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Belgian History
Although Belgium has been inhabited for many thousands
of years, its written history begins in 54 BC when Julius Caesar
conquered the area as part of his campaigns in Gaul, as described in his
Commentaries on the Gallic War
(Latin: Commentarii de Bello Gallico). As a result, for the next
several centuries, Belgium and the surrounding areas
were incorporated in the Roman Empire as the province of
Gallia Belgica.
When the Roman Empire eventually collapsed in the 5th century CE,
and Belgium then became part of the area ruled
by the Merovingian Frankish dynasty. Eventually the Merovingian
dynasty was replaced by the Carolingians, and Belgium found
itself on the border between the successor states of
France and the Holy Roman Empire.
It was during this period in the Middle Ages that the more northerly
parts of the country became Germanized, whereas southern parts did not,
thus giving rise to the Flemish and Walloon language
regions that are still found in Belgium today.
In the mid 16th century, Belgium,
Luxembourg and the
Netherlands all came under
Habsburg rule. In the reformation,
northern parts of this region turned to Protestantism,
whereas southern parts remained Catholic. When the Spanish
Habsburgs tried to reimpose Catholicism across the
entire region, this led to the 80 years war (1568 to 1648),
but ultimately this effort largely failed - the northern parts of
the region becoming the new country of the United Provinces
(the precursor of the Netherlands), although
the southern parts remained under Habsburg rule as the Spanish Netherlands.
The area that is Belgium was ruled by the Habsburg for
more than 300 years, first as the Spanish Netherlands, and later as
the Austrian Netherlands. During this period, it was a frequent site
of battles during the Habsburg's many wars with France.
During the French Revolutionary Wars, the Austrian Netherlands were overran
and then annexed by France. However, following the defeat
of Napoleon in 1815, the area was removed from French control, and united
with the Netherlands as part of the United Kingdom
of the Netherlands.
In 1830, revolution broke out in Belgium, which led to
independence from the Netherlands. Leopold I became
king, and the new country became an independent Catholic parliamentary democracy,
The major powers of the Concert of Europe sanctioned the new country's existence
on acceptance of it being permanently neutral, a status that Belgium retained
until after World War I.
In 1885, King Leopold II of Belgium acquired the Congo Free State
as a personal possession, although in
1908
it became a Belgian colony. Other Belgian colonial possessions included a
concession in Tietsin, China (occupied until
1930
as a result of
Belgian forces' role in surpressing the Boxer Rebellion), and
Ruanda-Urundi (gained from Germany during World War I).
Durig the 20th century, Belgium has twice been invaded
by Germany - in World War I
in
1914,
and
in World War II in
1940.
As a result of World War I and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles,
Belgium gained several
border towns from Germany, which is the origin of the
German-speaking
community in the East of the country.
After World War II, Belgium joined NATO, formed the
Benelux group of countries (with Luxembourg and the
Netherlands), and was a founder member of
the European Coal and Steel Community and subsequent European Economic
Community (which eventually led to today's European Union).
Belgium's remaining colonial possessions were granted
independence in the post-war period; the Congo in
1960,
and Ruanda-Urundi
(as the two new countries of Rwanda and
Burundi) in
1962.
Here are some books about the history of
Belgium:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Paul Arblaster
Palgrave Macmillan
Released: 2005-12-01
Paperback (312 pages)
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This is the first full historical survey of the Benelux area (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) to be written in English. Paul Arblaster describes the whole sweep of the history of the Low Countries, from Roman frontier provinces, through medieval principalities, to the establishment of the three constitutional monarchies of the present day. This readable overview highlights the international importance of the social, economic , spiritual, and cultural movements that have marked the region. |
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By Emile Cammaerts
Released: 2011-03-24
Kindle Edition
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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. |
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By J.C.H. Blom
Berghahn Books
Paperback (536 pages)
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The history of the smaller European countries is rather neglected in the teaching of European history at university level. We are therefore pleased to announce the publication of the first comprehensive history of the Low Countries - in English - from Roman Times to the present. Remaining politically and culturally fragmented, with its inhabitants speaking Dutch, French, Frisian, and German, the Low Countries offer a fascinating picture of European history en miniature. For historical reasons, parts of northern France and western Germany also have to be included in the "Low Countries," a term that must remain both broad and fluid, a convenient label for a region which has seldom, if ever, composed a unified whole. In earlier ages it as even more difficult to the region set parameters, again reflecting Europe as a whole, when tribes and kingdoms stretched across expanses not limited to the present states of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Nevertheless, its parts did demonstrate many common traits and similar developments that differentiated them from surrounding countries and lent them a distinct character. Internationally, the region often served both as a mediator for and a buffer to the surrounding great powers, France, Britain, and Germany; an important role still played today as Belgium and the Netherlands have increasingly become involved in the broader process of European integration, in which they often share the same interest and follow parallel policies. This highly illustrated volume serves as an ideal introduction to the rich history of the Low Countries for students and the generally interested reader alike. |
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Released: 2011-11-22
Kindle Edition
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History of Belgium
History of the Netherlands
History of Luxembourg
County, Duchy and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Luxembourg |
|
By Guy Vanthemsche
Cambridge University Press
Hardcover (312 pages)
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While the impact of a colonising metropole on subjected territories has been widely scrutinized, the effect of empire on the colonising country has long been neglected. Recently, many studies have examined the repercussions of their respective empires on colonial powers such as the United Kingdom and France. Belgium and its African empire have been conspicuously absent from this discussion. This book attempts to fill this gap. Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980 examines the effects of colonialism on the domestic politics, diplomacy and economics of Belgium, from 1880 - when King Leopold II began the country's expansionist enterprises in Africa - to the 1980s, well after the Congo's independence in June of 1960. By examining the colonial impact on its mother country Belgium, this study also contributes to a better understanding of Congo's past and present. |
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By Herman Bodson
TAMU Press
Paperback (262 pages)
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By Thomas Kren
Getty Publications
Paperback (127 pages)
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This is a lavishly illustrated survey of the J. Paul Getty's collection of illuminated manuscripts from Belgium and the Netherlands. During the Middle Ages, the region now occupied by Belgium and Netherlands flourished economically and artistically. While widely known as the era of Jan van Eyck - the master oil painter - the 15th and 16th centuries also witnessed the greatest flowering of the art of illumination anywhere in Europe. The region's colourful, naturalistically painted books were eagerly sought after across the continent. "Illuminated Manuscripts of Belgium & the Netherlands" is a magnificently illustrated volume that includes works by the finest and most original artists for the most discerning patrons - "The Prayer Book of Charles the Bold", illuminated by Lievin van Lathem for the Duke of Burgundy, 1469; "The Visions of Tondal" by Simon Marmion for Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, 1475; "The Spinola Hours", 1510-20, considered to be one of the most important Flemish manuscripts of the 16th century; and "The Brandenburg Prayer Book", illuminated by Simon Bening for Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, 1525-30. |
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