status = Department of the French First Republic and French First Empire |admin_center_type = Chef-lieu |admin_center = Bruges<br />{{coord|51|12|N|3|13|E|display=inline}} |stat_year1 = 1784 |stat_pop1 = 444,260 |ref_pop1 = <ref name='b' /> |stat_year2 = 1804 |stat_pop2 = 461,659 |ref_pop2 = <ref name=b>{{cite book |title=Mémoire statistique du département de la Lys|publisher=Imprimerie de Sa Majesté |date=1804 |pages=1–29 |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k84910c/f29.image}}</ref> |stat_year3 = 1805 |stat_pop3 = 471,689 |ref_pop3 = <ref name=c>{{cite book |title=Annuaire du Département de la Lys|publisher=Imprimerie de Sa Majesté |date=1805 |page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w51bAAAAQAAJ&pg=PP7}}</ref> |stat_year4 = 1812 |stat_pop4 = 491,143 |ref_pop4 = <ref name=a>{{cite book |title=Almanach Impérial|publisher=Imprimerie de Sa Majesté |date=1812 |page=427 |url= https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k204214z/f423.image}}</ref> |era = |event_start = Creation |date_start = 1 October |event_end = Treaty of Paris, disestablished |date_end = 30 May |p1 = County of Flanders |flag_p1 = Austrian Netherlands national flag - Marko de Haeck.png |s1 = West Flanders |flag_s1 = Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg |today = {{Plainlist}} * Belgium {{Endplainlist}} }} '''Lys''' ({{IPA|fr|lis|lang}}, {{langx|nl|Leie}}) was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium. It was named after the river Lys (Leie). It was created on 1 October 1795, when the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège were officially annexed by the French Republic.<ref>{{cite book |last=Duvergier |first=Jean-Baptiste |title=Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, réglemens et avis du Conseil d'état, t. 8|date=1835 |page=300 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEcUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA300}}</ref> Prior to this annexation, its territory was part of the County of Flanders. Its Chef-lieu was Bruges.
thumb|Lys within the northern French Empire (1811)
The department was subdivided into the following four arrondissements and cantons (as of 1812):<ref name='a' />
* Bruges: Ardoye, Bruges (5 cantons), Ghistelles, Ostende, Ruysselede, Thielt and Thourout (2 cantons). * Courtray: Avelghem, Courtray (4 cantons), Haerelbeke, Ingelmunster, Menin, Meulebeke, Moozeele, Oost-roosebeke and Roulers. * Furnes: Dixmude, Furnes, Haeringhe and Nieuport. * Ypres: Elverdinge, Hooglede, Messines, Pashendaele, Poperinghe, Wervicq and Ypres (2 cantons).
After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its territory corresponded perfectly with the present-day Belgian province of West Flanders.
==Administration== ===Prefects=== The Prefect was the highest state representative in the department. {| class="wikitable" style="width: 70%;" ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term start ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term end ! align="left" |Office holder
|- valign="top" |2 March 1800<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://francearchives.fr/fr/facomponent/a67c06a072cd60d2bee3dd876a7d2891b598f048|title=VIRY, François Marie Joseph Justin de|last=Archives Nationales|website=francearchives.fr|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref>||9 February 1804||'''François Marie Joseph Justin de Viry''' |- valign="top" |9 February 1804<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://francearchives.fr/fr/facomponent/2928fae40e2feb7267fab04e7e8b09ce812a8ac6|title=CHAUVELIN, Bernard François de|last=Archives Nationales|website=francearchives.fr|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref>||12 May 1808||'''François Bernard de Chauvelin''' |- valign="top" |30 November 1810<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://francearchives.fr/fr/facomponent/a5f24344b9056b2f4b7b3cd38f3ef14a630d5854|title=BIAMINO ARBORIO, Pierre Amédée Vincent Joseph Marie|last=Archives Nationales|website=francearchives.fr|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref>||25 August 1811||'''Pierre Amédée Vincent Joseph Marie Arborio-Biamino''' |- valign="top" |25 August 1811<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://francearchives.fr/fr/facomponent/c9c68262d7d379d3e09b8d83f41df4b0963c3798|title=SOULT, Jean François|last=Archives Nationales|website=francearchives.fr|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref>||30 May 1814||'''Jean François Soult''' |}
===General Secretaries=== The General Secretary was the deputy to the Prefect. {| class="wikitable" style="width: 70%;" ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term start ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term end ! align="left" |Office holder
|- valign="top" |2 March 1800<ref name='a' />||30 May 1814||'''Auguste Henissart''' |}
===Subprefects of Bruges=== Until 1811, the Prefect also held the office of Subprefect of Bruges. {| class="wikitable" style="width: 70%;" ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term start ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term end ! align="left" |Office holder
|- valign="top" |14 January 1811<ref name=d>{{cite book |last=Tulard|first=Jean & Marie-José|title=Napoléon et 40 millions de sujets: La centralisation et le premier empire|date=2014 |page=1833|publisher=Tallandier |isbn=9791021001480|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kp5SCwAAQBAJ&q=sous+pr%C3%A9fets+de+furnes+van+den+busche&pg=PA1833}}</ref>||30 May 1814||'''Delanghe''' |}
===Subprefects of Courtray=== {| class="wikitable" style="width: 70%;" ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term start ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term end ! align="left" |Office holder
|- valign="top" |25 April 1800<ref name='d' />||3 May 1801||'''Jean Baptiste De Burck''' |- valign="top" |3 May 1801<ref name='d' />||3 May 1802||'''Constant''' |- valign="top" |3 May 1802<ref name='d' />||30 May 1814||'''Antoine Alexis Joseph Picquet''' |}
===Subprefects of Furnes=== {| class="wikitable" style="width: 70%;" ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term start ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term end ! align="left" |Office holder
|- valign="top" |25 April 1800<ref name='d' />||1 September 1801||'''Van den Bussche''' |- valign="top" |1 September 1801<ref name='d' />||3 May 1802||'''Antoine Alexis Joseph Picquet''' |- valign="top" |3 May 1802<ref name='d' />||25 March 1807||'''Philippe Jacques Herwyn''' |- valign="top" |25 March 1807<ref name='d' />||21 September 1808||'''Nicolas Charles Joseph Dubois''' |- valign="top" |21 September 1808<ref name='d' />||8 April 1813||'''Delaëter''' |- valign="top" ||8 April 1813<ref name='d' />||30 May 1814||'''F. Heim''' |}
===Subprefects of Ypres=== {| class="wikitable" style="width: 70%;" ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term start ! align="left" style="width: 20%;" |Term end ! align="left" |Office holder
|- valign="top" |25 April 1800<ref name='d' />||30 May 1814||'''Arnould Claude Gallois''' |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Annexed departments of the French First Republic}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Former departments of France in Belgium Category:French First Republic Category:1795 establishments in France Category:History of West Flanders Category:States and territories disestablished in 1814