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<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="client-nojs" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"/> <title>Belgium - RationalWiki</title> <script>document.documentElement.className="client-js";RLCONF={"wgBreakFrames":!1,"wgSeparatorTransformTable":["",""],"wgDigitTransformTable":["",""],"wgDefaultDateFormat":"dmy","wgMonthNames":["","January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"wgRequestId":"Z-3BTLZ5bbIsVmvCUmYj3QAAAQE","wgCSPNonce":!1,"wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":!1,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Belgium","wgTitle":"Belgium","wgCurRevisionId":2674690,"wgRevisionId":2674690,"wgArticleId":115361,"wgIsArticle":!0,"wgIsRedirect":!1,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["CS1 maint: unrecognized language","CS1 errors: dates","European countries","Imperialism","Genocide","Member states of the European Union","NATO member states","Government incompetence"],"wgPageContentLanguage":"en","wgPageContentModel":"wikitext","wgRelevantPageName":"Belgium","wgRelevantArticleId":115361, "wgIsProbablyEditable":!0,"wgRelevantPageIsProbablyEditable":!0,"wgRestrictionEdit":[],"wgRestrictionMove":[],"wgMediaViewerOnClick":!0,"wgMediaViewerEnabledByDefault":!0};RLSTATE={"site.styles":"ready","noscript":"ready","user.styles":"ready","user":"ready","user.options":"loading","ext.cite.styles":"ready","mediawiki.page.gallery.styles":"ready","skins.vector.styles.legacy":"ready","mediawiki.toc.styles":"ready"};RLPAGEMODULES=["ext.cite.ux-enhancements","site","mediawiki.page.startup","mediawiki.page.ready","mediawiki.toc","skins.vector.legacy.js","ext.gadget.ReferenceTooltips","mmv.head","mmv.bootstrap.autostart"];</script> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.loader.implement("user.options@1hzgi",function($,jQuery,require,module){/*@nomin*/mw.user.tokens.set({"patrolToken":"+\\","watchToken":"+\\","csrfToken":"+\\"}); });});</script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=ext.cite.styles%7Cmediawiki.page.gallery.styles%7Cmediawiki.toc.styles%7Cskins.vector.styles.legacy&only=styles&skin=vector"/> <script async="" src="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&raw=1&skin=vector"></script> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content=""/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=site.styles&only=styles&skin=vector"/> <meta name="generator" content="MediaWiki 1.35.6"/> <meta name="description" content="The Kingdom of Belgium, also known as Germany's Speed Bump, is a small country located in the Benelux region of Europe. It's split mainly between two major linguistic groups: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French-speaking Community, which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians. There's also a small German population located on the eastern fringes. Belgium's resulting cultural diversity means that a headache-inducingly complex governance system is in place to ensure representation for everyone. Belgium is also notable for hosting the headquarters of both NATO and the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Brussels. Regarding the population's religion, 54% are Catholic, 3% are Protestant, and 31% are atheist or agnostic.&#91;3&#93; Its government is a constitutional monarchy ruled by a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/x-wiki" title="Edit" href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit"/> <link rel="edit" title="Edit" href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico"/> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/w/opensearch_desc.php" title="RationalWiki (en)"/> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/api.php?action=rsd"/> <link rel="license" href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Copyrights"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="RationalWiki Atom feed" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="RationalWiki"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Belgium"/> <meta property="og:description" content="The Kingdom of Belgium, also known as Germany's Speed Bump, is a small country located in the Benelux region of Europe. It's split mainly between two major linguistic groups: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French-speaking Community, which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians. There's also a small German population located on the eastern fringes. Belgium's resulting cultural diversity means that a headache-inducingly complex governance system is in place to ensure representation for everyone. Belgium is also notable for hosting the headquarters of both NATO and the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Brussels. Regarding the population's religion, 54% are Catholic, 3% are Protestant, and 31% are atheist or agnostic.&#91;3&#93; Its government is a constitutional monarchy ruled by a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Belgium"/>  </head> <body class="mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject mw-editable page-Belgium rootpage-Belgium skin-vector action-view minerva--history-page-action-enabled skin-vector-legacy"> <div id="mw-page-base" class="noprint"></div> <div id="mw-head-base" class="noprint"></div> <div id="content" class="mw-body" role="main"> <a id="top"></a> <div id="siteNotice" class="mw-body-content"><div id="localNotice" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div id="2025_RationalWiki_.27Oregon_Plan.27_Fundraiser"> <table role="presentation" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; width: 100%;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="width: 60%; text-align: left;"><big><center><b><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser">2025 RationalWiki 'Oregon Plan' Fundraiser</a></b></center></big> <p><b>There is no RationalWiki without you.</b> We are a small non-profit with no staff—we are hundreds of volunteers who document pseudoscience and crankery around the world every day. 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Kirk, "Errand of Mercy."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup></cite> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="margin: auto; border-collapse:collapse; border-style:none; background-color:transparent;" class="cquote"> <tbody><tr> <td><div style="padding:4px 50px;position:relative;"><span style="position:absolute;left:10px;top:-6px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">“</span><span style="position:absolute;right:10px;bottom:-20px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">”</span>On Earth, Belgium refers to a small country. Throughout the rest of the galaxy, Belgium is the most unspeakably rude word there is.</div> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding:4px 10px 8px;font-size:smaller;line-height:1.6em;text-align:right;"><cite style="font-style:normal;position:relative;z-index:2">—<a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a> explainer on <i>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.</i><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup></cite> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="navbox" style="float: right; clear:right; border: 2px solid silver; margin: 0 0 .5em .5em; width: 200px;"> <div style="background-color: #e7ece6; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; padding: .3em;"><b>Belgium</b> <b></b></div> <center><a href="/wiki/File:Flag_of_Belgium.svg" class="image"><img alt="Flag of Belgium.svg" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Flag_of_Belgium.svg/250px-Flag_of_Belgium.svg.png" decoding="async" width="195" height="169" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Flag_of_Belgium.svg/330px-Flag_of_Belgium.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Flag_of_Belgium.svg/500px-Flag_of_Belgium.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="780" /></a></center> <table style="width: 200px;"> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: #e8e7f2;"><b>Demographics</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by population" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by population">Population</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>11,505,732 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by GDP (nominal)" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by GDP (nominal)">GDP (million)</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>517,609 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita">GDP p/cap.</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>46,724 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by life expectancy" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by life expectancy">Life expectancy</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>81.1 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by Human Development Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by Human Development Index">Development Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>0.916 </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="width: 200px;"> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: #e8e7f2;"><b>Government</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:Democracy Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Democracy Index">Democracy Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>7.51 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:Corruption Perceptions Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Corruption Perceptions Index">Corruption Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>7.5 </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="width: 200px;"> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: #e8e7f2;"><b>More</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:Education Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Education Index">Education Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>0.841 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country" class="extiw" title="wp:Importance of religion by country" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Importance of religion by country">Religiosity</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>33 </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>The <b>Kingdom of Belgium</b>, also known as <b>Germany's Speed Bump</b>, is a small country located in the Benelux region of <a href="/wiki/Europe" title="Europe">Europe</a>. It's split mainly between two major linguistic groups: the <a href="/wiki/Dutch" class="mw-redirect" title="Dutch">Dutch</a>-speaking Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the <a href="/wiki/French" class="mw-redirect" title="French">French</a>-speaking Community, which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians. There's also a small <a href="/wiki/German" class="mw-redirect" title="German">German</a> population located on the eastern fringes. Belgium's resulting cultural diversity means that a headache-inducingly complex governance system is in place to ensure representation for everyone. Belgium is also notable for hosting the headquarters of both <a href="/wiki/NATO" title="NATO">NATO</a> and the <a href="/wiki/European_Union" title="European Union">European Union</a>. Its capital and largest city is Brussels. Regarding the population's <a href="/wiki/Religion" title="Religion">religion</a>, 54% are <a href="/wiki/Catholic" class="mw-redirect" title="Catholic">Catholic</a>, 3% are <a href="/wiki/Protestant" title="Protestant">Protestant</a>, and 31% are <a href="/wiki/Atheist" class="mw-redirect" title="Atheist">atheist</a> or <a href="/wiki/Agnostic" class="mw-redirect" title="Agnostic">agnostic</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup> Its government is a constitutional <a href="/wiki/Monarchy" title="Monarchy">monarchy</a> ruled by a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. </p><p>During the <a href="/wiki/Middle_Ages" title="Middle Ages">Middle Ages</a>, Belgium was one of the less shitty parts of Europe, thanks to its status as a trade hub. Through royal marriages, Belgium, alongside the Netherlands, became a holding of <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> and then <a href="/wiki/Spain" title="Spain">Spain</a>. It thus played a major role in the Hapsburg dynasty's struggles in Europe, especially against France, earning it the nickname "The Battlefield of Europe".<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> After the <a href="/wiki/Protestant_Reformation" title="Protestant Reformation">Protestant Reformation</a>, Spanish religious persecution of non-Catholics in the Netherlands incited them to revolt in the <a href="/wiki/Eighty_Years_War" title="Eighty Years War">Eighty Years War</a>, beginning in 1568. Due to mainly being Catholic, Belgium stayed with the Hapsburgs after the Dutch got their independence. France conquered Belgium from Austria during the <a href="/wiki/French_Revolutionary_Wars" class="mw-redirect" title="French Revolutionary Wars">French Revolutionary Wars</a>, and the defeat of <a href="/wiki/Napoleon_Bonaparte" title="Napoleon Bonaparte">Napoleon Bonaparte</a> in 1814 saw Belgium be handed off to the Netherlands. </p><p>Due to poor treatment at the hands of the Dutch monarchy, Belgium revolted in the 1830 Belgian Revolution, gaining success with the support of France. It became a colonial power involved in the <a href="/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa" title="Scramble for Africa">Scramble for Africa</a>, and its evil king Leopold II was responsible for the myriad atrocities inflicted upon the <a href="/wiki/Belgian_Congo" title="Belgian Congo">Belgian Congo</a>. Even after Leopold II, the Congo remained an oppressed and mistreated Belgian colony. In <a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a>, the <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a> invaded Belgium to take a shortcut to Paris, and the Germans inflicted atrocities upon the Belgians, costing many lives. In <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>, Germany invaded Belgium for the same reason, committing atrocities. </p><p>After the war, Belgium attempted to maintain its colonial empire despite the opposite global trend. This resulted in the 1960 Congo Crisis, inflaming ethnic problems in the region and setting the stage for further strife in Africa.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup> Belgium also had problems closer to home as economic inequality between the Flemish and the French speakers caused political crises and forced the creation of Belgium's current federal government structure. Today, though, Belgium is a remarkably developed country with high standards of living, healthcare, and education. </p> <div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="display:none" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr"><h2 id="mw-toc-heading">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox"></label></span></div> <ul> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#History"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></a> <ul> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2"><a href="#The_Belgae"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span> <span class="toctext">The Belgae</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="#Middle_Ages"><span class="tocnumber">1.2</span> <span class="toctext">Middle Ages</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4"><a href="#Burgundian_era"><span class="tocnumber">1.3</span> <span class="toctext">Burgundian era</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="#Hapsburg_rule"><span class="tocnumber">1.4</span> <span class="toctext">Hapsburg rule</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6"><a href="#Eighty_Years_War"><span class="tocnumber">1.5</span> <span class="toctext">Eighty Years War</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="#Early_Modern_battleground"><span class="tocnumber">1.6</span> <span class="toctext">Early Modern battleground</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8"><a href="#Revolutionary_era"><span class="tocnumber">1.7</span> <span class="toctext">Revolutionary era</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-9"><a href="#Dutch_rule"><span class="tocnumber">1.8</span> <span class="toctext">Dutch rule</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10"><a href="#Belgian_Revolution"><span class="tocnumber">1.9</span> <span class="toctext">Belgian Revolution</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-11"><a href="#Kingdom_and_colonial_empire"><span class="tocnumber">1.10</span> <span class="toctext">Kingdom and colonial empire</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-12"><a href="#World_War_I"><span class="tocnumber">1.11</span> <span class="toctext">World War I</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-13"><a href="#Interwar_period"><span class="tocnumber">1.12</span> <span class="toctext">Interwar period</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-14"><a href="#World_War_II"><span class="tocnumber">1.13</span> <span class="toctext">World War II</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-15"><a href="#Political_crises"><span class="tocnumber">1.14</span> <span class="toctext">Political crises</span></a> <ul> <li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-16"><a href="#The_Royal_Question"><span class="tocnumber">1.14.1</span> <span class="toctext">The Royal Question</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-17"><a href="#Congo.27s_independence_and_war"><span class="tocnumber">1.14.2</span> <span class="toctext">Congo's independence and war</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-18"><a href="#Flemish_movement"><span class="tocnumber">1.14.3</span> <span class="toctext">Flemish movement</span></a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-19"><a href="#Modern_Belgium"><span class="tocnumber">1.15</span> <span class="toctext">Modern Belgium</span></a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-20"><a href="#Government_and_politics"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Government and politics</span></a> <ul> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-21"><a href="#Federal"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Federal</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-22"><a href="#Monarchy"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Monarchy</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-23"><a href="#Federalism"><span class="tocnumber">2.3</span> <span class="toctext">Federalism</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-24"><a href="#International_organizations"><span class="tocnumber">2.4</span> <span class="toctext">International organizations</span></a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-25"><a href="#Religion"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Religion</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-26"><a href="#Environmental_issues"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Environmental issues</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-27"><a href="#Gallery"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Gallery</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-28"><a href="#External_links"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-29"><a href="#References"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li> </ul> </div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:267px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg/330px-Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg" decoding="async" width="265" height="177" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg/500px-Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg/960px-Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3888" data-file-height="2592" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Tongeren_Romeinse_wallen.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Caesar-era fortifications in Tongeren.