107-573: The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep , characterised by very fine soft wool . It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages , and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the breed were not allowed, and those who tried risked capital punishment . During the eighteenth century, flocks were sent to the courts of a number of European countries, including France (where they developed into
214-696: A French attempt at annexation (1300–1302), finally defeating the French in the Battle of the Golden Spurs (11 July 1302), near Kortrijk . Two years later, the uprising was defeated and Flanders indirectly remained part of the French Crown. Flemish prosperity waned in the following century, due to widespread European population decline following the Black Death of 1348, the disruption of trade during
321-749: A Scottish businessman, had noticed wool from the Electorate of Saxony sold for much higher prices than wools from New South Wales. The family decided on sheep farming in Australia for their new business. In 1826, Eliza walked over 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through villages in Saxony and Prussia, selecting fine Saxon Merino sheep. Her sons, Andrew and William, studied sheep breeding and wool classing . The selected 100 sheep were driven (herded) to Hamburg and shipped to Hull. Thence, Eliza and her two sons walked them to Scotland for shipment to Australia. In Scotland,
428-547: A bigger territory, and this is critical to the evolution of modern terminology. Once the Counts of Flanders (who were also Dukes of Burgundy) expanded their regional power to create the bigger entity, now referred to by historians as the Burgundian Netherlands , "Flanders", along with Latin "Belgium", were the first two common names to describe this regional block. With the breakaway of the northern Netherlands in
535-671: A coalition of his party (N-VA) with Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) and Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten (Open VLD). The area of the Flemish Community is represented on the maps above, including the area of the Brussels-Capital Region (hatched on the relevant map). Roughly, the Flemish Community exercises competences originally oriented towards the individuals of the Community's language: culture (including audiovisual media), education , and
642-460: A common history after they arrived in Australia. By 1810, Australia had 33,818 sheep. John MacArthur (who had been sent back from Australia to England following a duel with Colonel Patterson) brought seven rams and one ewe from the first dispersal sale of King George III stud in 1804. The next year, MacArthur and the sheep returned to Australia, Macarthur to reunite with his wife Elizabeth , who had been developing their flock in his absence. Macarthur
749-624: A dense, fine type of Merino (spinning count between 70s and 80s) adapted to its new environment. From 1778, the Saxon breeding center was operated in the Vorwerk Rennersdorf . It was administered from 1796 by Johann Gottfried Nake, who developed scientific crossing methods to further improve the Saxon Merino. By 1802, the region had four million Saxon Merino sheep, and was becoming the centre for stud Merino breeding, and German wool
856-758: A devout Catholic and self-proclaimed protector of the Counter-Reformation , suppressed Calvinism in Flanders, Brabant and Holland (what is now approximately Belgian Limburg was part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and was Catholic de facto ). In 1566, the wave of iconoclasm known as the Beeldenstorm was a prelude to religious war between Catholics and Protestants, especially the Anabaptists. The Beeldenstorm started in what
963-717: A different species. Some sheep breeds have a hair coat and are known as haired sheep. Sorted alphabetically. Flanders Flanders ( / ˈ f l ɑː n d ər z / FLAHN -dərz or / ˈ f l æ n d ər z / FLAN -dərz ; Dutch : Vlaanderen [ˈvlaːndərə(n)] ) is the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium . However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, language, politics, and history, and sometimes involving neighbouring countries. The demonym associated with Flanders
1070-508: A fine wool breed from southern Italy in Roman times. Genetic studies have shown that the Merino breed most probably developed by the crossing of churro ewes with a variety of rams of other breeds at different periods, including Italian rams in Roman times, North African rams in the medieval period, and English rams from fine-wool breeds in the 15th century. Although Spain exported wool to England,
1177-406: A flock of Camden-blood ewes mated to Tasmanian rams. To broaden the wool and give the animals some size, it is thought some English Leicester blood was introduced. The resultant sheep were the foundation of many South Australian strong wool studs. His brother Alexander Borthwick Murray was also a highly successful breeder of Merino sheep. The Peppin brothers took a different approach to producing
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#17327657400661284-566: A hardier, longer-stapled, broader wool sheep. After purchasing Wanganella Station in the Riverina , they selected 200 station-bred ewes that thrived under local conditions and purchased 100 South Australian ewes bred at Cannally that were sired by an imported Rambouillet ram. The Peppin brothers mainly used Saxon and Rambouillet rams, importing four Rambouillet rams in 1860. One of these, Emperor, cut an 11.4 lb (5.1 kg clean) wool clip. They ran some Lincoln ewes, but their introduction into
1391-470: A private sheep farm in Kleindrebnitz in 1811, but ironically after the success of his sheep export to Australia and Russia, failed with his own undertaking. Merino sheep were introduced to Vermont in 1812. This ultimately resulted in a boom-bust cycle for wool, which reached a price of 57 cents/pound in 1835. By 1837, 1,000,000 sheep were in the state. The price of wool dropped to 25 cents/pound in
