The Royal Waggon Train was the name originally given to the Supply and Transport branch of the British Armed Forces , which would eventually become the Royal Logistic Corps .
68-659: In 1793, Revolutionary French Forces invaded the Low Countries and declared war on Britain. Existing military plans relied on local men to provide supplies and transport for the British Army overseas, which proved to be inadequate. Therefore, the first uniformed Transport Corps, named the Royal Waggoners, was created on 7 March 1794. One year later, after British forces withdrew from the Low Countries,
136-543: A "Mounted Corps" after the 29th Dragoons . Due to the success of Abercrombie's expedition, the Royal Wagon Train of five Squadrons was reinforced by a further seven Squadrons/troops and Hamilton was promoted to Major General. The train was required because civilian transport was controlled by the Treasury rather than the military, which did not always suit the army's requirements. It was more sophisticated than
204-605: A Driver of the Royal Waggon Train distinguished himself by driving an ammunition cart through the French lines to resupply the troops despite his horses receiving wounds. The French attack in the immediate vicinity of the farm was repulsed by the arrival of the 2nd battalion Coldstream Guards and 2/3rd Foot Guards. Fighting continued around Hougoumont all afternoon with its surroundings heavily invested with French light infantry and coordinated cavalry attacks sent against
272-402: A conquest of the Low Countries with the shortest possible notice, to forestall the French, and prevent Allied air power from threatening the strategic Ruhr Area of Germany. It would also provide the basis for a long-term air and sea campaign against Britain. As much as possible of the border areas in northern France should be occupied. Germany's Blitzkrieg tactics rapidly overpowered
340-556: A furious attack upon our post at Hougoumont". Other sources state that this attack was at about 11:30. The historian Andrew Roberts notes that "It is a curious fact about the battle of Waterloo that no one is absolutely certain when it actually began". The initial attack by Maréchal de Camp Pierre François Bauduin 's 1st Brigade of the 6th Division emptied the wood and park, but was driven back by heavy British artillery fire and cost Bauduin his life. The British guns were distracted into an artillery duel with French guns and this allowed
408-745: A large part of the Low Countries came to be referred to as the Burgundian Netherlands . After the reign of the Valois Dukes ended, much of the Low Countries were controlled by the House of Habsburg . This area was referred to as the Habsburg Netherlands , which was also called the Seventeen Provinces up to 1581. Even after the political secession of the autonomous Dutch Republic (or "United Provinces") in
476-437: A militarised frontier and contact point between Rome and Germanic tribes . The Low Countries were the scene of the early independent trading centres that marked the reawakening of Europe in the 12th century. In that period, they rivalled northern Italy as one of the most densely populated regions of Western Europe. Guilds and councils governed most of the cities along with a figurehead ruler; interaction with their ruler
544-458: A second attack by Maréchal de Camp Baron Soye's 2nd Brigade of the 6th Division. They managed a small breach on the south side but could not exploit it. An attack on the north side by elements of the 1st Brigade of the 6th Division was more successful. This attack led to one of the most famous skirmishes in the Battle of Waterloo — Sous-Lieutenant Legros, wielding an axe, managed to break through
612-721: A series of secret forts that repelled an offensive by French commander André Masséna . Other key successes at the Siege of Badajoz between March and April 1812, the Battle of Salamanca in July of the same year, and the Storming of Saint Sebastian in August 1813 allowed Wellington's forces to drive Napoleon's forces back into France. The Royal Waggon Train was responsible for transporting supplies and wounded during these key battles and throughout
680-485: A system of stone walls with wooden gates. Waterloo Tourisme described it as “the best preserved in terms of how it looked after the Battle [of Waterloo].” The first mention of Hougoumont is found on the 1777 map of the Austrian Netherlands created by Comte Joseph de Ferraris , marked as "Chateau Hougoumont". This is believed to be a corruption of "Chateau Goumont", a name first recorded in an act of
748-451: A triumphant battle against Napoleon’s forces. Moore did not survive the battle, but his tactics and planning allowed many of his forces to evacuate Spain and set sail for England. At Wellington's request, Commissary General John Bissett was then brought in to oversee the Royal Waggon Train. By 1810, newly ennobled Viscount Wellington had ordered the construction of the Lines of Torres Vedras ;
