Belgium: From the Roman Invasion to the Present Day

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BELGIUM FROM THE ROMAN INVASION TO THE PRESENT DAY

    Illustration: ALBERT I.
    Frontispiece.
    _Photo Langfier._

BELGIUM

From the Roman Invasion to the Present Day

by

EMILE CAMMAERTS

With 36 Illustrations and 9 Maps







T. Fisher Unwin Ltd
London: Adelphi Terrace

Copyright by T. Fisher Unwin, 1921
(for Great Britain)

Copyright by G.P. Putnam's Sons
(for the United States of America), 1921

First published     1921
Second Impression   1922

(All rights reserved)




PREFACE


We possess happily, nowadays, a few standard books, of great insight
and impartiality, which allow us to form a general idea of the
development of the Belgian nation without breaking fresh ground. The
four volumes of Henri Pirenne's _Histoire de Belgique_ carry us as far
as the Peace of Muenster, and, among others, such works as Vanderlinen's
_Belgium_, issued recently by the Oxford University Press, and a
treatise on Belgian history by F. Van Kalken (1920) supply a great deal
of information on the modern period. To these works the author has been
chiefly indebted in writing the present volume. He felt the need for
placing the conclusions of modern Belgian historians within reach of
British readers, and believed that, though he might not claim any very
special qualifications to deal with Belgian history, his knowledge of
England would allow him to present his material in the way most
interesting to the English-speaking public.

_Belgium_ is neither a series of essays nor a systematic text-book.
Chronological sequence is preserved, and practically all important
events are recorded in their appointed time, but special stress has
been laid on some characteristic features of Belgian civilization and
national development which are of general interest and bear on the
history of Europe as a whole.

The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to his friend,
Professor Van der Essen, who has been good enough to revise his work.
He is also indebted to Messrs. Van Oest & Co. for allowing him to
reproduce some pictures belonging to _l'Album Historique de la
Belgique_, and to the Phototypie Belge (Ph.B.), Ste anonyme, Etterbeek,
Bruxelles, and other holders of copyright for providing him with
valuable illustrations.




CONTENTS
                                                                       PAGE

  PREFACE                                                                 5

  INTRODUCTION                                                           15

  CHAPTER I

  THE COAL WOOD                                                          29
  Celts and Germans--Roman conquest--Roads of Roman civilization--First
  Christianization--Germanic invasion--Natural obstacle presented by
  the "Silva Carbonaria"--Origins of racial and linguistic division.

  CHAPTER II

  FROM SAINT AMAND TO CHARLEMAGNE                                        37
  Frankish capital transferred from Tournai to Paris--Second
  Christianization--St. Amand--Restoration of the old bishoprics--
  Romanization of the Franks and germanization of the Walloons--
  Unification under Charlemagne--Aix-la-Chapelle, centre of the
  Empire--First period of economic and intellectual efflorescence.

  CHAPTER III

  LOTHARINGIA AND FLANDERS                                               47
  Partition after Charlemagne--Treaty of Verdun--The frontier of
  the Scheldt--Struggle of feudal lords against the central
  power--The Normans.

  CHAPTER IV

  REGNER LONG NECK                                                       52
  Policy of the Lotharingian princes--Influence of the German
  bishops--Alliance with Flanders against the Emperor--Decadence
  of the central power--Religious reform of Gerard de Brogne--The
  Clunisians and the struggle for the investitures--The first
  crusade.

  CHAPTER V

  BALDWIN THE BEARDED                                                    60
  Policy of the counts of Flanders--Imperial Flanders--The English
  a