1498-584: A ram was A$ 450,000 for JC&S Lustre 53, which sold at the 1988 Merino ram sale at Adelaide, South Australia . In 2008, an Australian Merino ewe was sold for A$ 14,000 at the Sheep Show and auction held at Dubbo , New South Wales . The New England Merino Field Days, which display local studs, wool, and sheep, are held during January in even numbered years in and around the Walcha, New South Wales district. The Annual Wool Fashion Awards, which showcase
1605-500: A series of state reforms . In practice, the Flemish Community and Region together form a single body, with its own parliament and government , as the Community legally absorbed the competences of the Region. The parliament is a directly elected legislative body composed of 124 representatives. The government consists of up to 11 members and is presided by a Minister-President , currently Geert Bourgeois ( New Flemish Alliance ) leading
1712-546: A substantial decline in the numbers of several European Merino breeds, which are now considered to be endangered breeds and are no longer the subject of genetic improvement. In Spain, there are now two populations, the commercial Merino flocks, most common in the province of Extremadura and an "historical" Spanish Merino strain, developed and conserved in a breeding centre near Cordoba . The commercial Merino flocks show considerable genetic diversity, probably because of their cross-breeding with non-Spanish Merino-derived breeds since
1819-499: A term for the language Dutch, and during the 19th and 20th centuries, it became increasingly common to refer exclusively to the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium as "Flanders". Belgium divided itself into official French- and Dutch-speaking parts starting in the early '60s. Today Flanders extends over the northern part of Belgium, including not only the Dutch-speaking Belgian parts of the medieval Duchy of Brabant , which
1926-550: A virtual monopoly in fine wool exports in the final decades of the 15th century and in the 16th century, creating a substantial source of income for Castile . In part, this was because most English wool was woven and made into textile goods within England by the 16th century, rather than being exported. Many of the Castillian Merino flocks were owned by nobility or the church, although Alfonso X realised that granting
2033-419: A year because their wool does not stop growing. If this is neglected, the overabundance of wool can cause heat stress, mobility issues, and even blindness. Merino wool is fine and soft. Staples are commonly 65–100 mm (2.6–3.9 in) long. A Saxon Merino produces 3–6 kg (6.6–13.2 lb) of greasy wool a year, while a good quality Peppin Merino ram produces up to 18 kg (40 lb). Merino wool
2140-652: Is Fleming , while the corresponding adjective is Flemish , which can also refer to the collective of Dutch dialects spoken in that area, or more generally the Belgian variant of Standard Dutch. Most Flemings live within the Flemish Region , which is a federal state within Belgium with its own elected government. However, like Belgium itself, the official capital of Flanders is the City of Brussels , which lies within
2247-569: Is Dutch. The area of today's Flanders has figured prominently in European history since the Middle Ages . The original County of Flanders stretched around AD 900 from the Strait of Dover to the Scheldt estuary and expanded from there. This county also still corresponds roughly with the modern-day Belgian provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders, along with neighbouring parts of France and
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#17327657400662354-475: Is an excellent forager and very adaptable. It is bred predominantly for its wool, and its carcass size is generally smaller than that of sheep bred for meat. South African Meat Merino (SAMM), American Rambouillet and German Merinofleischschaf have been bred to balance wool production and carcass quality. Merino has been domesticated and bred in ways that would not allow them to survive well without regular shearing by their owners. They must be shorn at least once
2461-548: Is an officially bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. Flanders also has exclaves of its own: Voeren in the east is between Wallonia and the Netherlands and Baarle-Hertog in the north consists of 22 exclaves surrounded by the Netherlands. Not including Brussels, there are five present-day Flemish provinces : Antwerp , East Flanders , Flemish Brabant , Limburg and West Flanders . The official language
2568-757: Is considered the father of the Australian Merino industry; in the long term, however, his sheep had very little influence on the development of the Australian Merino. Macarthur pioneered the introduction of Saxon Merinos with importation from the Electoral flock in 1812. The first Australian wool boom occurred in 1813, when the Great Dividing Range was crossed. During the 1820s, interest in Merino sheep increased. MacArthur showed and sold 39 rams in October 1820, grossing £510/16/5. In 1823, at
2675-533: Is disputed. Two suggested origins for the Spanish word merino are given in: The three theories of the origins of the Merino breed in Spain are: the importation of North African flocks in the 12th century; its origin and improvement in Extremadura in the 12th and 13th centuries; the selective crossbreeding of Spanish ewes with imported rams at several different periods, so that its characteristic fine wool
2782-474: Is generally less than 24 micron (μm) in diameter. Basic Merino types include: strong (broad) wool (23 - 24.5 μm), medium wool (21 - 22.9 μm), fine (18.6 - 20.9 μm), superfine (15 – 18.5 μm) and ultra-fine (11.5 - 15 μm). List of sheep breeds This is a list of breeds of domestic sheep . Domestic sheep ( Ovis aries ) are partially derived from mouflon ( Ovis gmelini ) stock, and have diverged sufficiently to be considered
2889-465: Is no definite evidence that the Marinids did bring extensive flocks to Spain. As the Marinids arrived as an intervening military force, they were hardly in a position to protect extensive flocks and practice selective breeding. The third theory, that the Merino breed was created in Spain over several centuries with a strong Spanish heritage, rather than simply being an existing North African strain that
