Flemish people or Flemings ( Dutch : Vlamingen [ˈvlaːmɪŋə(n)] ) are a Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders , Belgium , who speak Flemish Dutch . Flemish people make up the majority of Belgians , at about 60%.
95-463: Flemish was historically a geographical term, as all inhabitants of the medieval County of Flanders in modern-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands were referred to as "Flemings" irrespective of their ethnicity or language. The contemporary region of Flanders comprises a part of this historical county, as well as parts of the medieval duchy of Brabant and the medieval county of Loon , where
190-682: A continuum with both Brabantic and West Flemish. Standard Dutch is primarily based on the Hollandic dialect (spoken in the Western provinces of the Netherlands) and to a lesser extent on Brabantian , which is the dominant dialect in Flanders , as well as in the south of the Netherlands. The supra-regional, semi-standardized colloquial form ( mesolect ) of Dutch spoken in Belgium uses
285-669: 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. Flemish prosperity waned in the following century, however, owing to widespread European population decline following
380-465: A loanword from French), and duimspijker (a compound of Dutch duim "thumb" and spijker "nail") meaning "thumbtack" (common standard Dutch: punaise , a loanword from French). Among the belgicisms, there are also many words that are considered obsolete, formal, or purist in standard Dutch. Moreover, many belgicisms have their origin in the Belgian official nomenclature . For example, misdaad "felony"
475-578: A number of mannerist structures, and Willem van den Blocke also has sculpted multiple lavishly decorated epitaphs and tombs in Poland. Flemish people also emigrated at the end of the fifteenth century, when Flemish traders conducted intensive trade with Spain and Portugal , and from there moved to colonies in America and Africa . The newly discovered Azores were populated by 2,000 Flemish people from 1460 onwards, making these volcanic islands known as
570-634: 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
665-409: 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. 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
760-621: A separate language, classified as a part of the Southwestern Dutch family together with the Zeelandic language. According to Glottolog, Western Flemish includes the dialects of French Flemish and West Flemish. Brabantian and East Flemish are classified as Dutch dialects, under the Central Southern Dutch dialect group. Ethnologue considers Limburgish and West Flemish to be separate (regional) languages. Dutch
855-599: A significant number of its residents left after the Great Flood of 1993 . County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries , located on the North Sea coast of what is now Belgium . Unlike its neighbours, such as the counties of Brabant and Hainaut , it was within the territory of the Kingdom of France . The counts of Flanders held
950-585: Is native to the region known as Flanders in northern Belgium ; it is spoken by Flemings , the dominant ethnic group of the region. Outside of Belgium Flanders, it is also spoken to some extent in French Flanders and the Dutch Zeelandic Flanders . The term Flemish itself has become ambiguous. Nowadays, it is used in at least five ways, depending on the context. These include: Glottolog considers Western Flemish to be
1045-552: Is not a legal term in the Netherlands, but it is in Belgium. The English adjective Flemish (first attested as flemmysshe , c. 1325 ; compare Flæming , c. 1150 ), meaning "from Flanders ", was probably borrowed from Old Frisian . The Old Dutch form is flāmisk , which becomes vlamesc , vlaemsch in Middle Dutch and Vlaams in Modern Dutch . The word Vlaams itself
SECTION 10
#17327652178901140-688: Is primarily based on the Hollandic dialect (spoken in the northwestern Netherlands) and to a lesser extent on Brabantic, which is the most dominant Dutch dialect of the Southern Netherlands and Flanders . Approximately 75% of the Flemish people are by baptism assumed Roman Catholic , though a still diminishing minority of less than 8% attends Mass on a regular basis and nearly half of the inhabitants of Flanders are agnostic or atheist . A 2006 inquiry in Flanders showed 55% chose to call themselves religious and 36% believe that God created
1235-536: Is proposed that there was a proto-Germanic term *flaumdra which referred to waterlogged land. According to Toorians, the strength of this proposal is that it would describe the salt marshes and mud flats of this low-lying coastal region. It was regularly inundated, before the development of dykes which started around 1050. However, a weak point of the proposal is that the Germanic wordforms which it requires are not found in any records of Dutch or its dialects. Comparison
1330-574: 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 conquered from 486 on all of Northern France. The abandoned coast and Scheldt region had been partially repopulated since the 4th century by Saxons and Franks from the east of the Rhine that retained their Germanic culture and language. In
1425-442: Is the majority language in Belgium, being spoken natively by three-fifths of the population. Its various dialects contain a number of lexical and a few grammatical features which distinguish them from the standard language. As in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the native dialect of the speaker. At the same time East Flemish forms a continuum with both Brabantic and West Flemish . Standard Dutch
