The Apostolic Nunciature to Flanders was the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the Habsburg Netherlands (a predecessor state of modern Belgium commonly referred to as "Flanders" from its component part, the County of Flanders). The diplomatic representative entrusted with this mission was an Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. The office came into existence in 1593 but fell into abeyance after 1634. It was recreated in 1725 and continued to 1795, ending with the annexation of the Austrian Netherlands to France.
Between 1727 and 1794 the Apostolic Nuncios to Flanders ruled directly the Dutch Mission, the missionary district in Northern Netherlands, then the Dutch Republic.
Nuncios Spanish Netherlands Ottavio Mirto Frangipani 1596–1606 Decio Carafa 1606–1607 Guido Bentivoglio 1607–1615 Ascanio Gesualdo 1615–1617 Lucio Morra 1617–1619 Lucio Sanseverino 1619–1621 Giovanni Francesco Guidi di Bagno 1621–1627 Fabio Lagonissa 1627–1634 Lelio Falconieri 1635–1637 (appointed but never presented) Richard Paul Stravius, internuncio, 1634–1642
Austrian Netherlands Giuseppe Spinelli 1725–1731 Silvio Valenti Gonzaga 1731–1736 Luca Melchiore Tempi 1736–1744 Ignazio Michele Crivelli 1744–1754 Tommaso Maria Ghilini 1763–1775 Ignazio Busca 1775–1785 Cesare Brancadoro 1792–1795
References
See also Apostolic Nunciature to Belgium