2996-570: Is no record of extensive transhumance before the caliphate's fall in the 1030s. The Marinids, when a nomadic Zenata Berber tribe, held extensive sheep flocks in what is now Morocco, and its leaders who formed the Marinid Sultanate militarily intervened in southern Spain, supporting the Emirate of Granada several times in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Although they may possibly have brought new breeds of sheep into Spain, there
3103-624: Is now French Flanders , with open-air sermons ( Dutch : hagepreken ) that spread through the Low Countries, first to Antwerp and Ghent, and from there further east and north. Subsequently, Philip II of Spain sent the Duke of Alba to the Provinces to repress the revolt. Alba recaptured the southern part of the Provinces, who signed the Union of Atrecht , which meant that they would accept
3210-691: Is remembered by Flemish organizations during the yearly Yser pilgrimage in Diksmuide at the monument of the Yser Tower . During the interbellum and World War II , several right-wing fascist and/or national-socialistic parties emerged in Belgium. Since these parties were promised more rights for the Flemings by the German government during World War II, many of them collaborated with the Nazi regime. After
3317-752: The Alps by 1560. Antwerp was the richest city in Europe at this time. According to Luc-Normand Tellier "It is estimated that the port of Antwerp was earning the Spanish crown seven times more revenues than the Americas ." Meanwhile, Protestantism had reached the Low Countries. Among the wealthy traders of Antwerp, the Lutheran beliefs of the German Hanseatic traders found appeal, perhaps partly for economic reasons. The spread of Protestantism in this city
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3424-597: The Australian Merino , Booroola Merino and Peppin Merino in Oceania, and the Gentile di Puglia , Merinolandschaf and Rambouillet in Europe. The Australian Poll Merino is a polled (hornless) variant. Rams of other Merino breeds have long, spiral horns which grow close to the head, while ewes are usually hornless. The name merino was not documented in Spain until the early 15th century, and its origin
3531-633: The Brussels-Capital Region , not the Flemish Region, and the majority of residents there are French speaking. The powers of the Flemish Government in Brussels are limited mainly to Flemish culture and education. Geographically, Flanders is mainly flat, and incorporates the whole coast of Belgium on the North Sea . It borders the French department of Nord to the south-west near the coast,
3638-618: The Catholic University of Leuven . As a result, several state reforms took place in the second half of the 20th century, which transformed the unitary Belgium into a federal state with communities, regions and language areas . This resulted also in the establishment of a Flemish Parliament and Government . During the 1970s, all major political parties split into a Dutch and French-speaking party. Several Flemish parties still advocate for more Flemish autonomy, some even for Flemish independence (see Partition of Belgium ), whereas
3745-469: The Low Countries and Italy in the 13th and 14th centuries, it was only used to make cheap cloth. The earliest evidence of fine Spanish wool exports was to Italy in the 1390s and Flanders in the 1420s, although in both cases fine English wool was preferred. Spain became noted for its fine wool ( spinning count between 60s and 64s) in the late 15th century, and by the mid-16th century its Merino wool
3852-572: The Mesta was never simply a combination of large owners. The transhumant sheep grazed the southern Spanish plains in winter and the northern highlands in summer. The annual migrations to and from Castile and León, where the sheep were owned and where they had summer pasturage, was organised and controlled by the Mesta along designated sheep-walks, or cañadas reales and arranged for suitable grazing, water and rest stops in these routes, and for shearing when
3959-651: The Provisional Government (Dutch: Voorlopig Bewind ) proclaimed its independence, which was later confirmed by the National Congress that issued a new Liberal Constitution and declared the new state a Constitutional Monarchy , under the House of Saxe-Coburg . Flanders now became part of the Kingdom of Belgium, which was recognized by the major European Powers on 20 January 1831. The cessation
4066-650: The Rambouillet ), Hungary, the Netherlands, Prussia , Saxony and Sweden. The Merino subsequently spread to many parts of the world, including South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. They are presently common in South Africa. Numerous recognised breeds, strains and variants have developed from the original type; these include, among others, the American Merino and Delaine Merino in the Americas,
4173-541: The Roman empire the whole of Gallia Belgica became an administrative province. The future counties of Flanders and Brabant remained part of this province connected to what is now France, but in the east modern Limburg became part of the Rhine frontier province of Germania Inferior connected to what is now the Netherlands and Germany. Gallia Belgica and Germania Inferior were the two most northerly continental provinces of
4280-773: The Roman empire . In the future county of Flanders, the main Belgic tribe in early Roman times was the Menapii , but also on the coast were the Marsacii and Morini . In the central part of modern Belgium were the Nervii , whose territory corresponded to medieval Brabant as well as French-speaking Hainaut. In the east was the large district of the Tungri which covered both French- and Dutch-speaking parts of eastern Belgium. The Tungri were understood to have links to Germanic tribes east of
4387-464: The Westerscheldt river delta, was left with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which was allowed to levy a toll on all traffic to Antwerp harbour until 1863. In 1873, Dutch became an official language in public secondary schools. In 1898, Dutch and French were declared equal languages in laws and Royal orders. In 1930, the first Flemish university was opened. The first official translation of
