About Belgium

Ancient Times

57 BCE - 486 CE

Roman Rule and Early Foundations

The region was conquered by Julius Caesar in 57 BCE and incorporated into the Roman Empire as part of Gallia Belgica. Roman infrastructure and culture flourished until the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Middle Ages

5th - 15th centuries

County of Flanders & Duchy of Brabant

After the fall of Rome, the region was ruled by the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties. The County of Flanders and Duchy of Brabant emerged as powerful entities, developing into important centers of trade and culture.

Burgundian & Habsburg Rule

1384 - 1794

The Golden Age

The Burgundian period brought unprecedented prosperity. Cities like Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels flourished as centers of trade, art, and culture. Later, the region came under Habsburg control, both Spanish and Austrian.

French Period

1794 - 1815

French Revolution & Napoleonic Era

The Belgian provinces were annexed by revolutionary France, bringing sweeping administrative and legal reforms that modernized the region.

United Kingdom of the Netherlands

1815 - 1830

Brief Union with the Dutch

After Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna united the southern and northern Netherlands under King William I, but religious, linguistic, and economic differences led to tensions.

Independent Belgium

1830 - present

A New Nation State

The Belgian Revolution in 1830 led to independence and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. Leopold I became the first King of the Belgians in 1831, beginning the dynasty that continues today.

Colonial Era

1885 - 1960

The Congo Free State & Belgian Congo

King Leopold II acquired the Congo Free State as his personal territory, later transferred to Belgian state control in 1908. This colonial period had profound impacts on both Congo and Belgium.

Modern Belgium

1945 - present

Federalization & European Integration

Post-WWII Belgium became a founding member of NATO and the EU. The country evolved from a unitary state to a federal state through multiple constitutional reforms, addressing linguistic and cultural divisions.