1520-474: Is the majority language in northern Belgium, being used in written language by three-fifths of the population of Belgium. It is one of the three national and state languages of Belgium, together with French and German , and is the only official language of the Flemish Region . The various Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium contain a number of lexical and grammatical features that distinguish them from
1615-496: Is used a lot in television dramas and comedies. Often, middle-class characters in a television series will be speaking tussentaal , lower-class characters use the dialect of the location where the show is set (such as Western Flanders), and upper-class characters will speak Standard Dutch. That has given tussentaal the status of normalcy in Flanders. It is slowly being accepted by the general population, but it has met with objections from writers and academics who argue that it dilutes
1710-737: The de jure social, political and linguistic equality of Dutch from the end of the 19th century. After the Hundred Years War many Flemings migrated to the Azores . By 1490 there were 2,000 Flemings living in the Azores. Willem van der Haegen was the original sea captain who brought settlers from Flanders to the Azores. Today many Azoreans trace their genealogy from present day Flanders. Many of their customs and traditions are distinctively Flemish in nature such as windmills used for grain, São Jorge cheese and several religious events such as
1805-685: 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. 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
1900-529: The Duchy of Brabant . In 1830, the southern provinces of the United Netherlands proclaimed their independence. French-dialect speaking population, as well as the administration and elites, feared the loss of their status and autonomy under Dutch rule while the rapid industrialization in the south highlighted economic differences between the two. Under French rule (1794–1815), French was enforced as
1995-671: 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
SECTION 20
#17327652178902090-648: 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
2185-619: 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 and industry and the rich cities, they were also important for the treasury. Lordship transferred to
2280-505: The Levant , disproves it. In reality Philip was following a West-European trend. In the same period lions also appeared in the arms of Brabant , Luxembourg , Holland , Limburg and other territories. The lion as a heraldic symbol was mostly used in border territories and neighbouring countries of the Holy Roman Empire . It was in all likelihood a way of showing independence from the emperor, who used an eagle in his personal arms. In Europe
2375-717: The Menapii , the Morini , the Nervii and the 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
2470-635: The Netherlands , but are still host to people of Flemish descent and some continued use of Flemish Dutch. Namely, these are Zeelandic Flanders and the Arrondissement of Dunkirk (historically known as French Westhoek ). The people of North Brabant also share related ancestry. There were migrations of Flemish people to medieval and early modern Poland. The Flemming noble family of Flemish origin first settled in Pomerania and modern Poland in
2565-543: The North Sea . In the coastal and Scheldt areas Saxon tribes gradually appeared. For the Romans, Saxon was a general term, and 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
2660-720: The Peace of the Ladies in 1529, although it came to be ruled under the Habsburg crown of Spain. The territories of the old county are now the only part of the late medieval French kingdom outside of modern-day France, Catalonia having been renounced in 1258. By 1795 the entire Austrian Netherlands , the successor of the Spanish Netherlands , was acquired by France under the French First Republic , and this
2755-412: The civitates . The gaue from the 7th and 8th centuries would form the basis of the county of Flanders. The pagus Tornacensis dates from c. 580 , 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
2850-419: The seal of Philip d'Alsace , count of Flanders of 1162. As of that date the use of the Flemish coat of arms ( or a lion rampant sable ) remained in use throughout the reigns of the d'Alsace, Flanders (2nd) and Dampierre dynasties of counts . The motto "Vlaanderen de Leeuw" (Flanders the lion) was allegedly present on the arms of Pieter de Coninck at the Battle of the Golden Spurs on July 11, 1302. After
2945-451: The standard language . It incorporates phonetic, lexical and grammatical elements not part of the standard language but drawn from local dialects. It is a relatively new phenomenon that has been gaining popularity during the past decades. Some linguists note that it seems to be undergoing a process of (limited) standardisation or that it is evolving into a koiné variety . Tussentaal is slowly gaining popularity in Flanders because it
Flemish people - Misplaced Pages Continue
3040-468: 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
3135-544: The "Flemish Islands". For instance, the city of Horta derives its name from Flemish explorer Josse van Huerter . Prior to the 1600s, there were several substantial waves of Flemish migration to the United Kingdom . The first wave fled to England in the early 12th century, escaping damages from a storm across the coast of Flanders, where they were largely resettled in Pembrokeshire by Henry I . They changed