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#1732801584428816-453: A well at Hougoumont. Several historians have noted that an archaeological dig of the well by Derick Saunders in 1985 turned up no human remains in a well rediscovered at the site. In doing so, they state that it debunks a myth made popular by Hugo. A popular account of the battle by John Booth published in London shortly after the battle includes a diary entry by an early gentleman tourist to
884-642: Is still the headquarters of 151 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps. Low Countries The Low Countries ( Dutch : de Lage Landen ; French : les Pays-Bas ), historically also known as the Netherlands (Dutch: de Nederlanden ), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern " Benelux " countries: Belgium , Luxembourg , and
952-537: Is the blind poet Bernlef , from c. 800 , who sang both Christian psalms and pagan verses. Bernlef is representative of the coexistence of Christianity and Germanic polytheism in this time period. The earliest examples of written literature include the Wachtendonck Psalms , a collection of twenty five psalms that originated in the Moselle-Frankish region around the middle of
1020-607: The Austrian Netherlands . The United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830) temporarily united the Low Countries again before it split into the three modern countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. During the early months of World War I (around 1914), the Central Powers invaded the Low Countries of Luxembourg and Belgium in what has been come to be known as the German invasion of Belgium . It led to
1088-520: The Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Hougoumont, which had become dilapidated, was fully restored in time for the 200th anniversary of the battle and opened to the public on 18 June 2015. Hougoumont has been described as being a lot bigger than La Haye Sainte , a nearby farmhouse. This farmhouse consists of, encompassed by a high-standing wall, the main house, numerous barns, stables, a chapel, and several other features and buildings, including an orchard and garden. The buildings are connected through
1156-492: The Battle of Waterloo . Eight companies from the Royal Waggon Train were involved, along with four companies of the Foreign Waggon Train. During the battle, allied forces took up defence of Hougoumont , a chateau and farm 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Waterloo. Along with supporting the front lines, the Royal Waggon Train drove much-needed supplies through enemy lines to the desperate Third Guard defending
1224-539: The Council of Brabant , who subsequently enlarged the property considerably. In 1562 the estate became the property of Pierre Quarré and stayed in the Quarré family until 1637 when it was bought by Arnold Schuyl, Lord of Walhorn. It was around this time that the present building was erected. After 1671 the domain became the property of Jan Arrazola de Oñate , chamberlain of Archdukes Albert and Isabella . It remained in
1292-467: The Duchy of Burgundy . At the height of Burgundian influence, the Low Countries became the political, cultural, and economic centre of Northern Europe , noted for its crafts and luxury goods, notably early Netherlandish painting , which is the work of artists who were active in the flourishing cities of Bruges , Ghent , Mechelen , Leuven , Tournai and Brussels , all in present-day Belgium. Musicians of
1360-496: The Dutch Revolt . Each of the provinces had its own laws, customs and political practices. The new policy, imposed from the outside, angered many inhabitants, who viewed their provinces as distinct entities. It and other monarchical acts, such as the creation of bishoprics and promulgation of laws against heresy , stoked resentments, which fired the eruption of the Dutch Revolt . After the northern Seven United Provinces of
1428-652: The Franco-Flemish School were highly sought by the leading classes of all Europe. In 1477 the Burgundian holdings in the area passed through an heiress— Mary of Burgundy —to the Habsburgs . Charles V, who inherited the territory in 1506, was named ruler by the States General and styled himself as Heer der Nederlanden ( lit. ' Lord of the Netherlands ' ). He continued to rule
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#17328015844281496-456: The King's German Legion was brought forward to defend the hollow way, which they had to do without any senior officers, who were then relieved by the 71st Foot , a Scottish light infantry regiment. Adam's brigade, further reinforced by Hugh Halkett's 3rd (Hanoverian) Brigade, successfully repulsed further infantry and cavalry attacks sent by Reille and maintained the occupation of Hougoumont until