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4494-571: The early modern period , the term Flanders continued to be associated with the whole southern part of the Low Countries —the Southern , Spanish or Austrian Netherlands , which were the successors of the Burgundian state, and also predecessors of modern Belgium. The restriction of the term Flanders to the Germanic speaking part of the population occurred later. The term "Flemish" came to be
4601-578: The wool of neighbouring lands into cloth for both domestic use and export. As a consequence, a sophisticated culture developed, with impressive art and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. Ghent, Bruges, Ypres and the Franc of Bruges formed the Four Members , a form of parliament that exercised considerable power in Flanders. Increasingly powerful from the 12th century, the territory's autonomous urban communes were instrumental in defeating
4708-403: The 14th century, similar non-Merino wools were exported from the northern Castilian ports of San Sebastián , Santander , and Bilbao to England and the Low Countries to make coarse, cheap cloth. The quality of Spanish wools exported increased markedly in the late 15th century, as did their price, promoted by the efforts of the monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to improve quality. Spain built up
4815-433: The 1960s, to create a strain more suitable for meat production. The historical Spanish strain, bred from animals selected from the main traditional Spanish genetic lines to ensure the conservation of a purebred lineage, exhibits signs of inbreeding. Before the 18th century, the export of Merinos from Spain was a crime punishable by death. In the 18th century, small exportation of Merinos from Spain and local sheep were used as
4922-615: The Anglo-French Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), and increased English cloth production. Flemish weavers had gone over to Worstead and North Walsham in Norfolk in the 12th century and established the woolen industry. The County of Flanders started to take control of the neighbouring County of Brabant during the life of Louis II, Count of Flanders (1330–1384), who fought his sister-in-law Joanna, Duchess of Brabant for control of it. The entire area, straddling
5029-402: The Belgian constitution in Dutch was not published until 1967. Flanders (and Belgium as a whole) saw some of the greatest loss of life on the Western Front of the First World War , in particular from the three battles of Ypres . The war strengthened Flemish identity and consciousness. The occupying German authorities took several Flemish-friendly measures. The resulting suffering of the war
5136-470: The Diplomatic Corps importing at least 3,500 sheep between 1809 and 1811 through Portugal. The Napoleonic Wars (1793–1813) almost destroyed the Spanish Merino industry. The old cabañas or flocks were dispersed or slaughtered. From 1810 onwards, the Merino scene shifted to Germany, the United States and Australia. Saxony lifted the export ban on living Merinos after the Napoleonic wars. Highly decorated Saxon sheep breeder Nake from Rennersdorf had established
5243-466: The Dutch provinces of Zeeland , North Brabant and Limburg to the north and east, and the Walloon provinces of Hainaut , Walloon Brabant and Liège to the south. Despite accounting for only 45% of Belgium's territory, more than half the population lives there – 6,821,770 (or 58%) out of 11,763,650 Belgian inhabitants, as of January 2024. Much of Flanders is agriculturally fertile and densely populated at 501/km (1,300/sq mi). The Brussels Region
5350-403: The Dutch-speaking community in the Brussels Region, grey on the map for it is not a part of the Flemish Region). Roughly, the Flemish Region is responsible for territorial issues in a broad sense, including economy, employment, agriculture, water policy, housing, public works, energy, transport, the environment, town and country planning, nature conservation, credit, and foreign trade. It supervises
5457-426: The Flemish Region does not. The term "Flanders" has several main modern meanings: The name originally applied to the ancien régime territory called the County of Flanders , that existed from the 8th century (Latin Flandria ) until its absorption by the French First Republic . Until the 1600s, this county also extended over parts of what are now France and the Netherlands. However, the term came to be used for
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#17327657400665564-408: The Flemish Region must be mainly in the Dutch language. In Brussels, teaching is also done in French. When Julius Caesar conquered the area he described it as the less economically developed and more warlike part of Gallia Belgica . His informants told him that especially in the east, the tribes claimed ancestral connections and kinship with the "Germanic" peoples then east of the Rhine . Under
5671-418: The French speaking majority. This ultimately gave way to a rising feeling of cultural autonomy and even a sense of a nationalism. After World War II, the differences between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking Belgians became clear in a number of conflicts, such as the Royal Question , the question whether King Leopold III should return (which most Flemings supported but Walloons did not) and the use of Dutch in
5778-461: The French-speakers would like to keep the current state as it is. Recent governments (such as Verhofstadt I Government ) have transferred certain federal competences to the regional governments. On 13 December 2006, a spoof news broadcast by the Belgian Francophone public broadcasting station RTBF announced that Flanders had decided to declare independence from Belgium. The 2007 federal elections showed more support for Flemish autonomy, marking