3230-430: The 'cultural extremes' of both Northern and Southern culture. Alongside this overarching political and social affiliation, there also exists a strong tendency towards regionalism , in which individuals greatly identify themselves culturally through their native province , city, region or dialect they speak. Flemings speak Dutch (specifically its southern variant , which is often colloquially called ' Flemish '). It
3325-482: The 13th century with the village of Buk becoming the first estate of the family in the region. The family reached high-ranking political and military posts in Poland in the 18th century, and Polish Princess Izabela Czartoryska and statesman Adam Jerzy Czartoryski were their descendants. There are several preserved historical residences of the family in Poland. Flemish architects Anthonis van Obbergen and Willem van den Blocke migrated to Poland, where they designed
3420-615: The 1870s, when Saint Boniface proved a popular destination for work in local flour mills, brick yards and railway yards. Similarly, Flemish were drawn to smaller villages in Manitoba , where jobs in farming were available. In the early 20th century, Flemish settled in significant numbers across Ontario , particularly attracted by the tobacco-growing industry, in the towns of Chatham , Leamington , Tillsonburg , Wallaceburg , Simcoe , Sarnia and Port Hope . The original County of Flanders encompassed areas which today belong to France and
3515-487: 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
3610-448: 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. Thus, in the 8th century a different strategy was chosen. A new Christianisation attempt 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
3705-648: 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. 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
3800-574: The Dutch and Belgian regimes brought back such names, and as a consequence the two westernmost provinces of the Flanders region of modern Belgium are now called West Flanders and East Flanders . The term Flanders originally referred to the area around Bruges . It is first mentioned in the biography of Saint Eligius ( c. 590 –660), the Vita sancti Eligii . The work was written before 684 but has been known only since 725. This work mentions only
3895-810: The Habsburgs; per the terms of the treaty, Flanders would henceforth be a territory of the Holy Roman Empire. 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
Flemish people - Misplaced Pages Continue
3990-491: The Holy Roman Empire further complicated the relationship between Flanders and France, but reinforced the connections with Brabant, Hainaut, Holland and other parts of the Low Countries . The link to the empire was strengthened even more when the Burgundian Netherlands came into the hands of the imperial Habsburg dynasty in 1477. Most of Flanders became part of the empire after the Peace of Madrid in 1526 and
4085-406: 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
4180-644: 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 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
4275-855: 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 (In 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
4370-518: The acquisition of Flanders by the Burgundian dukes the lion was only used in escutcheons. It was only after the creation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that the coat of arms (surmounted by a chief bearing the Royal Arms of the Netherlands ) once again became the official symbol of the new province East Flanders . The first sizeable wave of Flemish migration to Canada occurred in
4465-558: The area during this era, who would lay their cloths out in the sun to bleach them. These waves of settlement are also evidenced by the common surnames Fleming , Flemings, Flemming and Flemmings. In the United States , the cities of De Pere and Green Bay in Wisconsin attracted many Flemish and Walloon immigrants during the 19th century. The small town of Belgique was settled almost entirely by Flemish immigrants, although
4560-431: 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
4655-447: 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)
4750-416: 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
4845-455: The counts, from the 11th century onward, held land east of the river as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire , and this is referred to as "Imperial Flanders" ( Rijks-Vlaanderen or Flandre impériale ). From 1384, the county was politically united to the Duchy of Burgundy , and it formed the starting point for more acquisitions in the area, and the eventual creation of the Burgundian Netherlands . The expansion of Flemish ("Burgundian") power deep into
SECTION 50
#17327652178904940-411: The county is spread out over: The arms of the County of Flanders were allegedly created by Philip of Alsace , count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191; a climbing or rampant black lion on a gold field. In the story about the Battle of the Golden Spurs , the arms and its corresponding battlecry Vlaendr'n den leeuw ("Flanders, the Lion") plays a crucial role in the forming of a Flemish consciousness, which
5035-453: The crisis situation by incorporating the surrounding plundered territories into the county. The counts expanded the influence of the original Flemish pagus over the years over all territories south and west of the Scheldt river , including the lordship of the Four Amts, Zeelandic Flanders , the Burgraviate of Aalst [ nl ] to the east and the County of Artois to the southwest, which remained part of Flanders until it became
