Prehistory and antiquity The future county of Flanders had been inhabited since prehistory. During the Iron Age, the
Kemmelberg formed an important Celtic settlement. During the time of Julius Caesar, the inhabitants were part of the
Belgae, a collective name for all Celtic and Germanic tribes in the north of
Gaul. For Flanders, specifically these were the
Menapii,
Morini,
Nervii and
Atrebates.
Julius Caesar conquered the area around 54 BC and the population was partially romanised from the 1st to the 3rd century. The
Roman road that connected
Cologne with
Boulogne-sur-Mer was used as a defense perimeter. In the south, the Gallo-Romanic population was able to maintain itself, while the north became a no-mans land that also suffered from regular floods from the
North Sea. In the coastal and
Scheldt areas, Saxon tribes gradually appeared. For the Romans,
Saxon was a general term that included
Angles,
Saxons,
Jutes and Erules. The coastal defense around Boulogne and
Oudenburg, the
Litus Saxonicum, remained functional until about 420. These forts were manned by Saxon soldiers. From their base land,
Toxandria, the
Salian Franks further expanded into the Roman empire. The first incursion into the lands of the Atrebates was turned away in 448 at Vicus Helena. But, after the murder of the Roman general
Flavius Aëtius in 454 and the Roman emperor
Valentinianus III in 455, the Salic Franks encountered hardly any resistance. From
Duisburg, king
Chlodio conquered
Cambrai and
Tournai, and he reached the
Somme. After his death, two Salic kingdoms emerged.
Childeric is recorded in 463 as king of Tournay and ally of the Romans against the
Visigoths. He was also administrator of the province of
Belgica Secunda. His son
Clovis I began his conquest of all of Northern France in 486.
Early Middle Ages The abandoned coast and Scheldt region had been partially repopulated since the 4th century by Saxons and Franks from the east of the
Rhine, who retained their
Germanic culture and language. In the 5th century, Salic Franks settled in present-day Northern-France and
Wallonia, primarily around the cities of
Courtrai,
Tournai and
Bavay. They adapted to the local Gallo-Romanic population. From the 6th century on, the no-mans-land farther north was filled by
Franks from the Rhinelands and other Germanic groups from the Netherlands and Germany. The first wave of immigration in the present day Flemish territory was accompanied by limited Christianisation. In the wake of the immigrants, missionaries tried to convert the heathen population, but had little success. The bishoprics were reinstated, usually with the same natural borders of the Late-Roman era; the
Silva Carbonaria separated the
Bishopric of Cambrai from the
Bishopric of Tongeren, while the Scheldt again became the border between the bishoprics of Cambrai and
Tournai.
Vedast and
Eleutherius of Tournai were assigned to reinstate the bishoprics of
Arras and Tournai. However, these bishoprics failed to survive independently. In the late 6th century the bishopric of Arras was connected to that of Cambrai, and at the start of the 7th century the same was done to the bishoprics of Tournai and
Noyon. At the end of the 6th century, the duchy of
Dentelinus was created in the north of what would later constitute
Neustria. The duchy presumably included the bishoprics of Boulogne, Thérouanne, Arras, Tournai, Cambrai and Noyon: thus, the northwestern region between the North Sea and the Silva Carbonaria, an area the outlines of which were very similar to the later Flanders. The duchy was primarily intended to serve as a military and strategic deterrent against Frisian and Saxon invasions, and was a cornerstone in the military defense of the
Merovingian Empire. In 600,
Chlothar II (584–628) was forced to temporarily cede the duchy to
Austrasia, but after the restoration of the Austrasian dual-monarchy in 622–623, the duchy was returned.
7th century '' i.e. "shires" of Flanders, reunion of the former marquisate of Flanders, showing all the lands subsequently reclaimed from the sea. At the end of the 6th and 7th centuries, a new inflow emerged from the western
Pas-de-Calais. This area had been
germanised in the 5th century and descendants of the
Saxons and
Franks had settled in future Flanders and the
Duchy of Brabant. New groups of germanic settlers also came in from the Netherlands and Germany. Their new settlements often received the name of their germanic leader, with
-inga haim added. -
Inga haim meant 'the settlement of the tribe of X'. For example:
Petegem comes from
Petta-inga-haim, which meant 'the settlement of the tribe of Petta'. The colonisation and germanisation of Flanders took place primarily in the 6th and 7th centuries. In the 7th century, the population-level had risen sufficiently to start rebuilding the religious, military and administrative infrastructure. In the area of linguistics, the situation stabilised so that a large,
bilingual region with a linear
language border could emerge in the 8th century. In
Pas-de-Calais, which had been densely populated a long time, a language barrier had emerged in the 6th–7th century, but in the 9th century a
romanisation-movement started that has continued until the present day. The Christianisation attempts in the 6th century by bishops like
Eleutherius and
Vedast had largely failed. In the 7th century a new effort was made under influence from King
Dagobert I. He appointed several devoted missionaries from the southern parts of his kingdom to his royal domains in the northern parts of his kingdom. The missionaries were tasked with founding monasteries and abbeys there, that were to serve as centers of Christianity in a pagan region. From these centers, the conversion of the local populace could be started. In 649,
Audomar founded an abbey at
Sithiu (the
Abbey of Saint Bertin) and in 680
Aubertus founded the
Abbey of St. Vaast near
Arras. The Christianisation of the population was mainly the work of missionaries like
Amandus (
St. Bavo's Abbey and
St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent) and
Eligius (coastal region and
Antwerp). In his
vita, Eligius makes the first mention of the word
Flanders, when he toured the area around 650. During the 7th century, the first
gaue or
pagi were created in the Flemish territories.
