Figure 1.--Here we have a propeous, but unknown Flemish family painted abuut 1620 by Otto van Veen (1556-1629) duringthe Dutch Wars of Independence. Van Veen was a Flemish mannerist artist and humanist. He was am iInfluential teacher of Rubens

Flemish history dates back to Celtic Europe. With Caesar's conquest (1st century BC), it was part of Gallia Belgica. The region was inhabited by Celtic tribes, notably the Menapii, and later saw the arrival of Germanic tribes, particularly the Franks. Flanders appeared in the Medieval era and figured prominently in European history and economy. Geography profoundly impacted Flanders. It s part of the Low countries wedged between France and Germany and across the Channel from England. The original County of Flanders stretched around from the Strait of Dover to the Scheldt estuary (900 AD). The rule of the counts began with Baldwin I Iron-Arm, who became the first count of Flanders (862). Flanders expanded from there. Cities such as Ghent, Bruges, and Ypres of the historic County of Flanders, and later Antwerp of the Duchy of Brabant made it one of the richest and most urbanized parts of Europe. Merchants there were involved in the wool industry, trading, and weaving the wool of neighboring lands, especially England, into cloth for both domestic use and export. As a consequence, a very sophisticated culture developed, with impressive achievements in the arts and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. The counts of Flanders enjoyed a degree of autonomy, often acting independently of the French crown (especially during the 12th and 13th centuries). The region's wealth inevitability attracted attention, leading to conflicts, including the famous Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302), where Flemish forces defeated the French. The western parts of Flanders fell under French control, while the eastern parts became part of the Holy Roman Empire (late-12 century). Flanders was incorporated into the Burgundian Netherlands, and later it came under Hapsburg rule just as the Protestant Reformation was sweeping northern Europe (16th century). Thus Flanders became a part of the wars of religion and the rise of the Spanish Empire. With the advent of the Protestant Reformation, the Hapsburg Netherlands turned largely to Protestantism. The Spanish inherited the Netherlands and attempted to destroy the Protestants with major military campaigns. The Dutch rebelled and against all odds the Dutch War of Independence (1568-48) succeeded, although modern Flanders is the area of the Netherlands that the Spanish reconquered. Flanders was a hot spot of the Industrial Revolution on continental Europe. It became a bloody World War I battlefield where the British suffered heavy loses--'In Flanders field' poem. The poppy, which once grew on the battlefields, became a symbol of remembrance, representing the sacrifices made by soldiers.

Created: 1:32 AM 12/12/2025
Last updated: 1:32 AM 12/12/2025