5130-502: The culture and accent in south Pembrokeshire to such an extent, that it led to the area receiving the name Little England beyond Wales . Haverfordwest and Tenby consequently grew as important settlements for the Flemish settlers. In the 14th century, encouraged by King Edward III and perhaps in part due to his marriage to Philippa of Hainault , another wave of migration to England occurred when skilled cloth weavers from Flanders were granted permission to settle there and contribute to
5225-409: The definitive treaty. 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
5320-406: 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 . 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 ,
5415-401: 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,
5510-498: 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
5605-444: The imperios and the feast of the Cult of the Holy Spirit . Within Belgium, Flemings form a clearly distinguishable group set apart by their language and customs. Various cultural and linguistic customs are similar to those of the Southern part of the Netherlands. Generally, Flemings do not identify themselves as being Dutch and vice versa. There are popular stereotypes in the Netherlands as well as Flanders which are mostly based on
5700-437: The lion had been a well-known figure since Roman times, through works such as the fables of Aesop . The future county of Flanders had been inhabited since prehistory. During the Iron Age the Kemmelberg formed an important Celtic settlement. During the times 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 in specific these were
5795-420: The modern national identity and culture gradually formed. The sense of "Flemish" identity increased significantly after the Belgian Revolution . Prior to this, the term " Vlamingen " in the Dutch language was in first place used for the inhabitants of the former County of Flanders. Flemish, however, had been used since the 14th century to refer to the language and dialects of both the peoples of Flanders and
SECTION 60
#17327652178905890-426: 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
5985-515: The most northerly part of the kingdom, and were among the original twelve peers of France. For centuries, the economic activity of the Flemish cities, such as Ghent , Bruges and Ypres , made Flanders one of the most affluent regions in Europe, and also gave them strong international connections to trading partners. Up to 1477, the core area under French suzerainty was west of the Scheldt and historians call this "Royal Flanders" (Dutch: Kroon-Vlaanderen , French: Flandre royale ). Aside from this,
6080-418: 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
6175-458: 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. 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
6270-402: The only official language in public life, resulting in a Francization of the elites and, to a lesser extent, the middle classes. The Dutch king allowed the use of both Dutch and French dialects as administrative languages in the Flemish provinces. He also enacted laws to reestablish Dutch in schools. The language policy was not the only cause of the secession; the Roman Catholic majority viewed
6365-403: The place "in Flandris". A Germanic etymology for Flanders and Flemish (Dutch: Vlaanderen , Vlaams ) was proposed by Maurits Gysseling in 1948, based upon an article by René Verdeyen in 1943. According to this proposal, the terms Flanders and Flemish are likely derived from words derived from Proto-Germanic * flaumaz , meaning stream, current, flood or eddy. Based on this, it
6460-485: 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
6555-410: 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
6650-404: 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
6745-402: 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
6840-535: 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
6935-449: 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,
7030-710: 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,
7125-569: The sovereign, the Protestant William I , with suspicion and were heavily stirred by the Roman Catholic Church which suspected William of wanting to enforce Protestantism . Lastly, Belgian liberals were dissatisfied with William for his allegedly despotic behaviour. Following the revolt, the language reforms of 1823 were the first Dutch laws to be abolished and the subsequent years would see a number of laws restricting
7220-494: The standard Dutch. Basic Dutch words can have a completely different meaning in Flemish or imply different context, comparable to the differences between the British and North American variants of English . As in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the native dialect of the speaker. All Dutch dialect groups spoken in Belgium are spoken in adjacent areas of the Netherlands as well. East Flemish forms
7315-650: The territories given back by France to the Emperor, 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
7410-585: The then booming cloth and woollen industries. These migrants particularly settled in the growing Lancashire and Yorkshire textile towns of Manchester , Bolton , Blackburn , Liversedge , Bury , Halifax and Wakefield . Demand for Flemish weavers in England occurred again in both the 15th and 16th centuries, but this time particularly focused on towns close to the coastline of East Anglia and South East England . Many from this generation of weavers went to Colchester , Sandwich and Braintree . In 1582, it
