One can say that the Belgium history began somewhere around the beginning of 57 BC when Julius Caesar extended the power of Rome into the region of Europe that is now Belgium. history of Belgium can be categorized into different periods.
Ancient Belgium's History
The various Celtic tribes of the early Gaul period and the Romans dubbed the early province Gallia Belgica. In the fourth century AD, a Germanic tribe known as the Franks who were earlier employed as mercenaries took over the control of Gaul. By the year 431, the Franks had established an independent dynasty known as the Merovingian. The area under their control included large parts of present day France and Belgium as well as southwestern Germany.
Medieval History
The medieval history had a lot of bearing on the development of what were then Belgium’s nascent cities. There was the growth of the powerful Counts of Flanders. The first among them was Baldwin Iron Arm who revolted against the French and carried away and married one of the daughters of Charles the Bold. It was he who began the process of creating equipped towns in Flanders in order to check the Norsemen. In due course of time, the southeastern part of what is today’s Belgium became an integral part of the Duchy of Lower Lotharingia or Lorraine, under the German kings. The foundation stone of Brussels can be said to be dated to this period when in the year 977, Charles, the Duke of Lorraine built the fortress on the River Senne which would later lay the foundation for Brussels. Slowly the area started flourishing in trade and for Flanders this was the beginning of the golden age. In 1302 the Battle of the Golden Spurs was fought between the Counts of Flanders and the French nobility. Though the cities managed to ward of the French at that time, it was the unity of the aristocracy which ultimately persisted and it managed to overcome the unified resistance largely also due to local rivalries. By 1329 Flanders was once again under the control of France. England, which was supplying raw wool during this period to the cloth trade, was not too pleased with the outcome. In its attempt to break French power it stopped sending wool to Flanders as well as to France. The two were locked for almost a century in what was famously known as the ‘Hundred Years War’ (1337-1453). And with the cities also trying to regain independent autonomy, the struggles finally ended when Philip the Bold of Burgundy became the ruler of Flanders in 1384.
The Burgundian Period
Philip the Good ruled from 1419-1467 and it was during this period that the empire expanded and also flourished. Philip managed to gain control of the southeastern areas which included Brussels, Namur and Liege. Philip's reign brought new prosperity and, with it, a great era of cultural development. However, in 1555 with the ascendancy of Philip II to the Spanish throne there was a crisis in Belgium’s history. This was due to the strident Spanish Catholicism which clashed with the rise of Protestantism in northern Europe. In the Flemish cities especially, Protestantism was a deeply political movement, linked to the long tradition of resistance to aristocratic domination. Philip met the social unrest with harsh and rigid repression by executing thousands of Protestants. By 1576, William's power in the north was virtually unchallenged, and he came to terms with the Spanish. The United Provinces, as the northern regions came to be known, struggled for the next seventy-five years to maintain their independence.
The New Kingdom
The rise of Napoleon saw the French rule over Belgium becoming more constructive and was also instrumental in the revitalization of the industry. However, with the fall of Napoleon the great allied powers decided to make Belgium a part of the Netherlands Kingdom which was then ruled by the pro-Dutch William of Orange. However, with patience of the Belgians running out there was wide spread revolution in Brussels which quickly engulfed other parts of the country. Though William did try to make a brief attempt to regain control he stopped the effort within a few months. It was finally on the 20th of January, 1831, after centuries of external rule that Belgium gained recognition as an independent nation. |