</div></div></div> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="The_Belgae">The Belgae</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: The Belgae">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <table style="margin: auto; border-collapse:collapse; border-style:none; background-color:transparent;" class="cquote"> <tbody><tr> <td><div style="padding:4px 50px;position:relative;"><span style="position:absolute;left:10px;top:-6px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">“</span><span style="position:absolute;right:10px;bottom:-20px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">”</span>All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our Gauls, the third. All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws... Of all these, the Belgae are the bravest, because they are furthest from the civilization and refinement of [our] Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind; and they are the nearest to the Germans, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war.</div> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding:4px 10px 8px;font-size:smaller;line-height:1.6em;text-align:right;"><cite style="font-style:normal;position:relative;z-index:2">—Julius Caesar, <i>The Gallic War.</i><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6">[6]</a></sup></cite> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Modern Belgium takes its name from the Belgae tribe who lived in the region that the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a> knew as Gaul. During his campaigns, Julius Caesar applied the term "Belgium" to the region where they lived. Caesar's campaigns were called the Gallic Wars, and they saw the Belgae form a coalition with other Gallic tribes to resist Roman <a href="/wiki/Imperialism" title="Imperialism">imperialism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7">[7]</a></sup> At least some of them crossed into Great Britain, where they established some petty kingdoms in the south.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8">[8]</a></sup> </p> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:167px;"><a href="/wiki/File:StServatius-Treasury2.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/StServatius-Treasury2.jpg/165px-StServatius-Treasury2.jpg" decoding="async" width="165" height="152" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/StServatius-Treasury2.jpg/248px-StServatius-Treasury2.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/StServatius-Treasury2.jpg/330px-StServatius-Treasury2.jpg 2x" data-file-width="381" data-file-height="350" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:StServatius-Treasury2.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Reliquary bust of Saint Servatius.</div></div></div> <p>After the conquest by Caesar in 50 BCE, much of northern France became the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, which served as a militarized frontier against the various Germanic tribes.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup> The later Roman period saw <a href="/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity">Christianity</a> begin to spread among the people of Belgium. In the 4<sup>th</sup> century CE, Saint Servatius of Tongeren became one of the first known Christian bishops in the Low Countries, and he played a major role in converting the region.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup> He died in Maastricht, traditionally in 384, and he soon became the subject of legends and tales of <a href="/wiki/Miracles" class="mw-redirect" title="Miracles">miracles</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11">[11]</a></sup> His remains were buried at Maastricht and became <a href="/wiki/Relic" title="Relic">relics</a> that attract Catholic pilgrimage. </p><p>When the Western Roman Empire's government collapsed, Belgium came under intense assault from Germanic tribes, eventually culminating in the end of ancient civilization across the region. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Middle_Ages">Middle Ages</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Middle Ages">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:227px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg/225px-Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="162" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg/338px-Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg/450px-Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4088" data-file-height="2945" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Gent_Gravensteen_R01.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Gravensteen castle in Ghent, built 1180.</div></div></div> <p>Belgium endured a turbulent few centuries being tossed between the Franks and the Germans. It finally became part of the empire of <a href="/wiki/Charlemagne" title="Charlemagne">Charlemagne</a> in 768 CE, and Charlemagne did much to encourage trade along Belgium's rivers to boost its prosperity.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a></sup> After Charlemagne's death, his empire was destroyed by disputes between his sons. Unlike modern monarchies like the <a href="/wiki/UK" class="mw-redirect" title="UK">UK</a>, many Medieval monarchies chose to partition their holdings to ensure that all sons of the old king got a piece of the pie. Thus, Belgium and the empire as a whole got split between Charlemagne's heirs. </p> <div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:227px;"><a href="/wiki/File:St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG/225px-St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG" decoding="async" width="225" height="169" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG/338px-St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG/450px-St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG 2x" data-file-width="4608" data-file-height="3456" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:St_Paul_Liege_Exterior.JPG" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>St. Paul's Cathedral in Liège, built 13<sup>th</sup> to 15<sup>th</sup> century.</div></div></div> <p>The Flemish part went to France too, which they weren't too happy about. Flemish noble Baldwin Iron Arm decided to prove his independence by carrying off and marrying one of the French king's daughters.<sup id="cite_ref-mid_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mid-13">[13]</a></sup> His most pressing threat, though, came from outside. It was the 800s CE, and the <a href="/wiki/Vikings" title="Vikings">Vikings</a> had become a persistent and perpetual pestilence across the shores of Northern Europe. Baldwin countered them by building fortress cities to protect Belgium's rivers, first Ghent in 867 and followed by Bruges and Ypres. </p><p>The Norse raids eventually fell off, allowing trade to grow. With its extensive coastline and rivers, Flanders had a golden era, as its cities became rich by buying wool from <a href="/wiki/England" title="England">England</a> and weaving it into clothing.<sup id="cite_ref-mid_13-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mid-13">[13]</a></sup> Flemish cities became way more powerful than the French monarchy had counted on, and their cultural differences from the French made them seek further autonomy. However, France wasn't about to let such a lucrative source of wealth and power dissolve its loyalty to the throne. In 1297, King Philip IV attacked the County of Flanders, his own vassal, to force it to reintegrate with his realm.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14">[14]</a></sup> Flanders eventually collapsed beneath the greater strength of France, but at a high cost for the French. </p><p>England, though, had made bank by selling wool to the Flemish, and they weren't pleased with this outcome. The English banned wool sales to Flanders so long as the French were in control.<sup id="cite_ref-mid_13-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mid-13">[13]</a></sup> In 1337, England and France went to war over dynastic issues (long story, monarchy is stupid), resulting in the Hundred Years War, while Flanders used the chaos to regain its independence. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Burgundian_era">Burgundian era</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Burgundian era">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Paleis_op_de_Koudenberg.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Paleis_op_de_Koudenberg.jpg/250px-Paleis_op_de_Koudenberg.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="150" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Paleis_op_de_Koudenberg.jpg/500px-Paleis_op_de_Koudenberg.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="2952" data-file-height="1773" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Paleis_op_de_Koudenberg.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Palace of Coudenberg, seat of the Burgundian Valois.</div></div></div> <p>In the bloody horror of the Hundred Years' War, the French House of Valois put one of its members onto the seat of the French subject Duchy of Burgundy. This backfired because the Valois in question, Charles the Bold, was an ambitious noble who married Margaret of Flanders, daughter of the Count Louis II of Flanders, and thus integrated that rich region into his own holdings.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15">[15]</a></sup> Burgundy went from being a region in eastern France to a kingdom in its own right. By 1435, Burgundy's independence became pretty much official under Philip the Good, as he lost interest in internal French affairs and focused on territorial expansion. </p> <div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:202px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_(2).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_%282%29.jpg/200px-Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_%282%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="150" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_%282%29.jpg/300px-Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_%282%29.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_%282%29.jpg/400px-Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_%282%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4320" data-file-height="3240" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Gent_%E2%80%93_Ostflandern_-_malerisches_Gent_-_pittoreske_Gent_-_panoramio_(2).jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Medieval-era canal front in Ghent.</div></div></div> <p>Philip the Good established Brussels as his capital and ordered the palace at Coudenberg to be expanded into a proper royal headquarters (which sadly burned down in the 1700s).<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16">[16]</a></sup> Philip's reign was one of extravagance. This was when much of modern Belgian cuisine started to come into shape, the arts received patronage from the monarchy, and when knights of Burgundy wore huge golden neckties.<sup id="cite_ref-cdbg_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-cdbg-17">[17]</a></sup> The Middle Ages were sure shitty for Europeans, but Belgium was one of the least shitty places. In fact, many Belgians still regard the 15<sup>th</sup> century as one of their golden ages.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18">[18]</a></sup> Meanwhile, the English, French, and Germans were killing each other in shit. </p> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:217px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg/215px-Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg" decoding="async" width="215" height="169" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg/323px-Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg/430px-Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1964" data-file-height="1546" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Marriage_of_Mary_of_Burgundy_and_Maximilian_of_Austria.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Marie marries Maximilian in 1477.</div></div></div> <p>Unfortunately, the Burgundian era contained the seeds of later problems. Under the Burgundians, the French-speaking Wallonia region was favored over Flanders, a situation that persisted for much of Belgium's history.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19">[19]</a></sup> </p><p>The Burgundian dream ended when Philip the Good's not-so-Good son Charles took the throne. He got into a dumb war with the <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> and died at the Battle of Nancy in 1477.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20">[20]</a></sup> With no male heir, his daughter Marie inherited Burgundy and promptly became the most desirable bachelorette in Western Europe.<sup id="cite_ref-cdbg_17-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-cdbg-17">[17]</a></sup> After all, whoever married her would have their children inherit an entire kingdom. The King of France tried to entice Marie into marrying his son Charles VIII, but the twenty-year-old duchess wasn't keen on hooking up with a six-year-old.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21">[21]</a></sup> Thus, she chose to marry Archduke Maximilian of <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a>, heir to the Holy Roman Empire and the soon-to-be head of the powerful Hapsburg dynasty.<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22">[22]</a></sup> It also helped that he wasn't a six-year-old. </p><p>The French were enraged at this perceived slight. They were especially pissed since Burgundy was originally a French vassal, and the marriage had turned it into an Austrian holding. This dispute escalated into war almost immediately, beginning a bloodbath that lasted until 1493 with a settlement that allowed France to retake most of Burgundy but cede the Low Countries to Austria.<sup id="cite_ref-max_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-max-23">[23]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Hapsburg_rule">Hapsburg rule</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Hapsburg rule">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:302px;"><a href="/wiki/File:%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_(Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles,_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel)_-_panoramio.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_%28Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles%2C_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel%29_-_panoramio.jpg/330px-%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_%28Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles%2C_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel%29_-_panoramio.jpg" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_%28Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles%2C_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel%29_-_panoramio.jpg/500px-%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_%28Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles%2C_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel%29_-_panoramio.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_%28Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles%2C_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel%29_-_panoramio.jpg/960px-%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_%28Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles%2C_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel%29_-_panoramio.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5184" data-file-height="3456" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%86_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5_(Palais_Royal_de_Bruxelles,_Koninklijk_Paleis_van_Brussel)_-_panoramio.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Current Belgian royal palace, construction started by the Hapsburg administration in 1783.</div></div></div> <p>The Hapsburg acquisition of the Low Countries had a tremendous impact on Europe. On the political front, it set the stage for further growth in Hapsburg power, most notably when they put themselves onto the throne of <a href="/wiki/Spain" title="Spain">Spain</a> and thus took control of its vast colonial empire. The Hapsburgs adopted many Belgian customs through their union with Burgundy on the cultural front. The sophisticated royal court lives and traditions of the Hapsburgs, which helped create a ruler cult and ensure loyalty from vassals, were modeled on the Burgundian ducal court.<sup id="cite_ref-max_23-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-max-23">[23]</a></sup> Archduke Maximilian was also a brilliant propagandist, and the political success in the Low Countries expanded his influence and wealth. He crafted a romantic story about himself and his courtship of Marie, and he used art and writing to portray himself as the "last knight", a follower of the dying art of chivalry.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24">[24]</a></sup> </p><p>It didn't take long for the people of Belgium to start chafing at Hapsburg rule. The Hapsburgs already had to deal with the Holy Roman Empire, an agglomeration of rebellious and mostly-independent states, so they weren't about to put up with the same shit in the Low Countries. Thus, Charles V promulgated the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549, which pissed off everyone in the Low Countries by yanking much of their autonomy away and grouping them into one mega-polity under Austrian rule.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25">[25]</a></sup> The Hapsburgs alienated people even further by taking land in the Low Countries, giving it out to bishops, and then passing strict laws against heresy.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26">[26]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Eighty_Years_War">Eighty Years War</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Eighty Years War">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:277px;"><a href="/wiki/File:De_Spaanse_Furie,_anoniem,_ca_1585,_MAS.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/De_Spaanse_Furie%2C_anoniem%2C_ca_1585%2C_MAS.jpg/330px-De_Spaanse_Furie%2C_anoniem%2C_ca_1585%2C_MAS.jpg" decoding="async" width="275" height="227" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/De_Spaanse_Furie%2C_anoniem%2C_ca_1585%2C_MAS.jpg/500px-De_Spaanse_Furie%2C_anoniem%2C_ca_1585%2C_MAS.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/De_Spaanse_Furie%2C_anoniem%2C_ca_1585%2C_MAS.jpg/960px-De_Spaanse_Furie%2C_anoniem%2C_ca_1585%2C_MAS.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="991" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:De_Spaanse_Furie,_anoniem,_ca_1585,_MAS.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Sack of Antwerp by the Spanish, 1576.</div></div></div> <div role="note" class="hatnote">See the main article on this topic: <a href="/wiki/Eighty_Years_War" title="Eighty Years War">Eighty Years War</a></div> <p>The Hapsburg line eventually partitioned the dynasty's holdings between Austria and Spain. Unfortunately for the Low Countries, they were passed to Philip II of Spain, a zealous Catholic and very religious intolerant.<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27">[27]</a></sup> This suppression of different religions was bad since the <a href="/wiki/Protestant_Reformation" title="Protestant Reformation">Protestant Reformation</a> had become very influential there. Persecution of Protestants in the region grew most severe after the 1550 "Edict of Blood", which ordered that anyone following the Protestant movement would be put to death.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28">[28]</a></sup> About 1,300 people were executed over matters of religion between 1523 and 1566.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29">[29]</a></sup> </p><p>Protestantism was most entrenched in the Dutch provinces, and they revolted and began a war in 1567 under the leadership of William of Orange, a Dutch noble.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30">[30]</a></sup> Although many of the Flemish and most French speakers of Belgium remained Catholic and mostly loyal, this didn't spare Belgium from the horrors of the war. The brutal Duke of Alba used the Army of Flanders to begin a reign of terror across the Low Countries by executing and brutalizing anyone he suspected of disloyalty or heresy.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31">[31]</a></sup> </p><p>In 1576, the Army of Flanders carried out the greatest massacre on Belgian soil in its history. The army mutinied due to the Spanish failure to pay them and then attacked the rich city of Antwerp in the hopes of getting paid via looting. They broke into the city and murdered some 18,000 residents while burning much of it down.<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32">[32]</a></sup> At this point, even Belgian Catholics lost their loyalty to the Spanish crown. Spain spent over a decade painstakingly regaining control of rebellious Belgian cities like Maastricht, Bruges, and Ghent.