Gaue were administrative subdivisions of the
civitates. The
gaue from the 7th and 8th centuries would form the basis of the county of Flanders. The
pagus Tornacensis dates from , and from the 7th century we know of the
pagus Cambracinsis in 663, the
pagus Taroanensis from 649 and the
pagus Bracbatensis at the end of the century. From the 8th century we know of the
pagus Rodaninsis from 707, the
pagus Gandao from the first quarter of the 8th century, the
pagus Mempiscus from 723 and the
pagus Flandrensis from around 745. Lastly, the
pagus Austrebatensis and the
pagus Curtracensis are also counted as Merovingian
gaue.
Carolingians . In 751, the
Carolingian Mayors of the Palace succeeded in removing the Merovingians from power and obtaining the throne for themselves. The last Merovingian king,
Childeric III, was placed in captivity at the later
Abbey of Saint Bertinus in St. Omer, and his long hair, a symbol of royal power, was cut off.
Charlemagne succeeded his father
Pepin the Short in Neustria and Austrasia. After the death of his brother Karloman, he was able to reunite the entire Frankish Empire. Though he resided in
Aachen, he spent much time travelling through his territories. In 811, he inspected the fleet that he had ordered built in Boulogne and Ghent, to protect against
Viking invasions. The region comprising future Flanders was, from an economic point of view, a flourishing region, with a series of ports along the
Scheldt river:
Ghent,
Tournai,
Valenciennes,
Cambrai and
Lambres at
Douai on the
Scarpe and a number of seaports:
Quentovic,
Boulogne and Isère portus, a port at the mouth of the
Yser. Moreover, the region included a number of rich abbeys, such as
Abbey of Saint Bertin,
Saint Bavo's Abbey,
Saint-Amand Abbey and the
Abbey of St. Vaast. Charlemagne was succeeded by his son
Louis the Pious. Even during Louis' life, his three sons started fighting over his heritage. They eventually concluded multiple treaties, of which the
Treaty of Verdun, signed in 843, would be the definitive one. These treaties created
East Francia,
Middle Francia and
West Francia. West Francia, inherited by
Charles the Bald, included the original county of Flanders, that spanned roughly between
Oudenburg,
Aardenburg and
Torhout. After the Middle-Frankish kings died out, the rulers of the West and East-Frankish Kingdoms divided the Middle-Frankish kingdom amongst themselves in the
treaty of Meerssen in 870. Now, Western Europe had been divided into two sides: the solid
West Francia (the later France) and the loose confederation of principalities of
East Francia, that would become the
Holy Roman Empire. In the north, these two powers were separated by the Scheldt river, which had previously separated West Francia from
Middle Francia. This separation remained unchanged until the times of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
Growth in the 9th to the 11th centuries (864–1071) Militarily, economically and politically, Europe went through a deep crisis. The
Vikings invaded from the north, the
Magyar from the east and the
Saracens from the south. All left trails of destruction. The central authorities of the two Frankish kingdoms were unable to organise an effective defensive, causing the population to lose faith and trust in their far-removed rulers. In the wake of this power vacuum, local powerful individuals saw their chance. Often these individuals were the descendants of people associated with
Charlemagne. The county of Flanders originated from the
Gau or (), led by the Forestiers dynasty, who had been appointed by Charlemagne, who had made a small contribution by uniting small feudal territories in the higher parts of the
Flemish Valley. The Forestiers dynasty also strengthened the hold of the church on the relatively desolate area. The first
Margrave (Count) of Flanders was
Baldwin I, who became count in 862, and a romantic anecdote is connected to this: Baldwin eloped with the daughter of the Frankish king
Charles the Bald,
Judith of West Francia. Judith, who had previously been married to two English kings, refused her father's command to return to him. After mediation by the pope, the Frankish king reconciled with his son-in-law, and gave him the title of margrave, and the corresponding feudal territories as dowry. Margrave was primarily a military appointment and some versions of the story theorize that King Charles made Baldwin Margrave in the hope that he would be killed by the Vikings. Initially, the French kings meant to secure the safety of the northern French border from Viking invasions with this act. The counts, however, made good use of the crisis situation by incorporating the surrounding plundered territories into the county. The counts expanded the influence of the original Flemish over the years over all territories south and west of the
Scheldt river, including the lordship of the Four Amts,
Zeelandic Flanders, the to the east and the
County of Artois to the southwest, which remained part of Flanders until it became a separate county in 1237. After that date, the county of Artois at various times still came under the dominion of the count of Flanders as a separate title, until it was absorbed by the French crown.
