 |
|
|
Dateline
58 B.C. Julius Caesar leads Roman legions against Belgae tribes.
4th-5th century A.D. The Franks, a Germanic people, break into Belgium; the Romans allow them to settle permanently as "allies," and they later establish their first capital at Tournai.
814 Charlemagne, the great Frankish emperor of the West, dies.
843 Treaty of Verdun splits the empire of the Franks. Most of the Low Countries become part of the Middle Kingdom, squeezed between the German lands and France.
966 The first documented reference to Brussels calls it Bruocsella, meaning Settlement in the Marsh.
1302 At the "Battle of the Golden Spurs," near Kortrijk, an army of Flemish peasants defeats the French and kills many noble-born knights. But 3 years later France regains control.
1384 Duke Philip the Bold gains control of Flanders, beginning the acquisition of the Low Countries by the Burgundians.
1400s Era of "Flemish Primitives" -- artists Jan van Eyck, Hieronymous Bosch, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling, and others.
1477 Beginning of the rule of the Austrian Habsburgs.
1500 The future Habsburg emperor and king of Spain Charles V is born in Ghent. He inherits the Low Countries in 1506.
1531 Brussels is the capital of the Spanish Low Countries.
1555 Philip II of Spain introduces Catholic Inquisition persecution against Protestants.
1566 Protestant rioters sack Catholic churches during the Beeldenstorm (Iconoclastic Fury).
1567 Philip II of Spain sends the Duke of Alba to the Low Countries to confront the Protestant Reformation.
1568 Counts Egmont and Hoorn are beheaded on the Grand-Place in Brussels for protesting the excesses of the Inquisition and Alba's reign of terror.
1576 Spanish troops sack Antwerp, an event recalled as the "Spanish Fury." The Pacification of Ghent, a treaty establishing freedom of worship in the Low Countries, is signed, but is soon proven worthless.
1608 Peter Paul Rubens is appointed court painter to the Spanish governor in Antwerp.
1695 Bombardment and destruction of Brussels's Grand-Place by the French.
1713 Belgium comes under rule of Habsburgs of Austria.
1795 French rule of Belgium begins.
1815 Napoleon defeated at Waterloo. Belgium becomes part of the Netherlands.
1830 Belgian War of Independence breaks out.
1831 Belgium becomes a constitutional monarchy headed by King Leopold I.
1835 The Continent's first railway, between Brussels and Mechelen, opens.
1914-18 German forces invade and occupy most of the country during World War I.
1940 World War II: Nazi Germany invades, May 10. King Leopold III surrenders 3 weeks later.
1944 Brussels liberated September 3 by British troops. Battle of the Bulge, in the Ardennes, begins December 16.
1945 World War II ends.
1948 Benelux customs union with the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
1949 Belgium joins NATO.
1951 King Leopold III abdicates in favor of his eldest son, Baudouin.
1958 Belgium joins the European Economic Community, the forerunner of today's European Union (EU).
1971 Constitutional reforms grant some regional autonomy.
1993 King Baudouin dies, and is succeeded by his brother, Albert II (b. 1934). Constitution is amended to create a federal state composed of the autonomous regions of Flanders and Wallonia, and Brussels-Capital, with the German-speaking district a largely self-governing part of Wallonia.
1996 The nation reacts with horror to the deaths of four girls (two children and two teens) kidnapped by a pedophile ring. Mass street demonstrations take place, amid allegations of police and official incompetence and cover-ups.
1999 Prince Philippe, son of King Albert II and heir to the throne, marries Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz.
2001 October 21: Princess Elisabeth, a daughter to Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde, is born. Should she succeed to the throne, she will be the first queen of the Belgians since the dynasty was founded in 1831. Demise of the country's flag carrier Sabena; the new SN Brussels Airlines takes over many of its European routes.
2002 Euro banknotes and coins replace the Belgian franc.
2003 The nation's highest court upholds "universal jurisdiction" and rules that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide can be prosecuted in the country, even if the accused isn't Belgian, and the alleged offences took place in another country. The first indictee is Ariel Sharon, followed closely by George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Gen. Tommy Franks, and Belgian foreign minister Louis Michel. The law is later amended to prevent politically motivated lawsuits.
2004 A Supreme Court ruling that it is racist forces the nationalist Vlaams Blok (Flemish Block) political party -- the most popular in Flanders, say opinion polls -- to disband. It is refounded as the Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest).
2007 Belgium marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tintin creator Hergé (Georges Rémi; 1907-83). A fresco of Tintin greeting visitors is unveiled at Brussels's Gare du Midi railway station.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
|
|
|