5885-424: The Low Countries as the Seventeen Provinces (or Spanish Netherlands in its broad sense) as an entity separate from the Holy Roman Empire and from France. In 1556 Charles V abdicated due to ill health (he suffered from crippling gout ). Spain and the Seventeen Provinces went to his son, Philip II of Spain . Over the first half of the 16th century Antwerp grew to become the second-largest European city north of
5992-403: The Netherlands. In this period, cities such as Ghent and Bruges of the historic County of Flanders, and later Antwerp of the Duchy of Brabant made it one of the richest and most urbanised parts of Europe, trading, and weaving the wool of neighbouring lands into cloth for both domestic use and export. As a consequence, a very sophisticated culture developed, with impressive achievements in
6099-399: The Rhine. Another notable group were the Toxandrians who appear to have lived in the Kempen region, in the northern parts of both the Nervian and Tungrian districts, probably stretching into the modern Netherlands. The Roman administrative districts ( civitates ) of the Menapii, Nervii and Tungri therefore corresponded roughly with the medieval counties of Flanders, Brabant and Loon , and
6206-473: The Roman populations of northern France and the Frankish populations beyond the forest areas. The County of Flanders was a feudal fief in West Francia . The first certain Count in the comital family, Baldwin I of Flanders , is first reported in a document of 862, when he eloped with a daughter of his king Charles the Bald . The region developed as a medieval economic power with a large degree of political autonomy. While its trading cities remained strong, it
6313-471: The Silva Carbonaria, and eventually pushed through it under Chlodio . They had kings in each Roman district ( civitas ). In the meantime, the Franks contributed to the Roman military. The first Merovingian king Childeric I was king of the Franks within the military of Gaul. He became leader of the administration of Belgica Secunda , which included the civitas of the Menapii (the future county of Flanders). From there, his son Clovis I managed to conquer both
6420-407: The Southern Netherlands since King Philip II of Spain left them in 1559. In 1794, the French Republican Army started using Antwerp as the northernmost naval port of France. The following year, France officially annexed Flanders as the départements of Lys , Escaut , Deux-Nèthes , Meuse-Inférieure and Dyle . Obligatory (French) army service for all men aged 16–25 years was a main reason for
6527-423: The Spanish government on condition of more freedom. But the northern part of the provinces signed the Union of Utrecht and settled in 1581 the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands . Spanish troops quickly started fighting the rebels, and the Spanish armies conquered the important trading cities of Bruges and Ghent. Antwerp, which was then the most important port in the world, also had to be conquered. But before
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#17327657400666634-457: The United Kingdom of the Netherlands . William I started rapid industrialisation of the southern parts of the Kingdom. But the political system failed to forge a true union between the north and south. Most of the southern bourgeoisie was Roman Catholic and French-speaking, while the north was mainly Protestant and Dutch-speaking. In 1815, the Dutch Senate was reinstated (Dutch: Eerste Kamer der Staaten Generaal ). The nobility, mainly coming from
6741-530: The ancient boundary of France and the Holy Roman Empire, later passed to Philip the Bold in 1384, the Duke of Burgundy , with his capital in Brussels . The titles were eventually more clearly united under his grandson Philip the Good (1396 – 1467). This large Duchy passed in 1477 to the Habsburg dynasty, and in 1556 to the kings of Spain. Western and southern districts of Flanders were confirmed under French rule under successive treaties of 1659 (Artois), 1668 and 1678 . The County of Loon, approximately
6848-414: The arts and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy . Belgium was one of the centres of the 19th-century Industrial Revolution , but this occurred mainly in French-speaking Wallonia. In the second half of the 20th century, and due to massive national investments in port infrastructure, Flanders' economy modernised rapidly, and today Flanders and Brussels are much wealthier than Wallonia, being among
6955-430: The clear winners in Flanders, and N-VA became even the largest party in Flanders and Belgium during the 2010 federal elections , followed by the longest-ever government formation after which the Di Rupo I Government was formed excluding N-VA. Eight parties agreed on a sixth state reform which aim to solve the disputes between Flemings and French-speakers. However, the 2012 provincial and municipal elections continued
7062-426: The corresponding official institution, the Flemish Community ), or the geographical area, one of the three institutional regions in Belgium, namely the Flemish Region . In the history of art and other fields, the adjectives Flemish and Netherlandish are commonly used to designate all the artistic production in this area before about 1580, after which it refers specifically to the southern Netherlands. For example,
7169-399: The destruction of the Rambouillet line in the U.S. As of 1989, an estimated 50% of the sheep on the U.S. western ranges are of Rambouillet blood. The federation drought (1901–1903) reduced the number of Australian sheep from 72 to 53 million and ended the Vermont era. The Peppin and Murray blood strain became dominant in the pastoral and wheat zones of Australia. The world record price for
7276-410: The effects of industrial stagnation and Spanish-Dutch and Franco-Austrian conflict. The Southern Netherlands suffered severely under the Franco-Dutch War , Nine Years' War and War of the Spanish Succession . But under the reign of Empress Maria-Theresia, these lands again flourished economically. Influenced by the Enlightenment , the Austrian Emperor Joseph II was the first sovereign who had been in
