A Concise History of Belgium

Offers an accessible overview of the history of this small but important West-European country, from ancient times to the present.

Guy Vanthemsche (Author), Roger De Peuter (Author)

9780521192415, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 March 2023

396 pages
22.1 x 14 x 2.5 cm, 0.65 kg

'Ranging from the Roman Empire to the European Union, De Peuter and Vanthemsche's richly detailed history provides a panoramic view of the evolution of the country that Stefan Zweig called the 'crossroads of Europe.' Engaged with contemporary debates on European and national Belgian identity, this is a masterpiece of historical synthesis.' Carl J. Strikwerda, The College of William and Mary in Virginia

The small and densely populated nation of Belgium has played an important role in the history of Europe and other continents, especially Africa. It was a pioneering force in industry, trade, and finance during the Middle Ages, through early modern times and into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It introduced innovative political regimes and played a leading role in the creative arts. Yet this rich past is not widely known. This introductory history offers an accessible and rigorous overview of this small but important West-European country, synthesizing Belgium's main economic, social, political, and cultural developments from pre-Roman times until today. Today, this nation-state, born in 1830, is well-known for the rivalries between its two main language communities, and as a result is often considered a fragile or even an artificial political construct. This systematic chronological analysis of both present-day Belgium and the polities that preceded it throws fresh light on this controversial issue and demonstrates Belgium's enduring importance and influence.

1. Earliest times – From prehistory to the end of the Roman Period
2. The era of the Frankish kingdoms (fifth–tenth century)
3. The origins of the medieval principalities (tenth–fourteenth century)
4. Unifying the Netherlands: The Burgundy – Habsburg period (1384–1555)
5. The Spanish Netherlands (1555-ca. 1700)
6. The Austrian Netherlands (ca. 1700–1780)
7. The formation of a new nation-state (1780s–1830)
8. The consolidation of a Bourgeois regime (1831–1880s)
9. The Belgian nation-state at its height (1880s–1945)
10. The metamorphoses of a nation-state (from 1945 to the present day)
Index.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]