Belgium's big-gun neighbours France, Germany and England (across the North Sea)
long favoured this little nation as a nice spot to kill each other.
May 14, 2006 (Press Release) --
Belgium's big-gun neighbours France, Germany and England (across the North Sea)
long favoured this little nation as a nice spot to kill each other. Conquered by
German tribes, Christianised by the 7th century and carved up during the Frankish
Empire in 1100, much of Belgium enjoyed a golden age of prosperity and artistry
under the French Duke of Burgundy during the 14th century. This was a boom time
for the cloth-trading Flemish towns of Ypres, Bruges and Ghent. With the demise of
Bruges due to British competition and a silted river, Antwerp soon became the
greatest port in Europe.
The golden age began to tarnish in the mid-15th century when the Low Countries
(present-day Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) were inherited by Spain,
igniting a long battle against Catholic Spanish rule. The fanatically Catholic
Philip II of Spain sent in the Inquisition to enforce Catholicism. Thousands were
imprisoned or executed before full-scale war erupted in 1568. The Revolt of the
Netherlands lasted 80 years and in the end Holland and its allied provinces booted
out the Spaniards. Belgium and Luxembourg stayed under Spanish rule. Napolean's
defeat at the Battle of Waterloo near Brussels led to the creation, in 1814, of
the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, melding Belgium and Luxembuorg into the
Netherlands. But the Catholic Belgians revolted, winning independence in 1830.
Despite Belgium's neutral policy, the Germans invaded in 1914. Another German
attack in 1940 saw the entire country taken over within three weeks. King Leopold
III's questionably early capitulation to the Germans led to his abdication in 1950
in favour of his son, King Baudouin, whose popular reign ended with his death in
1993. Childless, Baudouin was succeeded by his brother, the present King Albert
II.
Postwar Belgium was characterised by an economic boom, later accentuated by
Brussels' appointment as the headquarters of the European Union (EU) and the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Belgium of today is home to a vast army of
diplomats, and with them has come a rampant form of internationalism - followed
closely by bland skyscrapers and intimidatory restaurants. While the country's
number one city is being busily groomed to suit the rest of Europe, the Belgians
themselves remain nonchalant - the true spirit of Belgium will always emanate from
its people and its past.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
long favoured this little nation as a nice spot to kill each other. Conquered by
German tribes, Christianised by the 7th century and carved up during the Frankish
Empire in 1100, much of Belgium enjoyed a golden age of prosperity and artistry
under the French Duke of Burgundy during the 14th century. This was a boom time
for the cloth-trading Flemish towns of Ypres, Bruges and Ghent. With the demise of
Bruges due to British competition and a silted river, Antwerp soon became the
greatest port in Europe.
The golden age began to tarnish in the mid-15th century when the Low Countries
(present-day Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) were inherited by Spain,
igniting a long battle against Catholic Spanish rule. The fanatically Catholic
Philip II of Spain sent in the Inquisition to enforce Catholicism. Thousands were
imprisoned or executed before full-scale war erupted in 1568. The Revolt of the
Netherlands lasted 80 years and in the end Holland and its allied provinces booted
out the Spaniards. Belgium and Luxembourg stayed under Spanish rule. Napolean's
defeat at the Battle of Waterloo near Brussels led to the creation, in 1814, of
the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, melding Belgium and Luxembuorg into the
Netherlands. But the Catholic Belgians revolted, winning independence in 1830.
Despite Belgium's neutral policy, the Germans invaded in 1914. Another German
attack in 1940 saw the entire country taken over within three weeks. King Leopold
III's questionably early capitulation to the Germans led to his abdication in 1950
in favour of his son, King Baudouin, whose popular reign ended with his death in
1993. Childless, Baudouin was succeeded by his brother, the present King Albert
II.
Postwar Belgium was characterised by an economic boom, later accentuated by
Brussels' appointment as the headquarters of the European Union (EU) and the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Belgium of today is home to a vast army of
diplomats, and with them has come a rampant form of internationalism - followed
closely by bland skyscrapers and intimidatory restaurants. While the country's
number one city is being busily groomed to suit the rest of Europe, the Belgians
themselves remain nonchalant - the true spirit of Belgium will always emanate from
its people and its past.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
Email
Print
SPAM
LEAVE A COMMENT