The 11th to 13th centuries (1071–1278) at Ghent, Built by
Philip of Alsace In 1071,
Robert I became count of Flanders after his successful rebellion against his nephew
Arnulf III who died in the
battle of Cassel. Flemish
knights in the 11th and 12th centuries were some of the most effective and well-respected knights of Europe even before the
Crusades. They were known to be chivalrous but lax on enforcing religious norms. Nevertheless,
count Robert II and his wife
Clementia of Burgundy were supporters of the
Cluniac reform movement and on October 1096
Robert left with an army for the
First Crusade. Though the majority of Flemish nobles was absent for four years, law and order was kept thanks to the steady leadership of countess Clementia and the advocacy of bishop
Lambert of Arras. For this, the local clergy promoted the
Peace and Truce of God movement.
Prosperity in the 12th and 13th centuries The
House of Flanders remained in power until 1119, when
Baldwin VII of Flanders died heirless, and the county was inherited by
Charles the Good, of the
House of Denmark. He abandoned the title "Marquis of Flanders", which had been used alongside the comital style since the 10th century. The counts of Flanders were the last French lords using the title marquis, which would not be used again in France until 1504. After a short interlude under
William Clito of Normandy (1127–1128), the county went to
Thierry of Alsace of the
House of Alsace. Under Thierry (1128–1168) and his successor
Philip of Alsace, Flanders' importance and power increased. In the second half of the 12th century, the county went through a period of great prosperity when Philip of Alsace managed to incorporate the
County of Vermandois into Flanders through the inheritance of his wife. The territories he controlled now came to within 25 kilometers of Paris, and were larger than the territories his feudal lord, the French king, directly controlled. During the rule of the House of Alsace, cities developed and new institutions were formed. The ports of
Gravelines,
Nieuwpoort,
Damme,
Biervliet,
Dunkirk, and
Mardijk were founded, as well as
Calais by Philip's brother
Matthew of Alsace. Aside from colonisation, the ports also functioned to reduce the silting of the rivers
Aa,
Yser and
Zwin, which were endangering the accessibility of
Saint-Omer,
Ypres and
Bruges. Biervliet also served as a counter to Hollandic influence. Trade partners included England, the
Baltic countries and France over sea, and the
Rhineland and Italy over land. The wool trade with England was of special importance to the rising
cloth industry in Flanders. The wealth of many Flemish cities (as their
Belltowers and
cloth halls testify) came from the drapery industry. Aside from this, the
grain trade with England and through Holland with Hamburg were also important.
Saint-Omer became the most important transit-port for French wine in the 12th century. These were the centuries of the breakthrough of the Flemish merchants, with their trade with England, the Baltic area and South-West France, as well as the land routes to the
Rhineland and Italy though later only the yearly fairs of Champagne. Flanders's flourishing trading towns made it one of the most urbanised parts of Europe. In 1194,
Baldwin I of Constantinople of the
House of Hainaut, succeeded the House of Alsace.
The crisis of the 14th century (1278–1384) In 1278,
Guy of Dampierre, of the
House of Dampierre, became count of Flanders. The king of France wanted to definitively conquer Flanders, and started the
Franco-Flemish War (1297–1305). Increasingly powerful in the 12th century, the territory's autonomous urban centres were instrumental in defeating the French invasion attempt, defeating the French at the
Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. But finally the French prevailed at the
battle of Mons-en-Pévèle and with the subsequent
treaty of Athis-sur-Orge (1305) Flanders lost Lille, Douai, and Orchies to France and had to pay exorbitant fines but retained their independence as a fief of the French kingdom. During this period, Flanders experienced a period of relative prosperity with its strong cloth industry and diverse artwork. Trade in Flanders was so extensive that statues of the Madonna and Child were made in Flanders with ivory, which was accessible only by the Indian Ocean trade networks. in the 2nd half of the 16th century. Preserved in the
Ghent University Library. Flemish prosperity waned in the following century, however, owing to widespread European population decline following the
Black Death of 1348, the disruption of trade during the Anglo-French
Hundred Years' War (1338–1453), and increased English cloth production. Flemish weavers had gone over to
Worstead and
North Walsham in
Norfolk in the 12th century and established the wool industry.