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33">[33]</a></sup> During this process, Antwerp got fucked yet again when the Spanish took it in 1585, causing most of the city's population to flee north in terror.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34">[34]</a></sup> The refugees included most of the city's merchant class, meaning its economic strength was destroyed for decades afterward. </p><p>Under new command, the Spanish did their best to limit the damage of their sieges and promise conciliatory terms to the Belgians, with the end effect being that they gradually regained their tolerance for the Spanish.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35">[35]</a></sup> It also helped that many of the Protestants had fled to the Netherlands. Thus, after many decades of war, most of Belgium remained a Spanish holding. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_Modern_battleground">Early Modern battleground</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Early Modern battleground">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:NIND_MVB-Bombardement_ISO200.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/NIND_MVB-Bombardement_ISO200.jpg/250px-NIND_MVB-Bombardement_ISO200.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="203" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/NIND_MVB-Bombardement_ISO200.jpg/500px-NIND_MVB-Bombardement_ISO200.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="3054" data-file-height="2475" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:NIND_MVB-Bombardement_ISO200.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Bombardment of Brussels by the French, 1695.</div></div></div> <p>The end of the Eighty Years War wasn't the end of Belgium's misery in the Early Modern era. The Eighty Years' War occurred in the same context as the <a href="/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War" class="mw-redirect" title="Thirty Years' War">Thirty Years' War</a>, which saw France rise to the status of a European superpower thanks to its large population and economic base. The French <i>hated</i> the Hapsburgs due to territorial disputes and a long history of war, and Spanish-ruled Belgium just happened to be across the border. It should be no surprise then that Belgium got invaded a lot. Like, a lot. </p><p>The Spanish did have help in resisting the French, though, as the Netherlands didn't want France on their borders either, and England also hated the French.<sup id="cite_ref-batt_36-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-batt-36">[36]</a></sup> Belgium became the stomping grounds for four major powers basically nonstop for many decades. Perhaps most destructive for Belgium was the War of the League of Augsburg that started in 1688, in which Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, England, the Netherlands, <a href="/wiki/Portugal" title="Portugal">Portugal</a>, and even <a href="/wiki/Sweden" title="Sweden">Sweden</a> fought the French on Belgian soil.<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37">[37]</a></sup> In 1695, the French destroyed about a third of Brussels with artillery to gain the upper hand over the League's armies.<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38">[38]</a></sup> The attempt failed, but it did nicely fuck over the Belgians. </p><p>Almost right after the League war ended, another began after Spanish ruler Charles II died without an heir. After more years of destructive war, the Hapsburg line was extinct in Spain, and Belgium was passed back to Austria.<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39">[39]</a></sup> The Austrians had little interest in Belgium since it was so far away and had proven itself to be a colossal pain in the ass to protect from various other European powers. Thus, Belgium largely got to run its own affairs so long as it paid tax to the Austrians. This contributed to a gradually growing sense of <a href="/wiki/Nationalism" title="Nationalism">nationalism</a> and identity, as Belgium clearly wasn't Austrian, wasn't too happy with the French, and had chosen not to be Dutch.<sup id="cite_ref-batt_36-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-batt-36">[36]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Revolutionary_era">Revolutionary era</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Revolutionary era">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Paul-Jacob_Laminit_(inc.)_Jahann_Voeltz_(dis.)_Combat_dans_les_rues_de_Gand,_nov%C3%A9mbre_1789.JPG" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Paul-Jacob_Laminit_%28inc.%29_Jahann_Voeltz_%28dis.%29_Combat_dans_les_rues_de_Gand%2C_nov%C3%A9mbre_1789.JPG/250px-Paul-Jacob_Laminit_%28inc.%29_Jahann_Voeltz_%28dis.%29_Combat_dans_les_rues_de_Gand%2C_nov%C3%A9mbre_1789.JPG" decoding="async" width="250" height="171" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Paul-Jacob_Laminit_%28inc.%29_Jahann_Voeltz_%28dis.%29_Combat_dans_les_rues_de_Gand%2C_nov%C3%A9mbre_1789.JPG/500px-Paul-Jacob_Laminit_%28inc.%29_Jahann_Voeltz_%28dis.%29_Combat_dans_les_rues_de_Gand%2C_nov%C3%A9mbre_1789.JPG 1.5x" data-file-width="3772" data-file-height="2576" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Paul-Jacob_Laminit_(inc.)_Jahann_Voeltz_(dis.)_Combat_dans_les_rues_de_Gand,_nov%C3%A9mbre_1789.JPG" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Brabant revolutionaries in Ghent, 1789.</div></div></div> <p>In the 1780s, Emperor Joseph II started attempting to reassert control over Belgium, which didn't fly over well. These attempts were ultimately doomed by the progress of history, as in 1789, Austria became preoccupied with the much more pressing matter of the <a href="/wiki/French_Revolution" title="French Revolution">French Revolution</a> and its threats to Hapsburg princess Marie Antoinette, who also happened to be the Queen of France. Centered around Ghent, the Belgians followed the French example and rose up in the Brabant Revolution, hoping to declare independence as a <a href="/wiki/Republic" title="Republic">republic</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-40">[40]</a></sup> However, the movement's leaders were divided on the issue of how progressive their policies should be, and they were unable to organize sufficiently to prevent themselves from being crushed by Austrian armies less than a year later. </p><p>That wasn't the end of the revolutions in Belgium, though. If the Belgians couldn't join the French Revolution, then the French Revolution would join them. In 1795, the revolutionary armies of France stormed Belgium while fighting against Austria and the coalitions. This ultimately wasn't a great outcome for the Belgians. While the French implemented some good reforms like equal legal rights and the abolition of class distinctions, they viewed Belgium as an occupied territory to be heavily taxed and used as a source for conscripted soldiers.<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-41">[41]</a></sup> Belgium had a popular government, but it wasn't very popular. The French made themselves unpopular by oppressing Catholics for a while, as religion was seen as contrary to the revolutionary <a href="/wiki/Enlightenment" class="mw-redirect" title="Enlightenment">Enlightenment</a> ideals. In 1798, Belgium rose up in the Peasants' War to resist conscription.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42">[42]</a></sup> </p><p>Under <a href="/wiki/Napoleon_Bonaparte" title="Napoleon Bonaparte">Napoleon Bonaparte</a>, though, French rule in Belgium became noticeably better, with more of an emphasis on building industry and less on destroying churches.<sup id="cite_ref-nrep_43-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nrep-43">[43]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Dutch_rule">Dutch rule</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Dutch rule">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Hollandse_troepen_trekken_door_de_vestingstad_Dendermonde_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-4664.jpeg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Hollandse_troepen_trekken_door_de_vestingstad_Dendermonde_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-4664.jpeg/250px-Hollandse_troepen_trekken_door_de_vestingstad_Dendermonde_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-4664.jpeg" decoding="async" width="250" height="192" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Hollandse_troepen_trekken_door_de_vestingstad_Dendermonde_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-4664.jpeg/500px-Hollandse_troepen_trekken_door_de_vestingstad_Dendermonde_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-4664.jpeg 1.5x" data-file-width="3762" data-file-height="2884" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Hollandse_troepen_trekken_door_de_vestingstad_Dendermonde_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-4664.jpeg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Dutch troops occupy a Flemish town, 1820.</div></div></div> <p>After Napoleon's downfall in 1814, the triumphant coalition decided to compensate the Dutch for their participation by giving them control of Belgium. This led to the so-called "United Kingdom of the Netherlands", which wasn't very united. The forced union pissed off much of the Belgian population since the Catholics didn't want to be ruled by a Protestant king, the nationalists didn't want to be ruled by a Dutch king, and <a href="/wiki/Liberal" class="mw-redirect" title="Liberal">liberals</a> didn't want to be ruled by a king at all.<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44">[44]</a></sup> This crisis was briefly paused in 1815 when Belgium became a battleground again when Napoleon tried to come back and then fought the Battle of Waterloo on Belgian soil.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45">[45]</a></sup> </p><p>Back to regularly scheduled programming, the Dutch tried to impose the use of their language on the French regions and encroach on Catholic traditions.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46">[46]</a></sup> The people weren't happy about that. The Belgians were also underrepresented in Dutch institutions. They didn't like that much either. The Dutch refusal to allow freedom of expression alienated the liberals, while the Dutch hostility towards Catholicism alienated the <a href="/wiki/Conservative" class="mw-redirect" title="Conservative">conservatives</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47">[47]</a></sup> Deciding that they had a common enemy, the political factions in Belgium set aside their differences to oppose the Dutch. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Belgian_Revolution">Belgian Revolution</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Belgian Revolution">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:302px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg/330px-Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg/500px-Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg/960px-Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4539" data-file-height="3025" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Revolutionaries with the Belgian tricolour.</div></div></div> <p>In 1830, the various grievances against the Dutch culminated in an uprising in Brussels. Dutch king William I sent in his troops, but they failed to take the city despite determined local resistance from volunteers.<sup id="cite_ref-brev_48-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-brev-48">[48]</a></sup> Shortly after, the movement became national, and Belgium declared independence. </p><p>Post-Napoleon, the great powers of Europe were a bit shy about jumping into wars all willy-nilly, and the Belgian Revolution presented an international crisis they hoped to resolve with diplomacy. Hence the London Conference, where Austria, Britain, France, Prussia, and <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> considered the possibility of partitioning Belgium along language lines but eventually followed the will of the Belgian people in recognizing their independence.<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49">[49]</a></sup> Belgium's two most vocal advocates, the UK and France, saw themselves as guarantors of Belgian independence. The British were especially happy with Belgium since they took Leopold I of House Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as their constitutional monarch, advancing their dynastic aims.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50">[50]</a></sup> In early 1831, Belgium elected a National Congress and adopted a pretty liberal <a href="/wiki/Constitution" title="Constitution">constitution</a> for the time.<sup id="cite_ref-brev_48-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-brev-48">[48]</a></sup> </p><p>Still butthurt over the loss of Belgium, the Netherlands tried an invasion one more time in 1831. The campaign was a miserable failure since the Belgians asked the French for help, and the Dutch chose to back down rather than get fucked by France.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51">[51]</a></sup> The Dutch were still pissed off until the Treaty of London was signed in 1839, which finalized their borders and mandated that Belgium would forever be a neutral country.<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52">[52]</a></sup> The neutrality was essential since all signatories, including the UK, France, and the future <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a>, promised to use military force to protect that neutrality should it ever be violated. This is foreshadowing. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Kingdom_and_colonial_empire">Kingdom and colonial empire</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Kingdom and colonial empire">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:202px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg/200px-Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="139" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg/300px-Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg/400px-Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4251" data-file-height="2952" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Stoomloc_Le_Belge.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Belgium's first steam locomotive, built 1835.</div></div></div> <table style="margin: auto; border-collapse:collapse; border-style:none; background-color:transparent;" class="cquote"> <tbody><tr> <td><div style="padding:4px 50px;position:relative;"><span style="position:absolute;left:10px;top:-6px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">“</span><span style="position:absolute;right:10px;bottom:-20px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">”</span>Primary education includes by necessity the teaching of religion and morality... The instruction of religion and morality is placed under the direction of the officials of the religious faith that is professed by the majority of pupils at the school.</div> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding:4px 10px 8px;font-size:smaller;line-height:1.6em;text-align:right;"><cite style="font-style:normal;position:relative;z-index:2">—Article 6 of the Education Act of 1842.<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53">[53]</a></sup></cite> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Belgium, formerly considered a backwater of the Low Countries, launched itself into international prominence thanks to becoming the second country to fully embrace the impacts of the <a href="/wiki/Industrial_Revolution" title="Industrial Revolution">Industrial Revolution</a>. Factories developed rapidly in an open economy while the government invested in education and established good export markets for their manufactured goods.<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54">[54]</a></sup> Belgium especially benefited from its abundance of coal and rapidly developing textiles industry. </p> <div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:152px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg/150px-Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg" decoding="async" width="150" height="225" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg/225px-Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg/300px-Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg 2x" data-file-width="695" data-file-height="1041" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Leopold II, murderous colonialist.</div></div></div> <p>Politically, Belgium was torn between the conservative Catholic Party and the Liberal Party, a conflict that came to a head in 1879 over the issue of religious teaching in schools.<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-55">[55]</a></sup> Liberal attempts at secularizing schools were foiled due to boycotts from Catholic clergy, who were largely responsible for school education at the time. Shortly after that, a long period of economic decline set in, setting the stage for various strikes from the working class that often escalated into bloody violence.<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-56">[56]</a></sup> It's no surprise then that <a href="/wiki/Socialism" title="Socialism">socialism</a> started to take root in Belgium. </p> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Three_boys_with_hands_cut_off.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Three_boys_with_hands_cut_off.jpg/250px-Three_boys_with_hands_cut_off.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="175" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Three_boys_with_hands_cut_off.jpg/500px-Three_boys_with_hands_cut_off.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="559" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Three_boys_with_hands_cut_off.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Congolese boys mutilated by Belgian mercenaries.</div></div></div> <p>Meanwhile, Belgium's second king Leopold II began focusing on his colonial ambitions. During the <a href="/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa" title="Scramble for Africa">Scramble for Africa</a>, Leopold II got the <a href="/wiki/Belgian_Congo" title="Belgian Congo">Belgian Congo</a> recognized as his personal property in 1885 (meaning that it was owned not by Belgium™ but by Leopold as an individual because everyone wanted the Congo, and this way, its resources could be sold to everyone). Under his rule, the Congo became a brutal <a href="/wiki/Slave" class="mw-redirect" title="Slave">slave</a> labor regime focused on producing rubber to fuel the growth of the automobile industry, and conditions were so bad that between 8 and 10 million people died.<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57">[57]</a></sup> Native laborers were given quotas by their overlords, and failure to meet them would be met with arson, <a href="/wiki/Rape" title="Rape">rape</a>, whippings, and massacres.<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58">[58]</a></sup> The quotas themselves were insane, motivated by nothing but <a href="/wiki/Greed" title="Greed">sheer profit</a>. Leopold also hired <a href="/wiki/Mercenary" title="Mercenary">mercenaries</a> to enforce these demands, infamously mandating that they sever the hands of anyone they killed to prove that they weren't wasting bullets on hunting or sport.<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59">[59]</a></sup> Government-issued guns are only for shooting people, y'see. Of course, the undisciplined mercenaries couldn't help themselves, so to cover it up, they just raided villages and severed hands from living people.<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60">[60]</a></sup> </p><p>Impressively, even <i><b>other colonial powers</b></i> were horrified by this, so eventually, in the name of <a href="/wiki/PR" class="mw-redirect" title="PR">PR</a>, the Belgian government seized the territory from King Leopold and established the Belgian Congo as a nationally-owned colony.<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61">[61]</a></sup> However, things didn't get much better as slave labor continued. Belgium also started opening human zoos in 1897 to showcase the African natives as animals, and these hideous exhibitions remained a thing until 1958.<sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62">[62]</a></sup> Visitors would throw peanuts, and the Congolese would die from neglect and preventable diseases. Just awful. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="World_War_I">World War I</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: World War I">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:277px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg/275px-Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg" decoding="async" width="275" height="153" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg/413px-Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg/550px-Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1193" data-file-height="662" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Li%C3%A9ge_-_1914_-_Soldats_d%27infanterie_prenant_part_%C3%A0_la_d%C3%A9fense_de_Li%C3%A8ge_dans_les_faubourgs_d%27Herstal.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Belgian troops in the Battle of Liège.</div></div></div> <div role="note" class="hatnote">See the main article on this topic: <a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a></div> <p>Due to decades of diplomatic stupidity, the <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a> found itself at war on two fronts, against <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> and <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>, during World War I, with only the militarily weak empire of <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a>-<a href="/wiki/Hungary" title="Hungary">Hungary</a> to help them out. The Germans had realized for a long time that this would be the case, and the plan they drew up to deal with it called for a rapid invasion of Belgium to take a shortcut to Paris and thus knock France out of the war early.<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-63">[63]</a></sup> German general Helmuth von Moltke weakened the already tentative plan by taking troops away from the Belgian front to strengthen a doomed attack along the French border further south.<sup id="cite_ref-moltkebad_64-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-moltkebad-64">[64]</a></sup> Stupid. </p> <div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:152px;"><a href="/wiki/File:The_Scrap_of_Paper_-_Enlist_Today.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/The_Scrap_of_Paper_-_Enlist_Today.jpg/250px-The_Scrap_of_Paper_-_Enlist_Today.jpg" decoding="async" width="150" height="228" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/The_Scrap_of_Paper_-_Enlist_Today.jpg/330px-The_Scrap_of_Paper_-_Enlist_Today.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1842" data-file-height="2800" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:The_Scrap_of_Paper_-_Enlist_Today.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>British call to defend Belgian neutrality.</div></div></div> <p>The Germans invaded Belgium in August 1914, effectively ripping up and taking a shit all over the 1839 Treaty of London in which they had pledged to defend Belgian neutrality. The British were highly offended by the German treaty violation, especially when Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg laughed the treaty off as a "scrap of paper".<sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-65">[65]</a></sup> This was one of the factors that prompted the UK's entry into the war. </p> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:L%27ex%C3%A9cution_des_notables_de_Bl%C3%A9gny,_1914_(par_Evariste_Carpentier).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/L%27ex%C3%A9cution_des_notables_de_Bl%C3%A9gny%2C_1914_%28par_Evariste_Carpentier%29.jpg/250px-L%27ex%C3%A9cution_des_notables_de_Bl%C3%A9gny%2C_1914_%28par_Evariste_Carpentier%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="165" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/L%27ex%C3%A9cution_des_notables_de_Bl%C3%A9gny%2C_1914_%28par_Evariste_Carpentier%29.jpg/500px-L%27ex%C3%A9cution_des_notables_de_Bl%C3%A9gny%2C_1914_%28par_Evariste_Carpentier%29.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="1082" data-file-height="716" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:L%27ex%C3%A9cution_des_notables_de_Bl%C3%A9gny,_1914_(par_Evariste_Carpentier).jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Germans execute civilians in Blégny.</div></div></div> <p>For Belgium, this additional ally came much too late. Despite some initial fuckups (like marching parade-style into machine-gun fire<sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-66">[66]</a></sup>), the Germans managed to take Brussels by August 20<sup>th</sup>.<sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-67">[67]</a></sup> Still, Belgian resistance was determined. The opening engagement, the Battle of Liège, delayed the German invasion of France by almost a week and thus played a major part in foiling the German war plan.<sup id="cite_ref-68" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-68">[68]</a></sup> </p><p>What followed was the infamous "Rape of Belgium". German soldiers acted with brutality against Belgian civilians during the occupation, shooting civilians, burning villages, and murdering priests.<sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-69">[69]</a></sup> The Germans were frustrated by the determined Belgian resistance, and they often took it out on the normal people of Belgium, sometimes after baselessly accusing them of being covert snipers.<sup id="cite_ref-70" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-70">[70]</a></sup> It's estimated that about 6,000 Belgians were murdered outright, while more than 17,000 died during the subsequent occupation.<sup id="cite_ref-71" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-71">[71]</a></sup> </p><p>The Germans also wanted to stop Belgians from fleeing into the neutral Netherlands, so they built and guarded a 2,000-volt electric fence complex across the border, which is estimated to have led to the deaths of at least 1,000 people.<sup id="cite_ref-72" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-72">[72]</a></sup> It's now called the "Wire of Death."<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-73">[73]</a></sup> The Belgian economy was further destroyed as the Germans looted industrial equipment and later started <a href="/wiki/Slavery" title="Slavery">using Belgian civilians as forced labor</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-74">[74]</a></sup> </p><p>Many of the great killing grounds of WWI were in Belgium, as the Entente allies tried to liberate it from the Germans with little success while the Belgians tried to hold out around Antwerp. These battles included the Siege of Antwerp, the Battle of the Yser, the Battles of the Ypres, and the Battle of Mons.<sup id="cite_ref-75" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-75">[75]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Interwar_period">Interwar period</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Interwar period">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:137px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Degrelle,_Leon.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Degrelle%2C_Leon.jpg/135px-Degrelle%2C_Leon.jpg" decoding="async" width="135" height="207" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Degrelle%2C_Leon.jpg/203px-Degrelle%2C_Leon.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Degrelle%2C_Leon.jpg/270px-Degrelle%2C_Leon.jpg 2x" data-file-width="313" data-file-height="481" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Degrelle,_Leon.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Degrelle squeals, as fascists tend to do.</div></div></div> <p>Belgium had the unenviable task of recovering its entire country from a prolonged German occupation and its usage as the site of many of the Great War's bloodiest battlefields. Aside from the direct damages as a result of warfare, industry nearly came to a standstill under the German occupation, causing mass unemployment.<sup id="cite_ref-postw_76-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-postw-76">[76]</a></sup> Belgium had assumed that reparations from Germany would help them pay for the effort, but Germany's wrecked economy made that hope impossible. Reconstruction wasn't complete until 1924, and Belgium only managed that by going into heavy debt.<sup id="cite_ref-postw_76-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-postw-76">[76]</a></sup> </p><p>On the other hand, the postwar settlement abolished Belgium's historical requirement for neutrality and saw it gain a small amount of territory from the German Empire.<sup id="cite_ref-int_77-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-int-77">[77]</a></sup> The government also appeased people by implementing democratic reforms like universal adult male suffrage, which saw the Liberal and Socialist parties start to gain significant political influence at the expense of the Catholic conservatives. Even the Catholic Party saw an internal shift from religious moralism toward Christian democracy. </p><p>Belgium also got fucked by the <a href="/wiki/Great_Depression" title="Great Depression">Great Depression</a>, as its insistence on keeping the <a href="/wiki/Gold_standard" title="Gold standard">gold standard</a> left the franc seriously overvalued as the pound sterling and dollar fell, resulting in falling exports and profits.<sup id="cite_ref-int_77-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-int-77">[77]</a></sup> It took until 1935 for Belgium to give up on gold. Poor economic conditions contributed to political extremism, most notably under the <a href="/wiki/Fascist" class="mw-redirect" title="Fascist">fascist</a> Rexist Party of Léon Degrelle, which received funding from <a href="/wiki/Benito_Mussolini" title="Benito Mussolini">Benito Mussolini</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-78" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-78">[78]</a></sup> Rexist influence in politics greatly weakened the Belgian government's ability to cope with crises as it took up seats in parliament just to obstruct everything. It argued for Catholic dominance, but hilariously, the chief Catholic official in Belgium, Cardinal van Roey, denounced the party as a danger to the church.<sup id="cite_ref-79" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-79">[79]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="World_War_II">World War II</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: World War II">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09,_Belgien,_Beaumont,_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09%2C_Belgien%2C_Beaumont%2C_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg/250px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09%2C_Belgien%2C_Beaumont%2C_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="158" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09%2C_Belgien%2C_Beaumont%2C_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg/375px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09%2C_Belgien%2C_Beaumont%2C_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09%2C_Belgien%2C_Beaumont%2C_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg/500px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09%2C_Belgien%2C_Beaumont%2C_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg 2x" data-file-width="792" data-file-height="501" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0201-09,_Belgien,_Beaumont,_H%C3%A4userruinen.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Destroyed French tanks in a destroyed Belgian village.</div></div></div> <div role="note" class="hatnote">See the main article on this topic: <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a></div> <p>Despite hoping to be neutral again, Belgium became forcibly involved in the Second World War when <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a> invaded it in May 1940 on the way to France. The Allies tried to halt the German army in Belgium, only to have a German armored column smash through the Ardennes Forest and encircle much of the Allied force in Belgium and northern France.<sup id="cite_ref-80" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-80">[80]</a></sup> An admittedly masterful campaign, the Eighteen Days in Belgium doomed France and Belgium and forced the UK to beat a fighting retreat to the French coastal city of Dunkirk to evacuate from the European Continent. Without consulting his government, Leopold III surrendered on behalf of Belgium and chose to remain in the country as effectively a captive.<sup id="cite_ref-81" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-81">[81]</a></sup> When advisors and family members asked him to form a government-in-exile, 'Lil Leo refused and declared that the Allied cause was lost. Fucking quitter. </p> <div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:227px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Malmedy_Massacre.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Malmedy_Massacre.jpg/225px-Malmedy_Massacre.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="180" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Malmedy_Massacre.jpg/338px-Malmedy_Massacre.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Malmedy_Massacre.jpg/450px-Malmedy_Massacre.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2560" data-file-height="2045" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Malmedy_Massacre.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>American POWs murdered by the Germans in Malmedy.</div></div></div> <p>The civilian government basically told Leopold III, "fuck you", and formed an exile government without him, and relations between the king and his government were initially quite hostile. The exile government even went so far as to invoke the constitution to declare him unfit to reign because he was under the influence of foreign occupiers.<sup id="cite_ref-82" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-82">[82]</a></sup> </p> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:227px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg/225px-Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="151" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg/338px-Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg/450px-Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1387" data-file-height="928" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Stavelot_massacre_maison_Legaye.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Belgian child murdered by the Germans.</div></div></div> <p>Belgium was ruled by German military administration officers who used their position to tax Belgium roughly two-thirds of its economy to support the German war effort.<sup id="cite_ref-83" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-83">[83]</a></sup> Belgium's economy sank again, and food shortages became inescapable under strict rationing.<sup id="cite_ref-84" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-84">[84]</a></sup> Hundreds of thousands of Belgians were conscripted by the Germans to work as forced labor in war production factories.<sup id="cite_ref-85" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-85">[85]</a></sup> Belgian prisoners of war were also shipped into Germany to work in forced labor camps. </p><p>Belgian resistance was decentralized and fairly weak, and most of its activities focused on small things like helping downed Allied airmen escape.<sup id="cite_ref-86" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-86">[86]</a></sup> Belgians also helped <a href="/wiki/Jews" class="mw-redirect" title="Jews">Jews</a> escape from Nazi persecution and the <a href="/wiki/Holocaust" title="Holocaust">Holocaust</a>. As the war started going south for the Germans, their conduct towards Belgian civilians escalated in brutality. War crimes against Belgians and Allied forces in Belgium included the Courcelles massacre (20 Belgian civilians killed).<sup id="cite_ref-87" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-87">[87]</a></sup> and the Malmedy massacre (84 American POWs and about 100 Belgians killed)<sup id="cite_ref-88" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-88">[88]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-89" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-89">[89]</a></sup> </p><p>Meanwhile, the long-oppressed Belgian Congo proved instrumental to the Allied war effort by providing many soldiers and raw materials for industrial production.<sup id="cite_ref-90" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-90">[90]</a></sup> The Congo remained loyal to the Belgian government-in-exile. Sadly, white Belgian officers ignored the contributions of the black Africans, who kept them racially segregated and ensured that blacks could never serve as officers.<sup id="cite_ref-91" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-91">[91]</a></sup> </p><p>Belgium was liberated by the Allies between September 1944 and February 1945, considered a joyous occasion by those Belgians who weren't collaborationist pieces of shit.<sup id="cite_ref-92" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-92">[92]</a></sup> </p><p>On the plus side, being on the <i>receiving</i> end of imperialism for once made them realize that their treatment of the Congolese might not be all that ethical. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Political_crises">Political crises</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Political crises">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:152px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Leopold_III_van_Belgi%C3%AB_(1934)_(cropped).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Leopold_III_van_Belgi%C3%AB_%281934%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/250px-Leopold_III_van_Belgi%C3%AB_%281934%29_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="150" height="169" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Leopold_III_van_Belgi%C3%AB_%281934%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-Leopold_III_van_Belgi%C3%AB_%281934%29_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="864" data-file-height="971" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Leopold_III_van_Belgi%C3%AB_(1934)_(cropped).jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Leopold III, king and apparent coward.</div></div></div> <h4><span class="mw-headline" id="The_Royal_Question">The Royal Question</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: The Royal Question">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h4> <p>Immediately after liberation, Belgium faced the pressing issue of what to do about their king, Leopold III. He had chosen to surrender to the Germans without consulting the civilian government, and the government had declared him unfit to continue ruling Belgium. The king's popularity also plummeted further when it came out that he had tried to get an audience with Adolf Hitler himself while still stating that the Nazis would win.<sup id="cite_ref-93" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-93">[93]</a></sup> After the king was declared unfit to reign, his reclusive brother, Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, became regent. Leopold's position was even further complicated when the British government expressed contempt for him and used diplomatic pressure to keep him from the throne.<sup id="cite_ref-94" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-94">[94]</a></sup> </p><p>Prince Charles proved to be a much better ruler than Leopold III. He used his influence to push for more democratic reforms in Belgium, like women's suffrage and a social welfare system.<sup id="cite_ref-crown_95-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-crown-95">[95]</a></sup> Meanwhile, Leopold was stuck in exile in <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a>, where he had been deported by the Germans. Leopold had stupidly delayed his return to Belgium, and under a new coalition government led by the Liberal and Socialist parties, he was no longer allowed to. This situation remained until 1949 when elections brought the conservatives back into government. They arranged for a referendum in 1950 on whether Leopold III should become king once more. </p><p>The referendum ultimately passed with 58% of the vote, and Leopold III returned to Belgium secretly and under heavy guard.<sup id="cite_ref-crown_95-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-crown-95">[95]</a></sup> His arrival prompted workers' strikes and civil unrest across Belgium, resulting in three young men being shot by police.