7383-451: The finest English wools, which were in increasingly short supply at that time. Preserved medieval woollen fabrics from the Low Countries show that, before the 16th century, only the best quality English wools had a fineness of staple comparable to modern Merino wool. The wide range of Spanish wools produced in the 13th and early 14th centuries were mostly used domestically for cheap, coarse and light fabrics, and were not Merino wools. Later in
7490-420: The first sheep show held in Australia, a gold medal was awarded to W. Riley ( 'Raby' ) for importing the most Saxons; W. Riley also imported cashmere goats into Australia. Two of Eliza Furlong 's (sometimes spelt Forlong or Forlonge) children had died from consumption , and she was determined to protect her surviving two sons by living in a warm climate and finding them outdoor occupations. Her husband John,
7597-421: The fleece weight was high, but the clean yield low, the greater grease content increased the risk of fly strike , they had lower uneven wool quality, and lower lambing percentages. Their introduction had a devastating effect on many famous fine-wool studs. In 1889, while Australian studs were being devastated by the imported Vermont rams, several U.S. Merino breeders formed the Rambouillet Association to prevent
7704-509: The flock is undocumented. In 1865, George Merriman founded the fine wool Merino Ravensworth Stud, part of which is the Merryville Stud at Yass, New South Wales . His son, Sir Walter Merriman , incorporated Peppin bloodlines into his breeding program. In the 1880s, Vermont rams were imported into Australia from the U.S.; since many Australian stud men believed these sheep would improve wool cuts, their use spread rapidly. Unfortunately,
7811-632: The flocks started their return north. The three Merino strains that founded the world's Merino flocks are the Royal Escurial flocks, the Negretti and the Paula. Among Merino bloodlines stemming from Vermont in the US, three historical studs were highly important: Infantado, Montarcos and Aguires. In recent times, Merino and breeds deriving from Merino stocks have spread worldwide. However, there has been
7918-498: The foundation of Merino flocks in other countries. In 1723, some were exported to Sweden, but the first major consignment of Escurials was sent by Charles III of Spain to his cousin, Prince Xavier the Elector of Saxony , in 1765. Further exportation of Escurials to Saxony occurred in 1774, to Hungary in 1775 and to Prussia in 1786. Later in 1786, Louis XVI of France received 366 sheep selected from 10 different cañadas; these founded
8025-851: The late 1840s. The state could not withstand more efficient competition from the other states, and sheep-raising in Vermont collapsed. Many sheep farmers from Vermont migrated with their flocks to other parts of the United States. About 70 native sheep, suitable only for mutton , survived the journey to Australia with the First Fleet , which arrived in late January 1788. A few months later, the flock had dwindled to just 28 ewes and one lamb. In 1797, Governor King, Colonel Patterson, Captain Waterhouse and Kent purchased sheep in Cape Town from
8132-767: The modern Flemish province of Limburg, remained independent of France, forming a part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège until the French Revolution, but surrounded by the Burgundians, and under their influence. In 1500, Charles V was born in Ghent . He inherited the Seventeen Provinces (1506), Spain (1516) with its colonies and in 1519 was elected Holy Roman Emperor . Charles V issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 , which established
8239-585: The modern Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders (Menapii), Brabant and Antwerp (the northern Nervii), and Belgian Limburg (part of the Tungri). Brabant appears to have been separated from the Tungri by a relatively unpopulated forest area, the Silva Carbonaria , forming a natural boundary between northeast and southwest Belgium. Linguistically, the tribes in this area were under Celtic influence in
8346-535: The new Australia Company, which was established in Britain, bought the first shipment, so Eliza repeated the journey twice more. Each time, she gathered a flock for her sons. The sons were sent to New South Wales, but were persuaded to stop in Tasmania with the sheep, where Eliza and her husband joined them. The Age in 1908 described Eliza Furlong as someone who had 'notably stimulated and largely helped to mould
8453-526: The prosperity of an entire state and her name deserved to live for all time in our history' (reprinted Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser 27 January 1989). There were nearly 2 million sheep in Australia by 1830, and by 1836, Australia had won the wool trade war with Germany, mainly because of Germany's preoccupation with fineness. German manufacturers commenced importing Australian wool in 1845. In 1841, at Mount Crawford in South Australia, Murray established
8560-773: The provinces, municipalities, and intercommunal utility companies. The number of Dutch-speaking Flemish people in the Capital Region is estimated to be between 11% and 15% (official figures do not exist as there is no language census and no official subnationality). According to a survey conducted by the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in Louvain-la-Neuve and published in June 2006, 51% of respondents from Brussels claimed to be bilingual, even if they do not have Dutch as their first language. They are governed by
8667-597: The revolt was defeated, a war between Spain and England broke out, forcing Spanish troops to halt their advance. On 17 August 1585, Antwerp fell. This ended the Eighty Years' War for the (from now on) Southern Netherlands . The United Provinces (the Northern Netherlands) fought on until 1648 – the Peace of Westphalia . During the war with England, the rebels from the north, strengthened by refugees from
8774-553: The river Scheldt , effectively cutting Antwerp off from its trade routes. The fall of Antwerp to the Spanish and the closing of the Scheldt caused considerable emigration. Many Calvinist merchants of Antwerp and other Flemish cities left Flanders and migrated north. Many of them settled in Amsterdam , which was a smaller port, important only in the Baltic trade . The Flemish exiles helped to rapidly transform Amsterdam into one of
