This article explores how the Austrian authorities, after taking over the power in the Southern Netherlands at the beginning of 1716, dealt with what was left of the preceding “Angevin Regime” in these regions. Emperor Charles VI considered the reign of Philip of Anjou or Philip V of Spain as illegitimate, and therefore declared some of the Angevin legal acts as illegitimate: grants of nobility titles, nominations of civil servants, grants of pensions, etc. Visible supporters of Philip of Anjou were victims of confiscations. However, due to practical reasons, the emperor whose authority in the Southern Netherlands was not yet well established, was repeatedly forced to moderate and cancel some of his decrees either partially or completely. In addition, the Austrian authorities decided to take over some of the fiscal and institutional achievements of the Angevin Regime. This article argues that this ambiguous attitude towards the Angevin past can be explained by the desire of the new regime to strengthen the basis of its government. To maintain his authority, the emperor did not dare to antagonize the local elites. He opted consciously for the takeover of some Angevin taxes and institutional structures, the alleged illegitimacy of this preceding regime notwithstanding.