<sup id="cite_ref-crown_95-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-crown-95">[95]</a></sup> The political crisis this caused finally convinced the king to abdicate in favor of his son Baudouin. </p> <h4><span id="Congo's_independence_and_war"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Congo.27s_independence_and_war">Congo's independence and war</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: Congo's independence and war">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h4> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Dragonrouge1.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Dragonrouge1.jpg/250px-Dragonrouge1.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="151" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Dragonrouge1.jpg/375px-Dragonrouge1.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Dragonrouge1.jpg/500px-Dragonrouge1.jpg 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="362" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Dragonrouge1.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Belgian troops in the Congo after its meltdown.</div></div></div> <p>Since Belgium had never really intended to take control of the Congo, only having been forced to do so after Leopold II caused a scandal by being a brutal son of a fuck, the Belgian authorities were shockingly neglectful of the colony. For the entirety of Belgian rule, the Congolese were denied infrastructure and education because the Belgians just never wanted to put effort into those things.<sup id="cite_ref-96" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-96">[96]</a></sup> The Belgians were still reluctant to let it go, however, since, despite the tiny investment, the colony was a source of cash. As late as 1959, Belgian officials dismissed any talk of independence for the Congo as wildly unrealistic fantasies, and their plan was to grant the Congo limited self-governance <i>thirty years</i> from then.<sup id="cite_ref-97" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-97">[97]</a></sup> That wasn't gonna fly when the Congo was surrounded by newly-independent African nations, which even the Belgian police state couldn't hide from the Congolese. </p><p>Rioting in the Congo's capital of Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) combined with violent altercations between Belgian forces and the Congolese convinced Belgium that the colony wasn't worth it anymore.<sup id="cite_ref-98" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-98">[98]</a></sup> Not even a year, Belgium simply dumped the Congo in 1960 with minimal preparation or notice and scuttled back to Europe. This was to have disastrous consequences. </p><p>Having been dumped aside with no care, the Congo promptly melted into <a href="/wiki/Civil_war" title="Civil war">civil war</a>, and various factions started attacking whites. In response, the Belgians dispatched troops briefly before being asked to withdraw by the Congolese government.<sup id="cite_ref-99" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-99">[99]</a></sup> Then, dominated by Belgian business interests, the mineral-rich Katanga province under the leadership of Moïse Kapenda Tshombe attempted to secede with Belgian support. Meanwhile, the US and the <a href="/wiki/UN" class="mw-redirect" title="UN">UN</a> increasingly desperately tried to keep the country together to prevent a crisis that would create an opening for the <a href="/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Cold_War" title="Cold War">Cold War</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-100" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-100">[100]</a></sup> The Congolese government gradually regained control of its territory, but political violence and instability remained constant. </p> <h4><span class="mw-headline" id="Flemish_movement">Flemish movement</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Flemish movement">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h4> <p>Political problems in Belgium soon resumed after the crises over the king and the Congo. Growing economic disparities between Flanders and Wallonia created dissatisfaction with Belgium's unitary government system. Long underserved compared to Wallonia since the Burgundian era, the Flemish were finally sick of being neglected. The French speakers feared that the more populous Flemish would dominate the Belgian state, and tensions between the two groups caused workers' strikes and political instability.<sup id="cite_ref-101" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-101">[101]</a></sup> </p> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg/250px-Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="182" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg/375px-Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg/500px-Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3440" data-file-height="2504" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Belgique_-_Bruxelles_-_Parlement_europ%C3%A9en_-_06.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>European Parliament building in Brussels.</div></div></div> <p>Beginning in 1969, a slow transition toward federal rule began in response to the political problems between the French speakers and Dutch speakers. The parliament accorded cultural autonomy to the Flemish and Walloon regions in 1971, and in 1980 a revision of the constitution allowed for the creation of an independent administration within each region.<sup id="cite_ref-fedbri_102-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-fedbri-102">[102]</a></sup> The regions eventually gained the right to manage their economic and educational affairs. Brussels, a bilingual metropolis, became its own independent region in 1989 alongside an agreement that formally made Belgium a federal state.<sup id="cite_ref-fedbri_102-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-fedbri-102">[102]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Modern_Belgium">Modern Belgium</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Modern Belgium">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <p>After World War II, Belgium increased its ties with the rest of the world in the hopes that it wouldn't have to be stomped on by invaders anymore. In 1949, Belgium became a founding member of <a href="/wiki/NATO" title="NATO">NATO</a>, and it still places great importance on the Article 5 promise of collective defense.<sup id="cite_ref-103" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-103">[103]</a></sup> After all, Belgium doesn't want to get stomped on anymore. Belgium also helped form the Benelux Union alongside its neighbors, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, to foster cooperation on whatever these little countries wanted to do.<sup id="cite_ref-104" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-104">[104]</a></sup> </p><p>Belgium also became a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and the European Economic Community in 1957. The EEC evolved into the <a href="/wiki/European_Union" title="European Union">European Union</a>, and Belgium's capital became the so-called "capital of Europe".<sup id="cite_ref-105" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-105">[105]</a></sup> </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Government_and_politics">Government and politics</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: Government and politics">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:277px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg/330px-Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg" decoding="async" width="275" height="196" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg/500px-Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg/960px-Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5165" data-file-height="3678" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Belgian federal parliament.</div></div></div> <p>The politics of Belgium takes place in a framework of a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic, and constitutional monarchy.<sup id="cite_ref-106" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-106">[106]</a></sup> And we're sorry, but making Belgian politics sound simple is nigh impossible. </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Federal">Federal</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=21" title="Edit section: Federal">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <p>The Belgian Federal Parliament is the bicameral legislature of Belgium. Electoral districts in Belgium are divided along linguistic lines, and the Belgian Senate is elected by the community and regional parliaments (we'll get there).<sup id="cite_ref-107" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-107">[107]</a></sup> Since the Senate is much less democratic, it has fewer powers than the directly elected Chamber of Representatives. The Prime Minister of Belgium serves as the head of government for the country, and they are appointed by the king based upon the Chamber of Representatives majority party's recommendation. </p><p>The Belgian Chamber of Representatives election is based on a system of open-list proportional representation. Belgian elections are interesting since the state has a compulsory voting system, where adults 18 and over may face a moderate fine if they fail to vote.<sup id="cite_ref-108" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-108">[108]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Monarchy">Monarchy</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=22" title="Edit section: Monarchy">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/w/images/thumb/9/90/Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg/250px-Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg" decoding="async" width="250" height="140" class="thumbimage" srcset="/w/images/thumb/9/90/Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg/375px-Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/9/90/Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg/500px-Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg 2x" data-file-width="780" data-file-height="438" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Delphine_Boel_and_King_Philippe.jpeg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>King Philippe with his formerly secret half-sister Delphine.</div></div></div> <p>Belgium's head of state is officially its king. The current king is Philippe. His father, ex-king Albert II, spent more than a decade fighting paternity claims by Belgian artist Delphine Boël before being forced to admit that she is his illegitimate love-child after having it confirmed by a DNA test.<sup id="cite_ref-109" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-109">[109]</a></sup> Even then, he only took the paternity test after a Belgian court threatened to fine him if he didn't.<sup id="cite_ref-110" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-110">[110]</a></sup> Delphine Boël was understandably a bit sore over having been rejected for so many years by her father. Oof. She recently sued the monarchy for royal privileges and titles.<sup id="cite_ref-111" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-111">[111]</a></sup> </p><p>Besides being a scandal machine, Belgium's monarchy serves a largely ceremonial role. Monarchs do not publicly discuss politics, and they do what the elected majority party asks.<sup id="cite_ref-112" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-112">[112]</a></sup> </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Federalism">Federalism</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=23" title="Edit section: Federalism">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <p>Language has been a major political issue in Belgium for a long time due to centuries of disparity between the Flemish and the French speakers. In hopes of rectifying this, Belgium partitioned itself into several sub-national governments to ensure representation for everyone. This is a big part of why Belgian politics is such a fucking headache for outsiders to figure out. </p><p>Belgium has two types of federated entities: Regions and Communities. Communities are based on the dominant language in each part of Belgium. There are currently three: the French Community, which comprises all the residents of Wallonia and French-speaking inhabitants of Brussels; the Flemish Community, which comprises all the inhabitants of Flanders and Brussels-based Flemings; and the German Community, which comprises German-speakers in those little areas Belgium took from the German Empire after WWI.<sup id="cite_ref-comm_113-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-comm-113">[113]</a></sup> Communities elect their own parliaments and governments, with broad authority to set forth legislation within their territory. </p><p>The Regions are decided on land rather than language, notably giving Brussels its own Region.<sup id="cite_ref-comm_113-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-comm-113">[113]</a></sup> Regions also elect their own governments and specific authorities within their territory. </p><p>Unfortunately, Belgium's overlapping and divided polities have hampered the country's efforts at responding to <a href="/wiki/COVID-19" class="mw-redirect" title="COVID-19">COVID-19</a>, mainly since health authority is spread over all levels of government, meaning that there are nine different health ministers.<sup id="cite_ref-114" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-114">[114]</a></sup> </p> <center><ul class="gallery mw-gallery-traditional"> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 235px"><div style="width: 235px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 230px;"><div style="margin:33px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Communities_of_Belgium.svg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Communities_of_Belgium.svg/250px-Communities_of_Belgium.svg.png" decoding="async" width="200" height="164" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Communities_of_Belgium.svg/300px-Communities_of_Belgium.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Communities_of_Belgium.svg/400px-Communities_of_Belgium.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="307" data-file-height="251" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <b>Communities of Belgium</b>.<div class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1em; height:1em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #fab274; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;"> </span> Flemish Community/ Dutch language area</div><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1em; height:1em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #f2536b; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;"> </span> French Community/ French language area</div><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1em; height:1em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #40bb6a; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;"> </span> German-speaking Community</div> </div> </div></li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 235px"><div style="width: 235px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 230px;"><div style="margin:33px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Regions_of_Belgium.svg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Regions_of_Belgium.svg/250px-Regions_of_Belgium.svg.png" decoding="async" width="200" height="164" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Regions_of_Belgium.svg/300px-Regions_of_Belgium.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Regions_of_Belgium.svg/400px-Regions_of_Belgium.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="307" data-file-height="251" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <b>Regions of Belgium</b>.<div class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1em; height:1em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #fab274; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;"> </span> Flemish Region</div><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1em; height:1em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #f2536b; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;"> </span> Walloon Region (French and German)</div><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1em; height:1em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #2385d2; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;"> </span> Brussels-Capital Region</div> </div> </div></li> </ul></center> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="International_organizations">International organizations</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=24" title="Edit section: International organizations">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:227px;"><a href="/wiki/File:2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG/225px-2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG" decoding="async" width="225" height="169" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG/338px-2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG/450px-2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1200" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:2007_07_16_parlament_europejski_bruksela_42.JPG" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>EU Parliament chamber in Brussels.</div></div></div> <p>Brussels hosts multiple international headquarters. Its Berlaymont building hosts the European Commission, which is the executive authority of the <a href="/wiki/European_Union" title="European Union">European Union</a> and thus makes Brussels the effective capital of the EU.<sup id="cite_ref-115" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-115">[115]</a></sup> There's a whole section of Brussels called the "European Quarter", which houses the many EU organizations headquartered in Brussels.<sup id="cite_ref-116" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-116">[116]</a></sup> Perhaps most notable is the Espace Léopold parliament complex, which houses most activities of the European Parliament. Despite all of this, though, Brussels is emphatically <i>not</i> officially declared the capital of the EU, as that would create the official appearance of favoritism. Strasbourg and Luxembourg City also share competing claims to the title of "capital of Europe" since they also host many institutions of the EU.<sup id="cite_ref-117" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-117">[117]</a></sup> Strasbourg even has another EU Parliament headquarters. </p><p><a href="/wiki/NATO" title="NATO">NATO</a> is also headquartered out of Belgium, perhaps strange for such a United States-dominated alliance.<sup id="cite_ref-118" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-118">[118]</a></sup> NATO has been located there since it was originally in Paris but was forced to leave after France abruptly quit the alliance in 1966.<sup id="cite_ref-119" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-119">[119]</a></sup> NATO had to build a new facility since the original move had been conducted so hastily that they ended up in a crappy temporary office building. It stores some symbolic artifacts like chunks of the <a href="/wiki/Berlin_Wall" title="Berlin Wall">Berlin Wall</a> and pieces of the Twin Towers from <a href="/wiki/9/11" title="9/11">9/11</a>, the event which prompted the only activation of NATO collective defense. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Religion">Religion</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=25" title="Edit section: Religion">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:252px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Brusel_St._Michael_cathedral_2.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Brusel_St._Michael_cathedral_2.jpg/250px-Brusel_St._Michael_cathedral_2.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="169" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Brusel_St._Michael_cathedral_2.jpg/500px-Brusel_St._Michael_cathedral_2.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="3892" data-file-height="2628" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Brusel_St._Michael_cathedral_2.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels.</div></div></div> <p>Roman Catholicism is the majority religion in Belgium, but church attendance is quite low. By 2009, Sunday church attendance was 5% in Belgium, 3% in Brussels,<sup id="cite_ref-120" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-120">[120]</a></sup> and 5.4% in Flanders. Church attendance in 2009 in Belgium was roughly half of the Sunday church attendance in 1998 (11% in 1998).<sup id="cite_ref-121" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-121">[121]</a></sup> The ancient Catholic political party has become independent from the Catholic Church and has since been split with federalization. The Walloon party (cdH) now follows the ideology of democratic humanism. The Flemish party (Cd&v) still identifies itself as Christian-Democratic, though it doesn't care about big Catholic issues such as gay marriage.<sup id="cite_ref-122" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-122">[122]</a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Islam" title="Islam">Islam</a> is gaining ground quickly in Belgium. A 2008 estimate found<sup id="cite_ref-123" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-123">[123]</a></sup> that 6% of the Belgian population, about 628,751, is Muslim (98% Sunni), while a 2011 estimate claims 1,000,000 inhabitants of Muslim background in the country.<sup id="cite_ref-124" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-124">[124]</a></sup> Islamic extremism also accompanied this growth, however. <a href="http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?Sharia4Belgium" class="extiw" title="wiki:Sharia4Belgium" rel="nofollow">Sharia4Belgium</a>, the most Influential group, dissolved in 2012. On the other hand, Islamic extremism also became successfully politicized in the country starting from 2012 with the introduction of the Belgian political party <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_(parti_politique_belge)">Islam</a>, which has the same goal as Sharia4Belgium, but which wants to achieve it by political means and currently has local representation. </p><p>According to the Eurobarometer Poll in 2010, 37% of Belgian citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 31% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force", and 27% said that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".<sup id="cite_ref-125" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-125">[125]</a></sup> </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Environmental_issues">Environmental issues</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=26" title="Edit section: Environmental issues">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Due to population density, its location in the center of western Europe, and its history of being one of the oldest industrialized countries in Europe (<a href="/wiki/Industrial_Revolution" title="Industrial Revolution">industrialization</a> in continental Europe more or less began in Belgium, and Wallonia is to Europe what the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_Belt" class="extiw" title="wp:Rust Belt" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Rust Belt">Rust Belt</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> is to the US), Belgium faces serious <a href="/wiki/Environmental" class="mw-redirect" title="Environmental">environmental</a> problems, including "human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation", as well as air and water pollution.<sup id="cite_ref-ciag_126-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ciag-126">[126]</a></sup> An environmental report which examined 122 countries in 2003 suggested that Belgian natural waters (rivers and groundwater) have the poorest water quality of any studied country.<sup id="cite_ref-127" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-127">[127]</a></sup> This is despite Belgium being party to many international agreements regarding the environment.<sup id="cite_ref-ciag_126-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ciag-126">[126]</a></sup> Belgium has the lowest environmental rating of any EU country. However, it was only thirty-ninth out of 133 countries studied.<sup id="cite_ref-128" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-128">[128]</a></sup> </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Gallery">Gallery</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=27" title="Edit section: Gallery">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <center><ul class="gallery mw-gallery-traditional"> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 260px"><div style="width: 260px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 255px;"><div style="margin:64.5px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Centre_Brussels_and_Basilica.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Centre_Brussels_and_Basilica.jpg/225px-Centre_Brussels_and_Basilica.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="126" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Centre_Brussels_and_Basilica.jpg/338px-Centre_Brussels_and_Basilica.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Centre_Brussels_and_Basilica.jpg/450px-Centre_Brussels_and_Basilica.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5159" data-file-height="2881" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <p>View of Brussels. </p> </div> </div></li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 260px"><div style="width: 260px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 255px;"><div style="margin:64.5px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Gegrillte_nierenzapfen.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Gegrillte_nierenzapfen.jpg/250px-Gegrillte_nierenzapfen.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="126" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Gegrillte_nierenzapfen.jpg/500px-Gegrillte_nierenzapfen.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="4160" data-file-height="2336" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <p>Grilled beef kidney with lettuce and baked potato. </p> </div> </div></li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 260px"><div style="width: 260px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 255px;"><div style="margin:43px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Anseremme_-_Fre%C3%BFr_051011_(1).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Anseremme_-_Fre%C3%BFr_051011_%281%29.jpg/250px-Anseremme_-_Fre%C3%BFr_051011_%281%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="169" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Anseremme_-_Fre%C3%BFr_051011_%281%29.jpg/500px-Anseremme_-_Fre%C3%BFr_051011_%281%29.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="2272" data-file-height="1704" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <p>Meuse River in the Ardennes. </p> </div> </div></li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 260px"><div style="width: 260px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 255px;"><div style="margin:56.5px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Bel-Tun_(1).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Bel-Tun_%281%29.jpg/250px-Bel-Tun_%281%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="142" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Bel-Tun_%281%29.jpg/500px-Bel-Tun_%281%29.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="1493" data-file-height="944" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <p>Belgian football fans at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. </p> </div> </div></li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 260px"><div style="width: 260px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 255px;"><div style="margin:43px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Atomium_-_panoramio_(7).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Atomium_-_panoramio_%287%29.jpg/250px-Atomium_-_panoramio_%287%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="169" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Atomium_-_panoramio_%287%29.jpg/500px-Atomium_-_panoramio_%287%29.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="2048" data-file-height="1536" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <p>The Atomium in Brussels. </p> </div> </div></li> <li class="gallerybox" style="width: 260px"><div style="width: 260px"> <div class="thumb" style="width: 255px;"><div style="margin:52.5px auto;"><a href="/wiki/File:Liege_View_03.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Liege_View_03.jpg/225px-Liege_View_03.jpg" decoding="async" width="225" height="150" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Liege_View_03.jpg/338px-Liege_View_03.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Liege_View_03.jpg/450px-Liege_View_03.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3456" data-file-height="2304" /></a></div></div> <div class="gallerytext"> <p>A view of Liège. </p> </div> </div></li> </ul></center> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links">External links</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=28" title="Edit section: External links">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eGEX_LTqhQ">Why does Belgium Exist?</a> a short video by <i>History Matters</i> on <a href="/wiki/Youtube" class="mw-redirect" title="Youtube">Youtube</a>.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sLo5CciAXc">How did Belgium get an Empire?</a> a short video by <i>History Matters</i> on Youtube.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qh26VDbE8I">Why didn't Belgium get more land after World War One?</a> a short video by <i>History Matters</i> on Youtube.</li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Belgium&action=edit&section=29" title="Edit section: References">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2; font-size:80%;"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-1">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://trekcore.com/tos/episodes/season1/1x26/quotes.html">Errand of Mercy Quotes</a>. <i>Trek Core.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-2">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/guide/belgium.shtml">The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy Guide</a>. <i>BBC.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-3">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Belgium" class="extiw" title="wp:Religion in Belgium" rel="nofollow">Religion in Belgium</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-4">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Haß, Torsten (17 February 2003). Review of Cook, Bernard: <i>Belgium. A History.</i> FH-Zeitung (journal of the Fachhochschule). ISBN 978-0-8204-5824-3</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-5">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis" class="extiw" title="wp:Congo Crisis" rel="nofollow">Congo Crisis</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-6">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Caesar, Julius; McDevitte, W. A.; Bohn, W. S., trans (1869). <i>The Gallic Wars</i>. New York: Harper. p. 9. ISBN 978-1604597622.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-7">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Belgae">Belgae</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-8">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/ancient-greece-and-rome/ancient-history-northern-europe/belgae">Belgae</a>. <i>Encycopedia.com</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-9">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallia_Belgica" class="extiw" title="wp:Gallia Belgica" rel="nofollow">Gallia Belgica</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-10">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.livius.org/articles/person/servatius-of-tongeren/">Servatius of Tongeren</a>. <i>Livius.org</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-11">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/acee/?page_id=2376">Pilgrimage to Saint Servatius in Maastricht</a>. <i>Amsterdam Center for European Ethnology</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-12">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.geographia.com/belgium/bxhis01.htm">Belgium: The Ancient Celts</a>. <i>Geographia.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-mid-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-mid_13-0">13.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-mid_13-1">13.1</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-mid_13-2">13.2</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.geographia.com/belgium/bxhis02.htm">Medieval Belgium</a>. <i>Geographia.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-14">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Flemish_War" class="extiw" title="wp:Franco-Flemish War" rel="nofollow">Franco-Flemish War</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-15">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgundian_State" class="extiw" title="wp:Burgundian State" rel="nofollow">Burgundian State</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-16">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">{{wpa|Coudenberg|}</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-cdbg-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-cdbg_17-0">17.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-cdbg_17-1">17.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/magazine/35179/when-belgium-was-called-burgundy/">When Belgium was called Burgundy</a>. <i>Brussels Time.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-18">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://basedinbelgium.com/the-burgundian-legacy/">The Burgundian Legacy – Belgium in the Fifteenth Century</a>. <i>Based in Belgium.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-19">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Kramer, Johannes (1984). <i>Zweisprachigkeit in den Benelux-ländern</i> (in German). Buske Verlag. p. 69. ISBN 978-3-87118-597-7. </span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-20">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nancy" class="extiw" title="wp:Battle of Nancy" rel="nofollow">Battle of Nancy</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-21">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Koenigsberger, H. G. (2001). <i>Monarchies, States Generals and Parliaments: The Netherlands in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries</i>. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521803304. p. 49</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-22">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Kendall, Paul Murray (1971). <i>Louis XI</i>. W.W. Norton Co. Inc. ISBN 978-0393302608. p. 228</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-max-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-max_23-0">23.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-max_23-1">23.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/maximilian-and-burgundian-inheritance">Maximilian and the Burgundian inheritance</a>. <i>World of the Hapsburgs.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-24">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/maximilian-i-art-service-politics">Maximilian I: art in the service of politics</a>. <i>Hapsburger.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-25">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatic_Sanction_of_1549" class="extiw" title="wp:Pragmatic Sanction of 1549" rel="nofollow">Pragmatic Sanction of 1549</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-26">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">State, Paul F. (2008). <i>A Brief History of the Netherlands</i>. Infobase Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 9781438108322. </span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-27">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.geographia.com/belgium/bxhis03.htm">Belgium: Burgundian Period</a>. <i>Geographia.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-28">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/timeline-dutch-history/1506-1555-the-netherlands-under-charles-v">1506-1555 The Netherlands under Charles V </a>. <i>Rijksmuseum</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-29">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Tracy, J.D. (2008), <i>The Founding of the Dutch Republic: War, Finance, and Politics in Holland</i> 1572–1588, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-920911-8 p. 66</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-30">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Parker, Geoffrey (1990). <i>The Dutch Revolt</i> (Revised ed.). Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0140137125.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-31">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Flanders" class="extiw" title="wp:Army of Flanders" rel="nofollow">Army of Flanders</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-32">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Antwerp" class="extiw" title="wp:Sack of Antwerp" rel="nofollow">Sack of Antwerp</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-33">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Black, Jeremy (1996). <i>The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492-1792</i>, Volume 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 58. ISBN 9780521470339.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-34">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Antwerp" class="extiw" title="wp:Fall of Antwerp" rel="nofollow">Fall of Antwerp</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-35">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Belgium#Dutch_Revolt_and_80_years_war" class="extiw" title="wp:History of Belgium" rel="nofollow">History of Belgium § Dutch Revolt and 80 years war</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-batt-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-batt_36-0">36.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-batt_36-1">36.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.geographia.com/belgium/bxhis04.htm">Belgium: The Battleground</a>. <i>Geographia.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-37">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Years%27_War" class="extiw" title="wp:Nine Years' War" rel="nofollow">Nine Years' War</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-38">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Brussels" class="extiw" title="wp:Bombardment of Brussels" rel="nofollow">Bombardment of Brussels</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-39">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Spanish_Succession" class="extiw" title="wp:War of the Spanish Succession" rel="nofollow">War of the Spanish Succession</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-40">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Brabant-Revolution">Brabant Revolution</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-41">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Kossmann, E.H. (1978). <i>The Low Countries: 1780–1940</i>. Oxford University Press. pp. 65–81, 101–2. ISBN 9780198221081.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-42">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasants%27_War_(1798)" class="extiw" title="wp:Peasants' War (1798)" rel="nofollow">Peasants' War (1798)</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-nrep-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-nrep_43-0">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.geographia.com/belgium/bxhis05.htm">Belgium: The New Kingdom</a>. <i>Geographia.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-44">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">[<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/150/Belgium-HISTORY-BACKGROUND.html">https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/150/Belgium-HISTORY-BACKGROUND.html</a> Belgium: History and Background.<i></i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-45">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-waterloo">Battle of Waterloo</a>. <i>National Army Museum.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-46">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands#Regional_tensions" class="extiw" title="wp:United Kingdom of the Netherlands" rel="nofollow">United Kingdom of the Netherlands § Regional tensions</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-47">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unionism_in_Belgium" class="extiw" title="wp:Unionism in Belgium" rel="nofollow">Unionism in Belgium</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-brev-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-brev_48-0">48.