Belgium's neighbors France, Germany and England. Conquered
by German tribes, Christianized 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.
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. Napoleon'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 Luxembourg 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 favor of his son, King Boudewijn, whose popular reign
ended with his death in 1993. Childless, Boudewijn was succeeded by his brother,
the present King Albert II.
Postwar Belgium was characterized by an economic boom, later accentuated by
Brussels' appointment as the headquarters of the European Union (EU) and the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (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.
