Utrecht, City

1693. A geographical dictionary representing the present and ancient names by Edmund Bohun.

Utrecht, Antonia, Trajectum Inferius, Ʋtricesium, Ʋltrajectum, Antonina Civitas, Civitas Ʋtricensium, a great, strong, populous City in the Ʋnited Netherlands; the Capital of one of their seven States. It stands upon the North Branch of the Rhine; at the distance of about 5 English Miles to the North; but united to it by a Navigable Channel. Twenty three Leagues from Cologne, 5 German Miles from Amsterdam to the South, and 6 from Roterdam to the East. The Original of it is unknown: but it is supposed to be a Roman Work, and built in or before the times of Nero about 186. Being ruined by the Barbarous Nations, Dagobert, King of France, rebuilt and refortified it, about 642. So that the second Pile became much more famous than the former, Willibrodus (the Apostle of the Frisons) being sent by Pope Sergius in 696. with the Title of an Archbishop; and Pepin, King of France, having, in 692, taken Ʋtrecht from Radbold the Pagan Duke of Frizeland; he assigned this City to Willibrode: and gave him the Territories, thus reckoned up by Antonius Mattheus, in his Books de Nobi itate. The Lekk, the Uechten, all the Lands which lay upon their Banks, and the Territory of Teistervant; which included a great part of Guelders, Bommel, Tiel, the Betouw, Culemborch, Viane, Asperen, Bure, Heusden, Neuctom, the Veluwe, and Ysestein. In 700. Radbold attempting in vain the recovering this City, submitted: So Willibrode, and Boniface his Successor, peaceably enjoyed this vast Diocese: which was confirmed to them, and their Privileges enlarged by Charles the Great. In after times it became a Free Imperial City of Germany. Several of the Emperors resided, and some died here: amongst whom are reckoned Conrad II. in 1039. and Henricus V. in 1122. So jealous they were of their Privileges, that they would not suffer any of their Bishops Officers to have any share in the Government of the City: nor would they suffer the Bishop to enter the Town with more Men than they allowed him, or to stay in it above five or eight days. They maintained this Liberty, (though it was sorely envied and laid at by John Count of Holland, in 1297. and by William Count of Holland in 1324.) till in 1527. the Bishop of Ʋtrecht passed over his Right to Charles V. who being a Potent Prince, easily reduc'd this City under his Obedience, built it a Castle, and in 1546. kept in it a Chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece. It had then 4 Collegiate Churches, divers Abbeys and Ecclesiastical Houses. But in 1577. they, with the rest of Holland, revolted from the Spaniards. In 1559. it had been advanced to an Archbishoprick by Pope Paul IV. and nine Suffragan Bishops assigned to this See, which was one of the occasions of the Revolt. In 1636. it was made an University: and in 1672. it fell for a short time into the hands of the French, but is since returned to its former liberty; the Learned Dr. Brown has given a short account of the present State of this City in his Travels, Pag. 101. Long. 26. 26. Lat. 52. 10.