The Burgundian 15th century (1384–1506) with a view of the 15th-century section Through his marriage with
Margaret of Dampierre in 1369,
Philip the Bold, duke of
Burgundy, made an end to the independence of Flanders. Flanders became the possession of the
House of Valois-Burgundy, that ruled over the
Burgundian State. In 1449, the city of
Ghent revolted against duke
Philip the Good. In 1453, Philip crushed the rebels at the
battle of Gavere, ending the revolt. The cities of Ghent and Bruges had previously operated virtually as city-states, and upon the death of duke
Charles the Bold attempted to re-assert this position by means of the
Great Privilege that they wrested from
Mary of Burgundy, Charles' daughter and successor. In 1482, this last Burgundian ruler died, making her young son
Philip I of Castile of the
House of Habsburg the new count, and her husband
Maximilian I of Austria the regent. The Flemish cities staged
two more revolts, but these were ultimately subdued by the armies of the
Holy Roman Empire. The 1493
Treaty of Senlis established peace between France and the Habsburgs; per the terms of the treaty, Flanders would henceforth be a territory of the Holy Roman Empire.
The seventeen provinces in the 16th century (1506–98) , cartographer, and
Johannes Bussemacher, engraver and publisher, Cologne Under
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (born in the Flemish city
Ghent), Flanders became a member of the
Burgundian Circle. The county was later involved in the
Guelders Wars. Through the
Pragmatic Sanction of 1549, the County of Flanders was officially detached from France. It became an independent territory of the
Holy Roman Empire. This constitutional act made Flanders part of the
Seventeen Provinces that constituted the
Low Countries and from then on would be inherited as a whole. The Low Countries held an important place in the Empire. For Charles personally, they were the region where he spent his childhood. Because of trade, industry and the rich cities, they were also important for the treasury. Lordship transferred to the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg with
Philip II of Spain, and after 1556 belonged to the Kings of Spain. It was in
Steenvoorde (
French Flanders) in 1566 that the
Beeldenstorm broke loose. The Beeldenstorm spread through all of the
Low Countries and eventually led to the outbreak of the
Eighty Years' War and the secession of the
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Originally, Flanders cooperated with the northern provinces as a member of the
Union of Utrecht, and also signed the
Act of Abjuration in 1581, but from 1579 to 1585, in the period known as the "
Calvinist Republic of Ghent", it was reconquered by the Spanish army.
The Spanish 17th century (1598–1713) , with its five départements as formed in the Revolution, colored according to the
historical provinces as they existed until
1790. These show the parts of
Flanders and
Hainault as well as all of
Artois conquered by
Louis XIV. Apart from the territories mentioned above in the text, tiny amounts of
Artois and
Picardy also contributed to the Nord département. Flanders stayed under Spanish control. Through the efforts of the French king
Louis XIV, the entire southern part of Flanders was annexed by France, and became known as South-Flanders or
French Flanders. This situation was formalised in 1678 at the
Treaty of Nijmegen.
The Austrian 18th century (1713–89) during the
Revolutionary Wars, 1793 After the extinction of the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs, the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs became counts of Flanders. Under
Maria Theresa of Austria, the
Austrian Netherlands flourished.
Last years (1789–97) In 1789, a revolution broke out against emperor
Joseph II. In 1790, the county of Flanders and a separate province called
West Flanders, which constituted the territories returned to the Emperor by France, were two of the founding members of the
United States of Belgium. Just like the other parts of the Austrian Netherlands, the county of Flanders declared its independence. This took place on the Friday-market at Ghent on 4 January 1790. The "Manifest van Vlaenderen" was drawn up by
Charles-Joseph de Graeve and
Jean-Joseph Raepsaet. The county of Flanders officially ceased to exist in 1795, when it was annexed by France, and divided into two
departments:
Lys (present day
West Flanders) and
Escaut (present day
East Flanders and
Zeelandic Flanders). Austria confirmed its loss in the 1797
Treaty of Campo Formio. After the
French Revolution the county was not restored, and instead the two departments continued their existence as the provinces of East and West Flanders in the
Unitarian United Kingdom of the Netherlands and later, after the
Belgian Revolution, in Belgium. == Count of Flanders title ==