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-brev_48-1">48.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/country/history/belgium_from_1830">Revolution and independence</a>. <i>Belgium.be.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-49">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Conference_of_1830" class="extiw" title="wp:London Conference of 1830" rel="nofollow">London Conference of 1830</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-50">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I_of_Belgium" class="extiw" title="wp:Leopold I of Belgium" rel="nofollow">Leopold I of Belgium</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-51">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Days%27_Campaign" class="extiw" title="wp:Ten Days' Campaign" rel="nofollow">Ten Days' Campaign</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-52">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_(1839)" class="extiw" title="wp:Treaty of London (1839)" rel="nofollow">Treaty of London (1839)</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-53">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Galloy, Denise, Hayt, Franz (2006). <i>La Belgique: des Tribus Gauloises à l'État Fédéral</i> (5th ed.). Brussels: De Boeck. pp. 138–9. ISBN 978-2-8041-5098-3.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-54">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Baten, Jörg (2016). <i>A History of the Global Economy. From 1500 to the Present.</i> Cambridge University Press. p. 20. ISBN 9781107507180.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-55">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_School_War" class="extiw" title="wp:First School War" rel="nofollow">First School War</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-56">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Marx and Engels on the Trade Unions</i>. Edited with an introduction and notes, by Kenneth Lapides, Originally published, Praeger, New York, 1987, p. 69 ISBN 0-7178-0676-6</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-57"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-57">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://movies2.nytimes.com/books/98/08/30/daily/leopold-book-review.html">'King Leopold's Ghost': Genocide With Spin Control</a> Kakutani, Michiko. <i>New York Times</i>. September 1, 1998</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-58">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.historytoday.com/tim-stanley/belgiums-heart-darkness">Belgium's Heart of Darkness</a> Stanley, Tim. <i>History Today</i> Volume 62 Issue 10. October 2012.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-59">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.amdigital.co.uk/about/news/item/red-rubber-atrocities-in-the-congo-free-state-in-confidential-print-africa">Red Rubber: Atrocities in the Congo Free State in Confidential Print: Africa</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-60">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Renton, David; Seddon, David; Zeilig, Leo (2007). The Congo: Plunder and Resistance. London: Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-84277-485-4.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-61"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-61">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Pakenham, Thomas (1992). The Scramble for Africa: the White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912. London: Abacus. ISBN 978-0-349-10449-2.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-62"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-62">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.npr.org/2018/09/26/649600217/where-human-zoos-once-stood-a-belgian-museum-now-faces-its-colonial-past">Where 'Human Zoos' Once Stood, A Belgian Museum Now Faces Its Colonial Past</a>. <i>NPR.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-63"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-63">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Schlieffen-Plan">Schlieffen Plan</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-moltkebad-64"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-moltkebad_64-0">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Helmuth-Johannes-Ludwig-von-Moltke">Helmuth von Moltke</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-65"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-65">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.firstworldwar.com/source/scrapofpaper2.htm">Primary Documents - The Scrap of Paper, 4 August 1914</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-66"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-66">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2015/4/7/the-world-war-one-german-invasion-of-belgium-what-happened-next#.XSqr0uhKiM8=">The World War One German invasion of Belgium… What happened next?</a>. <i>History is Now</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-67"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-67">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/brussels.htm">The German Army Marches Through Brussels, 1914.</a> <i>Eyewitness to History.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-68"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-68">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Li%C3%A8ge" class="extiw" title="wp:Battle of Liège" rel="nofollow">Battle of Liège</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-69"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-69">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://greatwarproject.org/2014/08/06/the-rape-of-belgium/">The Rape of Belgium</a>. <i>by Mike Shuster. </i>The Great War Project.<i></i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-70"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-70">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/civilian-atrocities-german-1914">The ‘German Atrocities’ of 1914</a>. Sophie de Schaepdrijver. British Library.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-71"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-71">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_of_Belgium" class="extiw" title="wp:Rape of Belgium" rel="nofollow">Rape of Belgium</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-72"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-72">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/high_voltage_fence_the_netherlands_and_belgium">High Voltage Fence (The Netherlands and Belgium)</a>. By Alex Vanneste. <i>International Encyclopedia of the First World War.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-73"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-73">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_of_Death" class="extiw" title="wp:Wire of Death" rel="nofollow">Wire of Death</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-74"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-74">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Kossmann, E. H. (1978). <i>The Low Countries, 1780–1940.</i> Oxford History of Modern Europe (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-822108-1. p. 533–4.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-75"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-75">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.greatwar.co.uk/places/ww1-western-front.htm">Location of the 1914-1918 Battlefields of the Western Front</a>. <i>The Great War</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-postw-76"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-postw_76-0">76.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-postw_76-1">76.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/post-war_economies_belgium">Post-war Economies (Belgium)</a>. <i>International Encyclopedia of the First World War</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-int-77"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-int_77-0">77.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-int_77-1">77.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Belgium/Belgium-and-World-War-I#ref24976">Belgium: The Interwar period</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-78"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-78">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leon-Degrelle">Léon Degrelle</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-79"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-79">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard Bonney. <i>Confronting the Nazi War on Christianity: the Kulturkampf Newsletters, 1936–1939;</i> International Academic Publishers; Bern; 2009 ISBN 978-3-03911-904-2; pp. 175–176</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-80"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-80">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Shirer, William L. (1990) [1960], <i>The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany</i>, Simon and Schuster, ISBN 978-0-671-72868-7 p. 729</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-81"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-81">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Bond, Brian (1990), <i>Britain, France, and Belgium, 1939–1940</i>, London: Brassey's (UK) Riverside, N.J, ISBN 978-0-08-037700-1 p. 93.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-82"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-82">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Knight, Thomas J. (March 1969). "Belgium Leaves the War, 1940". <i>The Journal of Modern History</i>. 41 (1): 52. doi:10.1086/240347. JSTOR 1876204. S2CID 144164673.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-83"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-83">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Geller, Jay Howard (January 1999). "The Role of Military Administration in German-occupied Belgium, 1940–1944". <i>Journal of Military History</i>. 63 (1): 99–125. doi:10.2307/120335. JSTOR 120335.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-84"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-84">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Jacquemyns, Guillaume; Struye, Paul (2002). <i>La Belgique sous l'occupation allemande: 1940–1944</i>. Brussels: Éd. Complexe. p. 307. ISBN 2-87027-940-X.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-85"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-85">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Chiari, Bernhard; Echternkamp, Jörg; et al. (2010). <i>Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg</i>. 10. Munich: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. p. 669. ISBN 978-3-421-06528-5.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-86"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-86">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Conway, Martin (2012-01-12). <i>The Sorrows of Belgium: Liberation and Political Reconstruction, 1944–1947</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 21–23. ISBN 978-0-19-969434-1.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-87"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-87">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courcelles_massacre" class="extiw" title="wp:Courcelles massacre" rel="nofollow">Courcelles massacre</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-88"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-88">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">MacDonald, Charles (1984). <i>A Time For Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge</i>. Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-34226-6.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-89"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-89">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malmedy_massacre" class="extiw" title="wp:Malmedy massacre" rel="nofollow">Malmedy massacre</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-90"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-90">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Allen, Robert W. (2003). <i>Churchill's Guests: Britain and the Belgian Exiles during World War II</i>. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. pp. 83–90. ISBN 978-0-313-32218-1.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-91"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-91">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Willame, Jean-Claude (1972). <i>Patrimonialism and political change in the Congo</i>. Stanford: Stanford U.P. p. 62. ISBN 0-8047-0793-6.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-92"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-92">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_Belgium" class="extiw" title="wp:Liberation of Belgium" rel="nofollow">Liberation of Belgium</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-93"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-93">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Van den Wijngaert, Mark; Dujardin, Vincent (2006). "La Belgique sans Roi, 1940–1950". <i>Nouvelle histoire de Belgique</i>. Brussels: Éd. Complexe. ISBN 2-8048-0078-4. p. 27</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-94"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-94">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/allies-dilemma-over-cowardice-of-belgian-king-1322298.html">"Allies' dilemma over 'cowardice' of Belgian king"</a>. <i>The Independent.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-crown-95"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-crown_95-0">95.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-crown_95-1">95.1</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-crown_95-2">95.2</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.theroyalarticles.com/articles/34/2/Belgian-Royal-Question---the-Abdication-Crisis-of-King-Leopold-III-of-the-Belgians/Page2.html">"Belgian Royal Question" - the Abdication Crisis of King Leopold III of the Belgians</a>. <i>The Royal Articles.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-96"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-96">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ultimatehistoryproject.com/belgian-congo.html">Belgian Colonial Education Policy</a>. <i>Ultimate History Project.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-97"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-97">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://worldatwar.net/chandelle/v2/v2n3/congo.html">Heart of Darkness: the Tragedy of the Congo, 1960-67</a>. <i>World At War.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-98"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-98">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Belgian-Congo">Belgian Congo</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-99"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-99">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/congo-decolonization">The Congo, Decolonization, and the Cold War, 1960–1965</a>. US State Department.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-100"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-100">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/congo-civil-war-1960-1964/">Congo Civil War</a>. <i>Black Past.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-101"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-101">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Belgium/Belgium-after-World-War-II">Belgium after WWII</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-fedbri-102"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-fedbri_102-0">102.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-fedbri_102-1">102.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Belgium/Federalized-Belgium">Federalized Belgium</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-103"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-103">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/international_institutions/regional_institutions/nato">North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)</a> Kingdom of Belgium.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-104"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-104">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benelux" class="extiw" title="wp:Benelux" rel="nofollow">Benelux</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-105"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-105">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Brussels">Brussels</a>. <i>Britannica.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-106"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-106">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Belgium" class="extiw" title="wp:Politics of Belgium" rel="nofollow">Politics of Belgium</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-107"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-107">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Federal_Parliament" class="extiw" title="wp:Belgian Federal Parliament" rel="nofollow">Belgian Federal Parliament</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-108"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-108">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/jul/04/voterapathy.uk">Compulsory voting around the world</a>. <i>The Guardian.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-109"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-109">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51275007">Belgium's ex-King Albert II admits fathering child after DNA test</a>. <i>BBC News.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-110"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-110">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/16/europe/king-philippe-belgium-delphine-intl-scli/index.html">Belgian King meets with his once-secret half-sister for the first time, after years of legal wrangling</a>. <i>CNN.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-111"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-111">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54112797">Belgium ex-king's love child seeks royal rights and titles</a>. <i>BBC News.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-112"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-112">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/federal_authorities/king/role_monarchy">The role of the monarchy</a>. <i>Belgium.be</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-comm-113"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-comm_113-0">113.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-comm_113-1">113.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flemishparliament.eu/about-the-flemish-parliament/structure-belgium">Structure of Belgium</a>. Flemish Parliament.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-114"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-114">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28969/in-belgium-federalism-is-stymying-the-response-to-covid-19">COVID-19 Is Pushing Belgium’s Messy Federal System to Its Limits</a>. <i>World Politics Review</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-115"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-115">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlaymont_building" class="extiw" title="wp:Berlaymont building" rel="nofollow">Berlaymont building</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-116"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-116">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_and_the_European_Union#European_Quarter" class="extiw" title="wp:Brussels and the European Union" rel="nofollow">Brussels and the European Union § European Quarter</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-117"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-117">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Laconte, Pierre; Carola Hein (2008). <i>Brussels: Perspectives on a European Capital</i>. Brussels, Belgium: Foundation for the Urban Environment. ISBN 978-2-9600650-0-8.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-118"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-118">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49284.htm">NATO Headquarters</a>. NATO.