8881-704: The royal flock at Kew. In 1808, 2000 Paulas were imported. The King of Spain also gave some Escurials to the Dutch government in 1790; these thrived in the Dutch Cape Colony (South Africa). In 1788, John MacArthur, from the Clan Arthur (or MacArthur Clan) introduced Merinos to Australia from South Africa. From 1765, the Germans in Saxony crossed the Spanish Merino with the Saxon sheep to develop
8988-530: The size and wool-type of the French sheep. Through one ram in particular named Emperor – imported to Australia in 1860 by the Peppin brothers of Wanganella, New South Wales – the Rambouillet stud had an enormous influence on the development of the Australian Merino. Sir Joseph Banks procured two rams and four ewes in 1787 by way of Portugal, and in 1792 purchased 40 Negrettis for King George III to found
9095-480: The south, and Germanic influence in the east, but there is disagreement about what languages were spoken locally (apart from Vulgar Latin ), and there may even have been an intermediate " Nordwestblock " language related to both. By the first century AD, Germanic languages appear to have become prevalent in the area of the Tungri. As Roman influence waned, Frankish populations settled in the Tungiran area east of
9202-692: The south, became more and more estranged from their northern colleagues. Resentment grew between the Roman Catholics from the south and the Protestants from the north, and also between the powerful liberal bourgeoisie from the south and their more moderate colleagues from the north. On 25 August 1830 (after the showing of the opera ' La Muette de Portici ' of Daniel Auber in Brussels) the Belgian Revolution sparked. On 4 October 1830,
9309-627: The south, started a campaign to reclaim areas lost to Philip II 's Spanish troops. They conquered a considerable part of Brabant (the later North Brabant of the Netherlands), and the south bank of the Scheldt estuary ( Zeelandic Flanders ), before being stopped by Spanish troops. The front at the end of this war stabilized and became the border between present-day Belgium and the Netherlands. The Dutch (as they later became known) had managed to reclaim enough of Spanish-controlled Flanders to close off
9416-501: The start of the 2007–2011 Belgian political crisis . All the political parties that advocated a significant increase of Flemish autonomy gained votes as well as seats in the Belgian federal parliament . This was especially the case for Christian Democratic and Flemish and New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) (who had participated on a shared electoral list ). The trend continued during the 2009 regional elections , where CD&V and N-VA were
9523-613: The stud at the Royal Farm at Rambouillet . In addition to the fine wool breeds mentioned, other breeds derived from Merino stocks were developed to produce mutton, including the French Ile de France and Berrichon du Cher breeds. Merino sheep were also sent to Eastern Europe where their breeding began in Hungary in 1774 The Rambouillet stud enjoyed some undisclosed genetic development with some English long-wool genes contributing to
9630-822: The term "Flemish Primitives", now outdated in English but used in French, Dutch and other languages, is a synonym for " Early Netherlandish painting ", and it is not uncommon to see Mosan art categorized as Flemish art. In music the Franco-Flemish School is also known as the Dutch School . Within this Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, French has never ceased to be spoken by some citizens, and Jewish groups have been speaking Yiddish in Antwerp for centuries. Regardless of nationality or linguistic background, according to Belgian Law education in schools located in
9737-548: The trend of N-VA becoming the biggest party in Flanders. However, sociological studies show no parallel between the rise of nationalist parties and popular support for their agenda. Instead, a recent study revealed a majority in favour of returning regional competences to the federal level. Both the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region are constitutional institutions of the Kingdom of Belgium, exercising certain powers within their jurisdiction, granted following
9844-907: The uprising against the French in 1798, known as the Boerenkrijg ( Peasants' War ), with the heaviest fighting in the Campine area. After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Brabant , the Congress of Vienna (1815) gave sovereignty over the Austrian Netherlands – Belgium minus the East Cantons and Luxembourg – to the United Netherlands (Dutch: Verenigde Nederlanden ) under Prince William I of Orange Nassau, making him William I of
9951-525: The urban elites of the towns of Old Castile and León transhumant rights would create an additional source of royal income and counteract the power of the privileged orders. During the late 15th, 16th and early 17th century, two-thirds of the sheep migrating annually were held in flocks of less than 100 sheep and very few flocks exceeded 1,000 sheep. By the 18th century, there were fewer small owners, and several owners held flocks of more than 20,000 sheep, but owners of small to moderately-sized flocks remained, and
10058-881: The use of Merino wool by fashion designers, are hosted by the city of Armidale, New South Wales in March each year. In Australia, mulesing of Merino sheep is a common practice to reduce the incidence of flystrike . It has been attacked by animal rights and animal welfare activists, with PETA running a campaign against the practice in 2004. The PETA campaign targeted U.S. consumers by using graphic billboards in New York City. PETA threatened U.S. manufacturers with television advertisements showing their companies' support of mulesing. Fashion retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch Co. , Gap Inc and Nordstrom and George (UK) stopped stocking Australian Merino wool products. New Zealand banned mulesing on 1 October 2018. Merino