7505-543: The times of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor . 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
7600-555: The universe. The official flag and coat of arms of the Flemish Community represents a black lion with red claws and tongue on a yellow field ( or a lion rampant sable armed and langued gules ). A flag with a completely black lion had been in wide use before 1991 when the current version was officially adopted by the Flemish Community. That older flag was at times recognized by government sources (alongside
7695-831: The usage of Standard Dutch. Tussentaal is used in entertainment television but rarely in informative programmes (like the news), which normally use Flemish accents with standard Dutch vocabulary. A belgicism is a word or expression that occurs only in the Belgian variant of Dutch. Some are rarely used, others are used daily and are considered part of the Belgian-Dutch standard language. Many belgicisms are loanwords and words or expressions literally translated from French (also called gallicisms ); others, in contrast, are actually remarkably purist , such as droogzwierder (a compound of Dutch droog "dry" and zwierder "spinner") meaning "spin dryer" (common standard Dutch: centrifuge ,
7790-550: The use of the Dutch language. This policy led to the gradual emergence of the Flemish Movement , that was built on earlier anti-French feelings of injustice, as expressed in writings (for example by the late 18th-century writer, Jan Verlooy ) which criticized the Southern Francophile elites. The efforts of this movement during the following 150 years, have to no small extent facilitated the creation of
7885-401: The version with red claws and tongue). Today, only the flag bearing a lion with red claws and tongue is recognized by Belgian law, while the flag with the all-black lion is mostly used by Flemish separatist movements. The Flemish authorities also use two logos of a highly stylized black lion which show the claws and tongue in either red or black. The first documented use of the Flemish lion was on
7980-521: The vocabulary and the sound inventory of the Brabantic dialects. It is often called an "in-between-language" or "intermediate language", intermediate between dialects and standard Dutch. Despite its name, Brabantian is the dominant contributor to the Flemish Dutch tussentaal . It is a rather informal variety of speech , which occupies an intermediate position between vernacular dialects and
8075-543: 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 Pagus Flandrensis (Dutch: Vlaanderengouw [ nl ] ), led by the Forestiers dynasty, who had been appointed by Charlemagne, who had made a small contribution by uniting small feudal territories in
8170-677: 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
8265-639: 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 . Flemish language Flemish ( Vlaams [vlaːms] ) is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language . It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch ( Vlaams-Nederlands ), Belgian Dutch ( Belgisch-Nederlands [ˈbɛlɣis ˈneːdərlɑnts] ), or Southern Dutch ( Zuid-Nederlands ). Flemish
8360-501: Was estimated that there could have been around 1,600 Flemish in Sandwich, today almost half of its total population. London , Norwich and North Walsham , however, were the most popular destinations, and the nickname for Norwich City F.C. fans, Canaries, is derived from the fact that many of the Norfolk weavers kept pet canaries. The town of Whitefield , near Bury, also claims to owe its name to Flemish cloth weavers that settled in
8455-565: 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. At the end of the 6th and the 7th century 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
8550-537: Was formalised in 1678 at the Treaty of Nijmegen . 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. 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
8645-400: Was instead based upon Old High German flewen and flouwen , and Old Norse flaumr . The geography of the historic County of Flanders only partially overlaps with the present-day region of Flanders in Belgium, but even there, it extends beyond the present provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders. Some of the historic county is now part of France and the Netherlands. The land covered by
8740-492: 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. 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
8835-623: 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, and 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
8930-574: Was popularised in the 19th century by the book De Leeuw van Vlaanderen by Hendrik Conscience . As a result, the arms of the county live on as arms of the Flemish community . It is said that Philip of Alsace brought the lion flag with him from the Holy Land , where, in 1177, he supposedly conquered it from a Saracen knight, but this is a myth. The simple fact that the lion appeared on his personal seal since 1163, when he had not yet taken one step in
9025-510: Was recognized by treaty in 1797. After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, these territories, including most of the old county of Flanders, passed to the newly established United Kingdom of the Netherlands , which was split up between 1830 and 1839 into the modern countries of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Although the French Republic had avoided using the names of the great medieval counties for their administrative départements,
#889110