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-119"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-119">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-headquarters/new-home-but-same-worries-as-nato-moves-into-glass-and-steel-hq-idUSKBN1HR1HU">New home, but same worries, as NATO moves into glass and steel HQ</a>. <i>Reuters.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-120"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-120">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r2708880">/* Errors processing stylesheet [[:Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css]] (rev 2708880): • Invalid or unsupported value for property ⧼code⧽background⧼/code⧽ at line 44 character 14. • Invalid or unsupported value for property ⧼code⧽background⧼/code⧽ at line 50 character 14. • Invalid or unsupported value for property ⧼code⧽background⧼/code⧽ at line 55 character 14. • Invalid or unsupported value for property ⧼code⧽background⧼/code⧽ at line 64 character 14. • Invalid or unsupported value for property ⧼code⧽color⧼/code⧽ at line 96 character 9. • Invalid or unsupported value for property ⧼code⧽color⧼/code⧽ at line 100 character 9. • Invalid media query at line 138 character 8. */ .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.brusselnieuws.be/artikel/met-uitsterven-bedreigd-de-brusselse-kerkganger">"Churchgoers in Brussels threatened with extinction"</a> (in Dutch). Brusselnieuws.be. 30 November 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">4 September</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Churchgoers+in+Brussels+threatened+with+extinction&rft.pub=Brusselnieuws.be&rft.date=2010-11-30&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brusselnieuws.be%2Fartikel%2Fmet-uitsterven-bedreigd-de-brusselse-kerkganger&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Frationalwiki.org%3ABelgium" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_web" title="Template:Cite web">cite web</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (<a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_unrecognized_language" title="Category:CS1 maint: unrecognized language">link</a>)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-121"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-121">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=3932PEIJ">Kerken lopen zeer geleidelijk helemaal leeg – Dutch news article describing church attendance in Flanders</a>. Standaard.be (2010-11-25). Retrieved on 26 September 2011.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-122"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-122">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r2708880"/><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://nieuwsbrief.cdenv.be/actua/nieuwsbriefitems/11704">"CD&V stapt mee op gay-pride - CD&V marches along with gay pride"</a> (in Dutch). Cdenv.be. 12 May 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">20 May</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=CD%26V+stapt+mee+op+gay-pride+-+CD%26V+marches+along+with+gay+pride&rft.pub=Cdenv.be&rft.date=2013-05-12&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnieuwsbrief.cdenv.be%2Factua%2Fnieuwsbriefitems%2F11704&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Frationalwiki.org%3ABelgium" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_web" title="Template:Cite web">cite web</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (<a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_unrecognized_language" title="Category:CS1 maint: unrecognized language">link</a>)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-123"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-123">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r2708880"/><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/29363">"In België wonen 650.000 moslims"</a>. Indymedia.be. 12 September 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">18 June</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=In+Belgi%C3%AB+wonen+650.000+moslims&rft.pub=Indymedia.be&rft.date=2008-09-12&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indymedia.be%2Fen%2Fnode%2F29363&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Frationalwiki.org%3ABelgium" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-124"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-124">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r2708880"/><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npdata.be/BuG/155-Vreemde-afkomst/Vreemde-afkomst.htm">"Vreemde afkomst 01/01/2012"</a>. Npdata.be<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">1 April</span> 2012</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Vreemde+afkomst+01%2F01%2F2012&rft.pub=Npdata.be&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npdata.be%2FBuG%2F155-Vreemde-afkomst%2FVreemde-afkomst.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Frationalwiki.org%3ABelgium" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-125"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-125">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r2708880"/><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf">"Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology, page 204"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. Fieldwork: Jan-Feb 2010.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Special+Eurobarometer%2C+biotechnology%2C+page+204&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fec.europa.eu%2Fpublic_opinion%2Farchives%2Febs%2Febs_341_en.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Frationalwiki.org%3ABelgium" class="Z3988"></span> <span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_web" title="Template:Cite web">cite web</a>}}</code>: </span><span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment">Check date values in: <code class="cs1-code">|date=</code> (<a href="/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#bad_date" title="Help:CS1 errors">help</a>)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ciag-126"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">↑ <sup><a href="#cite_ref-ciag_126-0">126.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="#cite_ref-ciag_126-1">126.1</a></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/be.html">World Factbook: Belgium</a>. CIA.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-127"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-127">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium#Environment" class="extiw" title="wp:Belgium" rel="nofollow">Belgium § Environment</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-128"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-128">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index – Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy and Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div role="navigation" aria-labelledby="Nations_of_the_world-navigationbox" class="toccolours" style="clear:both; margin:0.5em 3.5%; text-align:center;"> <div style="margin:0.15em; padding:0.1em; background:#ccccff; font-weight:bold;"><span id="Nations_of_the_world-navigationbox"><a href="/wiki/Nation" title="Nation">Nations</a> of the world</span> </div> <div class="hlist" style="font-size: 90%; margin: 0.15em 1.425em;"><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Africa" title="Africa"><b>Africa</b></a>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Algeria" title="Algeria">Algeria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo" title="Democratic Republic of the Congo">Democratic Republic of the Congo</a> — <a href="/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt">Egypt</a> — <a href="/wiki/Eritrea" title="Eritrea">Eritrea</a> — <a href="/wiki/ESwatini" title="ESwatini">eSwatini</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ethiopia" title="Ethiopia">Ethiopia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kenya" title="Kenya">Kenya</a> — <a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Libya" title="Libya">Libya</a> — <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Somalia" title="Somalia">Somalia</a> — <a href="/wiki/South_Africa" title="South Africa">South Africa</a> — <a href="/wiki/Sudan" title="Sudan">Sudan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a> — <a href="/wiki/Uganda" title="Uganda">Uganda</a> — <a href="/wiki/Zimbabwe" title="Zimbabwe">Zimbabwe</a> <p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Asia" title="Asia"><b>Asia</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Afghanistan" title="Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Armenia" title="Armenia">Armenia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Azerbaijan" title="Azerbaijan">Azerbaijan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bahrain" title="Bahrain">Bahrain</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bangladesh" title="Bangladesh">Bangladesh</a> — <a href="/wiki/Brunei" title="Brunei">Brunei</a> — <a href="/wiki/Burma" title="Burma">Burma</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cambodia" title="Cambodia">Cambodia</a> — <a href="/wiki/China" title="China">China</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cyprus" title="Cyprus">Cyprus</a> — <a href="/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt">Egypt</a> — <a href="/wiki/Georgia_(country)" title="Georgia (country)">Georgia</a> — <a href="/wiki/India" title="India">India</a> — <a href="/wiki/Indonesia" title="Indonesia">Indonesia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Iran" title="Iran">Iran</a> — <a href="/wiki/Iraq" title="Iraq">Iraq</a> — <a href="/wiki/Israel" title="Israel">Israel</a> — <a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Jordan" title="Jordan">Jordan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kazakhstan" title="Kazakhstan">Kazakhstan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kuwait" title="Kuwait">Kuwait</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kyrgyzstan" title="Kyrgyzstan">Kyrgyzstan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Laos" title="Laos">Laos</a> — <a href="/wiki/Lebanon" title="Lebanon">Lebanon</a> — <a href="/wiki/Malaysia" title="Malaysia">Malaysia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Maldives" title="Maldives">Maldives</a> — <a href="/wiki/Mongolia" title="Mongolia">Mongolia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nepal" title="Nepal">Nepal</a> — <a href="/wiki/North_Korea" title="North Korea">North Korea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Oman" title="Oman">Oman</a> — <a href="/wiki/Pakistan" title="Pakistan">Pakistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Palestine" title="Palestine">Palestine</a> — <a href="/wiki/Philippines" title="Philippines">Philippines</a> — <a href="/wiki/Qatar" title="Qatar">Qatar</a> — <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Saudi_Arabia" title="Saudi Arabia">Saudi Arabia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Singapore" title="Singapore">Singapore</a> — <a href="/wiki/South_Korea" title="South Korea">South Korea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Syria" title="Syria">Syria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Tajikistan" title="Tajikistan">Tajikistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Thailand" title="Thailand">Thailand</a> — <a href="/wiki/Timor-Leste" title="Timor-Leste">Timor-Leste</a> — <a href="/wiki/Turkey" title="Turkey">Turkey</a> — <a href="/wiki/Turkmenistan" title="Turkmenistan">Turkmenistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates" title="United Arab Emirates">United Arab Emirates</a> — <a href="/wiki/Uzbekistan" title="Uzbekistan">Uzbekistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Vietnam" title="Vietnam">Vietnam</a> — <a href="/wiki/Yemen" title="Yemen">Yemen</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Europe" title="Europe"><b>Europe</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Albania" title="Albania">Albania</a> — <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Belarus" title="Belarus">Belarus</a> — <a class="mw-selflink selflink">Belgium</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina" title="Bosnia and Herzegovina">Bosnia and Herzegovina</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bulgaria" title="Bulgaria">Bulgaria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Channel_Islands" title="Channel Islands">Channel Islands</a> — <a href="/wiki/Croatia" title="Croatia">Croatia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cyprus" title="Cyprus">Cyprus</a> — <a href="/wiki/Czechia" title="Czechia">Czechia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Denmark" title="Denmark">Denmark</a> — <a href="/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia">Estonia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Finland" title="Finland">Finland</a> — <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a> — <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a> — <a href="/wiki/Greece" title="Greece">Greece</a> — <a href="/wiki/Hungary" title="Hungary">Hungary</a> — <a href="/wiki/Iceland" title="Iceland">Iceland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ireland" title="Ireland">Ireland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Isle_of_Man" title="Isle of Man">Isle of Man</a> — <a href="/wiki/Italy" title="Italy">Italy</a> — <a href="/wiki/Latvia" title="Latvia">Latvia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Lithuania" title="Lithuania">Lithuania</a> — <a href="/wiki/Moldova" title="Moldova">Moldova</a> — <a href="/wiki/Netherlands" title="Netherlands">Netherlands</a> — <a href="/wiki/North_Macedonia" title="North Macedonia">North Macedonia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Norway" title="Norway">Norway</a> — <a href="/wiki/Poland" title="Poland">Poland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Portugal" title="Portugal">Portugal</a> — <a href="/wiki/Romania" title="Romania">Romania</a> — <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Serbia" title="Serbia">Serbia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Slovenia" title="Slovenia">Slovenia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Spain" title="Spain">Spain</a> — <a href="/wiki/Sweden" title="Sweden">Sweden</a> — <a href="/wiki/Switzerland" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Turkey" title="Turkey">Turkey</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ukraine" title="Ukraine">Ukraine</a> — <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> (<a href="/wiki/England" title="England">England</a>, <a href="/wiki/Northern_Ireland" title="Northern Ireland">Northern Ireland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland">Scotland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wales" title="Wales">Wales</a>) — <a href="/wiki/Vatican_City" title="Vatican City">Vatican City</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/North_America" title="North America"><b>North America</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Canada" title="Canada">Canada</a> — <a href="/wiki/Costa_Rica" title="Costa Rica">Costa Rica</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cuba" title="Cuba">Cuba</a> — <a href="/wiki/El_Salvador" title="El Salvador">El Salvador</a> — <a href="/wiki/Grenada" title="Grenada">Grenada</a> — <a href="/wiki/Haiti" title="Haiti">Haiti</a> — <a href="/wiki/Jamaica" title="Jamaica">Jamaica</a> — <a href="/wiki/Mexico" title="Mexico">Mexico</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nicaragua" title="Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a> — <a href="/wiki/Panama" title="Panama">Panama</a> — <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> (<a href="/wiki/Puerto_Rico" class="mw-redirect" title="Puerto Rico">Puerto Rico</a>) <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Oceania" title="Oceania"><b>Oceania</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Australia" title="Australia">Australia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kiribati" title="Kiribati">Kiribati</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nauru" title="Nauru">Nauru</a> — <a href="/wiki/New_Zealand" title="New Zealand">New Zealand</a> — <a href="/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea" title="Papua New Guinea">Papua New Guinea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Pitcairn_Islands" title="Pitcairn Islands">Pitcairn Islands</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/South_America" title="South America"><b>South America</b></a>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Argentina" title="Argentina">Argentina</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bolivia" title="Bolivia">Bolivia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Brazil" title="Brazil">Brazil</a> — <a href="/wiki/Chile" title="Chile">Chile</a> (<a href="/wiki/Rapa_Nui" title="Rapa Nui">Rapa Nui</a>) — <a href="/wiki/Colombia" title="Colombia">Colombia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ecuador" title="Ecuador">Ecuador</a> — <a href="/wiki/Falkland_Islands" title="Falkland Islands">Falkland Islands</a> (<a href="/wiki/Falkland_Islands" title="Falkland Islands"><small>Malvinas</small></a>)— <a href="/wiki/Paraguay" title="Paraguay">Paraguay</a> — <a href="/wiki/Peru" title="Peru">Peru</a> — <a href="/wiki/Uruguay" title="Uruguay">Uruguay</a> — <a href="/wiki/Venezuela" title="Venezuela">Venezuela</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><b>Separatist or disputed</b>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Abkhazia" title="Abkhazia">Abkhazia</a> —<a href="/wiki/Catalonia" title="Catalonia">Catalonia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Greenland" title="Greenland">Greenland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kashmir" title="Kashmir">Kashmir</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kosovo" title="Kosovo">Kosovo</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kurdistan" title="Kurdistan">Kurdistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Micronation" title="Micronation">Micronation</a> — <a href="/wiki/Northern_Cyprus" title="Northern Cyprus">Northern Cyprus</a> — <a href="/wiki/Sealand" class="mw-redirect" title="Sealand">Sealand</a> — <a href="/wiki/Somaliland" title="Somaliland">Somaliland</a> — <a href="/wiki/South_Ossetia" title="South Ossetia">South Ossetia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Taiwan" title="Taiwan">Taiwan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Tibet" title="Tibet">Tibet</a> — <a href="/wiki/Transnistria" title="Transnistria">Transnistria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Western_Sahara" title="Western Sahara">Western Sahara</a> </p> <span style="float:left;"><big><b>Historical</b>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Ancient_Egypt" title="Ancient Egypt">Ancient Egypt</a> — <a href="/wiki/Belgian_Congo" title="Belgian Congo">Belgian Congo</a> — <a href="/wiki/British_Empire" title="British Empire">British Empire</a> — <a href="/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America" title="Confederate States of America">Confederate States of America</a> — <a href="/wiki/East_Germany" title="East Germany">East Germany</a> — <a href="/wiki/French_colonial_empire" title="French colonial empire">French colonial empire</a> — <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">German Empire</a> — <a href="/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire">Holy Roman Empire</a> — <a href="/wiki/Imperial_China" title="Imperial China">Imperial China</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hawai%CA%BBi" title="Kingdom of Hawaiʻi">Kingdom of Hawaiʻi</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a> — <a href="/wiki/Rhodesia" title="Rhodesia">Rhodesia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Roman_Empire" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a> — <a href="/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a> — <a href="/wiki/Vichy_France" title="Vichy France">Vichy France</a> — <a href="/wiki/Yugoslavia" title="Yugoslavia">Yugoslavia</a></div> </div>    </div></div><div class="printfooter">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Belgium&oldid=2674690">https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Belgium&oldid=2674690</a>"</div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:European_countries" title="Category:European countries">European countries</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Imperialism" title="Category:Imperialism">Imperialism</a></li><li><a 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