10165-405: The use of the language. Extensions to personal matters less directly associated with language comprise sports, health policy (curative and preventive medicine), and assistance to individuals (protection of youth, social welfare, aid to families, immigrant assistance services, etc.) The area of the Flemish Region is represented on the maps above. It has a population of more than 6 million (excluding
10272-430: The war, collaborators (or people who were Zwart , "Black" during the war) were prosecuted and punished, among them many Flemish nationalists whose main political goal had been the emancipation of Flanders. As a result, until today Flemish nationalism is often associated with right-wing. Flemish nationalism is however a direct consequence of the events of the years prior to the first World War, in which many were oppressed by
10379-403: The wealthiest regions in Europe and the world. In accordance with late 20th century Belgian state reforms , Flanders was made into two political entities: the Flemish Region (Dutch: Vlaams Gewest ) and the Flemish Community (Dutch: Vlaamse Gemeenschap ). These entities were merged, although geographically the Flemish Community, which has a broader cultural mandate, covers Brussels, whereas
10486-677: The widow of Colonel Gordon, commander of the Dutch garrison. When Waterhouse landed in Sydney, he sold his sheep to Captain John MacArthur , Samuel Marsden and Captain William Cox . Although the early origin of the Australian Merino breed involved different stocks from Cape Colony, England, Saxony, France and America and although different Merino strains are bred in Australia, the Australian Merino populations are genetically similar and distinct from all other Merino populations, indicating
10593-844: The world's most important ports. This is why the exodus is sometimes described as " creating a new Antwerp ". Flanders and Brabant, went into a period of relative decline from the time of the Thirty Years' War . In the Northern Netherlands, the mass emigration from Flanders and Brabant became an important driving force behind the Dutch Golden Age . Although arts remained relatively impressive for another century with Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) and Anthony van Dyck , Flanders lost its former economic and intellectual power under Spanish, Austrian, and French rule. Heavy taxation and rigid imperial political control compounded
10700-514: Was acknowledged to equal that of the finest English wools. The earliest documentary evidence for Merino wools in Italy dates to the 1400s, and in the 1420s and 1430s, Merino wools were being mixed with fine English wool in some towns in the Low Countries to produce high quality cloth. However, it was only in the mid-16th century that the most expensive grades of cloth could be made entirely from Merino wool, after its quality had improved to equal that of
10807-540: Was aided by the presence of an Augustinian cloister (founded 1514) in the St. Andries quarter. Luther, an Augustinian himself, had taught some of the monks, and his works were in print by 1518. The first Lutheran martyrs came from Antwerp. The Reformation resulted in consecutive but overlapping waves of reform: a Lutheran, followed by a militant Anabaptist , then a Mennonite , and finally a Calvinistic movement. These movements existed independently of each other. Philip II ,
10914-433: Was considered to be the finest in the world. In 1802, Colonel David Humphreys , United States Ambassador to Spain, introduced the Vermont strain into North America with an importation of 21 rams and 70 ewes from Portugal and a further importation of 100 Infantado Merinos in 1808. The British embargo on wool and wool clothing exports to the U.S. before the 1812 British/U.S. war led to a "Merino Craze", with William Jarvis of
11021-502: Was imported in the 12th century, is supported both by recent genetic studies and the absence of definitive Merino wool before the 15th century. The predominant native sheep breed in Spain from pre-Roman times was the churro , a homogeneous group closely related to European sheep types north of the Pyrenees and bred mainly for meat and milk, with coarse, coloured wool. Churro wool had little value, except where its ewes had been crossed with
11128-493: Was not fully developed until the 15th century or even later. The first theory accepts that the breed was improved by later importation of North African rams and the second accepts an initial stock of North African sheep related to types from Asia Minor , and both claim an early date and largely North African origin for the Merino breed. Sheep were relatively unimportant in the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba , and there
11235-653: Was recognized by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands on 19 April 1839. In 1830, the Belgian Revolution led to the splitting up of the two countries. Belgium was confirmed as an independent state by the Treaty of London of 1839, but deprived of the eastern half of Limburg (now Dutch Limburg), and the Eastern half of Luxembourg (now the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg). Sovereignty over Zeelandic Flanders , south of
11342-513: Was united with Flanders since the Middle Ages, but also Belgian Limburg , which corresponds closely to the medieval County of Loon , and was never under Burgundian control. The ambiguity between this wider cultural area and that of the county or province still remains in discussions about the region. In most present-day contexts however, the term Flanders is taken to refer to either the political, social, cultural, and linguistic community (and
11449-409: Was weakened and divided when districts fell under direct French royal rule in the late 12th century. The remaining parts of Flanders came under the rule of the counts of neighbouring imperial Hainaut under Baldwin V of Hainaut in 1191. During the late Middle Ages , Flanders's trading towns (notably Ghent , Bruges and Ypres ) made it one of the richest and most urbanized parts of Europe, weaving
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