History

 

Starting in 57 BC, Julius Caesar extended Rome's power into a region of Europe that is known now as Belgium. There, he met one of the Celtic tribes of early Gaul, the Belgae. The Romans then named their new land Gallia Belgica, after this tribe. During the decline of Rome, in the fourth century AD, a Germanic tribe called the Franks took over Gaul. The Franks were mercenaries who worked for the empire of Rome. By 431 AD, the Franks gained more power and established an independent dynasty, Merovingian, using Tournai as its capital. Eventually, the Merovingians controlled parts of what is now France and Belgium, along with southwestern Germany. Clovis I, the Merovingian leader, adopted Christianity, which won him the support of the church.

 

Over the next several hundred years, this land was ruled by many leaders, including Charlemagne. When Charlemagne died, three of his grandsons split the empire that covered nearly all of Europe. One grandson's land eventually became France, another's became Germany, and the land in between included what is now Belgium. 

 

 

 

At first, the northwestern part of Belgium belonged to the kingdom of France. In this region, the Counts of Flanders arose; the first was Baldwin Iron Arm, who married a great-granddaughter of Charlemagne. Baldwin began creating fortified towns in Flanders, the first of which was Ghent. Baldwin's heir, Baldwin II, continued his father's work with the fortification of Bruges and Ypres. 

 

The southeastern part of Belgium eventually became part of Lorraine, under the German kings. The foundation of Brussels, a fortress on the Senne River, was built in 977 by Charles, Duke of Lorraine. Mostly, the southeastern part of today's Belgium was split into several minor domains, one of which was Liege.

 

At the beginning of the new millennium, Belgium consisted of the cities of Flanders, which was unified, and several less unified cities. Trade began to grow and Flanders flourished. The Flemings imported wool and weaved it into cloth to sell, and the cities became more and more wealthy and powerful. By 1300, Ghent, Bruges, and Ypres were all major independent cities; their culture remains distinctive today.

 

By this time, the Counts of Flanders and the French both wanted to regain control over these successful cities. In 1302, the cities defeated the French nobility at the Battle of the Golden Spurs, keeping control over their cities and economy. However, France persisted for another 17 years, and by 1329 finally took control of Flanders. England, the wool supplier, was not pleased by this, and stopped sending wool. 

 

Over the next century, the French and English battled for control of Flanders in the Hundred Years' War, and during this time, the cities fought to regain their independence. Finally, Philip the Bold of Burgundy, became the ruler of Flanders in 1384. Philip had previously been a part of Burgundy's alliance with England against France.

 

 

 

Philip the Good ruled Belgium from 1419 to 1467, and under his rule, the country grew and prospered. Philip gained control of the southeastern areas, including Brussels, Namur, and Liege, suppressing their autonomy and bringing them under the central rule from Brussels. With Philip's reign came a new era of culture. Painting especially became prevalent. Following Philip's death, Charles V became Belgium's ruler. Antwerp, in the northern part of Belgium, emerged in the 1490's and was a commercially successful city. 

 

In 1555, Belgium began a new crisis as Catholicism coincided with the uprise of Protestantism in northern Europe. At this time, Philip II ruled Spain, and he repressed the social unrest that was present in Flanders due to religious clashes. Philip invoked a huge Spanish military presence in the north and executed thousands of Protestants. By 1565, the League of Nobility and the Governor of Flanders joined Belgium in its opposition to Spain. Philip's response to this was to send in the Duke of Alva, heading an army of 10,000 troops.

 

Alva outlawed and executed Belgium's leaders and terrorized the country. Within a few years, the north's inhabitants opposed Alva, and he eventually controlled only the Catholic-based southern cities of Belgium. 

 

William of Orange, leader of the League of Nobility, was the undisputed leader of north Belgium by 1576, and he came to terms with the Spanish. For the next 75 years, northern Belgium struggled to remain autonomous, and the Catholic southern regions of Belgium, still faithful to Spain, became known as the Spanish Netherlands. 1648's Treaty of Munster helped northern Belgium to become independent, and Spain agreed to close the Scheldt River to navigation. Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent all lost their status as successful trade cities because of this.

 

 

The next century heralded France as the most powerful state in Europe, and the French, under the influence of Louis XIV, continually tried to control the Spanish Netherlands. Neither the Spanish nor the Dutch wanted to see France control this land, and England also opposed the French, especially since a Dutch leader had accepted the English throne. This caused Belgium to become a battleground between Louis XIV and his opponents for most of the century.

 

The War of the Spanish Succession took place from 1702 to 1713, brought on by the death of King Charles II of Spain. Charles had no children to name as successors to his throne, and so he appointed Louis' grandson, Philip of Anjou. Louis influenced Philip to allow the Spanish Netherlands to come under the rule of France, but no one else in Europe agreed. For ten years, France tried to gain control over the Spanish Netherlands, while the Dutch, English, and Austrians strongly resisted. Finally, in 1713, Louis drafted the Treaty of Utrecht, which allowed the Spanish Netherlands to come under the rule of Austria. 

 

Austria allowed the region to continue its independence, and by the end of the 18^th century, Belgium was ready to become a country. During the French Revolution in 1789, Belgium rose up against Austria and was declared an independent country in 1790. However, the new Belgium's leaders were divided, and the Austrians were able to re-establish control. Soon thereafter, Austria went to war with the Republic of France, and by 1795 the French were successful in liberating the United States of Belgium. 

 

 

 

Under the direction of Napoleon, the French rule over Belgium was able to open the Scheldt River again, revitalizing trade in the country and partially recovering Antwerp. After another attempt by William of Orange to control Belgium, revolution broke out in Brussels and spread across the country. After a few months, William withdrew and Belgium was once and for all recognized as an independent nation on January 20, 1831. Leopold I and then Leopold II, both rulers of Belgium, oversaw the increase of economy and culture within the country. 

 

Belgium was invaded during World War I, but its army survived and successfully kept control of the country. In 1940, Germany invaded Belgium and Holland, forcing the Belgian government to evacuate to London. Leopold surrendered to German forces and Belgium was overtaken, but the Allied Forces liberated Belgium once again in 1944.

 

Post war, Brussels gradually became the “capital” of Europe. It is the headquarters of the European Community and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and it is recognized as the leading European center of international business. 

 

One of the most important post-war developments of Belgium was the evolving independence of the country's different regions. In 1977, Belgium was divided into three autonomous regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. In 1980, in recognition of this separation, Belgium was named a federation. Since then, Belgium has continued to grow and is now made up of 17 provinces.

 

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