World History
History of Belgium. This is a short piece which looks at the history of Belgium.
From the site:
Belgium derives its name from a Celtic tribe, the Belgae, whom Caesar described as the most courageous tribe of Gaul. However, the Belgae were forced to yield to Roman legions during the first century B.C. For some 300 years thereafter, what is now Belgium flourished as a province of Rome. But Rome's power gradually lessened. In about A.D. 300, Attila the Hun invaded what is now Germany and pushed Germanic tribes into northern Belgium. About 100 years later, the Germanic tribe of the Franks invaded and took possession of Belgium. The northern part of present-day Belgium became an overwhelmingly Germanized and Germanic-Frankish-speaking area, whereas in the southern part people continued to be Roman and spoke derivatives of Latin. After coming under the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy and, through marriage, passing into the possession of the Hapsburgs, Belgium was occupied by the Spanish (1519-1713) and the Austrians (1713-1794).
Under these various rulers, and especially during the 500 years from the 12th to the 17th century, the great cities of Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp took turns at being major European centers for commerce, industry (especially textiles) and art. Flemish painting--from Van Eyck and Breugel to Rubens and Van Dyck--became the most prized in Europe. Flemish tapestries hung on castle walls throughout Europe.
Following the French Revolution, Belgium was invaded and annexed by Napoleonic France in 1795. Yet with the defeat of Napoleon's army at the Battle of Waterloo, fought just a few miles south of Brussels, Belgium was separated from France and made part of the Netherlands by the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
- Carolingian Dynasty
Carolingian Dynasty The Carolingian dynasty was a family of Frankish tribe nobles who came to rule over much of western Europe from 751 to 987. The dynasty’s most prominent member was Charlemagne. The family originally served as hereditary mayors...
- Frankish Tribe
Frankish Tribe The Franks were a group of Germanic peoples who lived northeast of the northernmost part of the Rhine frontier of the Roman Empire. References to the Franks first appeared in the mid-third century in Roman sources listing them among the...
- A Short History Of Luxembourg
A Short History of LuxembourgBy Andre SanchezReproduced with permission from ezinearticles.comThe Duchy of Luxembourg is generally considered to have been established in 963, though it is mentioned in the writings of Julius Caesar. The Count of Ardennes...
- History Of Burundi
History of Burundi. This essay provides a good overview to the history of the African nation of Burundi. From the site: In the 16th century, Burundi was a kingdom characterized by a hierarchical political authority and tributary economic exchange....
- World War I Propaganda Posters
Here is a new site I just found with hundreds of propaganda posters from the US, UK, Australia, Belgium (where I was born!), France, Germany, Italy and Russia. Just click on each country on the top right and then a poster will show up in the...
World History
History of Belgium
History of Belgium. This is a short piece which looks at the history of Belgium.
From the site:
Belgium derives its name from a Celtic tribe, the Belgae, whom Caesar described as the most courageous tribe of Gaul. However, the Belgae were forced to yield to Roman legions during the first century B.C. For some 300 years thereafter, what is now Belgium flourished as a province of Rome. But Rome's power gradually lessened. In about A.D. 300, Attila the Hun invaded what is now Germany and pushed Germanic tribes into northern Belgium. About 100 years later, the Germanic tribe of the Franks invaded and took possession of Belgium. The northern part of present-day Belgium became an overwhelmingly Germanized and Germanic-Frankish-speaking area, whereas in the southern part people continued to be Roman and spoke derivatives of Latin. After coming under the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy and, through marriage, passing into the possession of the Hapsburgs, Belgium was occupied by the Spanish (1519-1713) and the Austrians (1713-1794).
Under these various rulers, and especially during the 500 years from the 12th to the 17th century, the great cities of Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp took turns at being major European centers for commerce, industry (especially textiles) and art. Flemish painting--from Van Eyck and Breugel to Rubens and Van Dyck--became the most prized in Europe. Flemish tapestries hung on castle walls throughout Europe.
Following the French Revolution, Belgium was invaded and annexed by Napoleonic France in 1795. Yet with the defeat of Napoleon's army at the Battle of Waterloo, fought just a few miles south of Brussels, Belgium was separated from France and made part of the Netherlands by the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
- Carolingian Dynasty
Carolingian Dynasty The Carolingian dynasty was a family of Frankish tribe nobles who came to rule over much of western Europe from 751 to 987. The dynasty’s most prominent member was Charlemagne. The family originally served as hereditary mayors...
- Frankish Tribe
Frankish Tribe The Franks were a group of Germanic peoples who lived northeast of the northernmost part of the Rhine frontier of the Roman Empire. References to the Franks first appeared in the mid-third century in Roman sources listing them among the...
- A Short History Of Luxembourg
A Short History of LuxembourgBy Andre SanchezReproduced with permission from ezinearticles.comThe Duchy of Luxembourg is generally considered to have been established in 963, though it is mentioned in the writings of Julius Caesar. The Count of Ardennes...
- History Of Burundi
History of Burundi. This essay provides a good overview to the history of the African nation of Burundi. From the site: In the 16th century, Burundi was a kingdom characterized by a hierarchical political authority and tributary economic exchange....
- World War I Propaganda Posters
Here is a new site I just found with hundreds of propaganda posters from the US, UK, Australia, Belgium (where I was born!), France, Germany, Italy and Russia. Just click on each country on the top right and then a poster will show up in the...