County of Drenthe

The County of Drenthe (Dutch: Landschap Drenthe) was the name given to the present Dutch province of Drenthe between 1528 and 1795.

In the Early Middle Ages, a County of Drenthe existed between 1024 and 1046. Afterward, Drenthe was always part of the Bishopric of Utrecht, more particularly of its eastern part, the Oversticht.

When the Bishopric of Utrecht was abolished in 1528 and became an integral part of the Habsburg dominions, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor divided it and made Drenthe a separate county, ruled by a Habsburg Stadtholder. Because Drenthe was only sparsely populated, it had the same Stadtholder as the Lordship of Groningen.

Drenthe supported the Dutch Revolt from the start but again was treated differently from the other counties. It had no voting rights in the Union of Utrecht and was not considered as one of the Seven Provinces.

It was only in 1815 that it became a full province in the Netherlands.