1564-619: The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland , which is singular). Geographically and historically, the area can also include parts of France (such as Nord and Pas-de-Calais ) and the German regions of East Frisia , Guelders and Cleves . During the Middle Ages , the Low Countries were divided into numerous semi-independent principalities . Historically, the regions without access to the sea linked themselves politically and economically to those with access to form various unions of ports and hinterland , stretching inland as far as parts of
1632-456: The allodial court of Brabant in 1358. Also, in 1356, there is mention of the "tenure and house of Gomont" in the seigneury of Braine-l'Alleud . According to Sir Walter Scott who visited the battlefield in January 1816, "Hougoumont (a name bestowed, I believe, by a mistake of our great commander [Wellington], but which will certainly supersede the more proper one of Chateau-Goumont) is
1700-656: The 4th and 5th century, Frankish tribes had entered this Roman region and came to run it increasingly independently. They came to be ruled by the Merovingian dynasty , under which dynasty the southern part (below the Rhine ) was re- Christianised . By the end of the 8th century, the Low Countries formed a core part of a much expanded Francia and the Merovingians were replaced by the Carolingian dynasty . In 800,
1768-646: The 9th century. Hougoumont Château d'Hougoumont (possibly originally Goumont or Gomont ) is a walled manorial compound, situated at the bottom of an escarpment near the Nivelles road in the Braine-l'Alleud municipality, near Waterloo , Belgium . The site served as one of the advanced defensible positions of the Anglo-allied army under the Duke of Wellington , that faced Napoleon 's Army at
1836-553: The French Army from the battlefield. For their service during the battle, the Royal Waggon Train received their second battle honour: "Waterloo" Victory at Waterloo brought an end to the Napoleonic Wars , and with it, 22 years of conflict between France and much of Europe. After the battle, the Royal Waggon Train was responsible for clearing over 4,000 allied dead from the battlefield. Napoleon abdicated shortly after and
1904-655: The German Rhineland . Because of this, nowadays not only physically low-altitude areas, but also some hilly or elevated regions are considered part of the Low Countries, including Luxembourg and the south of Belgium. Within the European Union , the region's political grouping is still referred to as the Benelux (short for Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg). During the Roman Empire , the region contained
1972-472: The German occupation of the two countries. However, the German advance into France was quickly halted, causing a military stalemate for most of the war. In the end, a total of approximately 56,000 people were killed in the invasion. During World War II , when Adolf Hitler 's gaze turned his strategy west toward France, the Low Countries were an easy route around the imposing French Maginot Line . He ordered
2040-480: The Low Countries as opposed to les pays de par delà ("the lands over there") for the Duchy of Burgundy and the Free County of Burgundy , which were part of their realm but geographically disconnected from the Low Countries. Governor Mary of Hungary used both the expressions les pays de par deça and Pays d'Embas ("lands down here"), which evolved to Pays-Bas or Low Countries . Today
2108-523: The Low Countries colloquially means the Netherlands and Belgium, sometimes the Netherlands and Flanders —the Dutch-speaking north of Belgium. For example, a Low Countries derby ( Derby der Lage Landen ), is a sports event between Belgium and the Netherlands. Belgium separated in 1830 from the (northern) Netherlands. The new country took its name from Belgica , the Latinised name for
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2176-517: The Low Countries, as it was known during the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). The Low Countries were in that war divided in two parts. On one hand, the northern Federated Netherlands or Belgica Foederata rebelled against King Philip II of Spain ; on the other, the southern Royal Netherlands or Belgica Regia remained loyal to the Spanish king. This divide laid the early foundation for
2244-528: The Peninsular War. With public opinion against him, Emperor Napoleon was forced to abdicate on 31 March 1814, leading to his exile on the island of Elba. For its efforts in the Peninsular War, the Royal Waggon Train was awarded the battle honour "Peninsula", and over thirty officers were also awarded the bar "Corunna" for the Army Gold Medal . After Napoleon's exile, the Royal Waggon Train
2312-523: The Pope crowned and appointed Charlemagne Emperor of the re-established Roman Empire . After the death of Charlemagne , Francia was divided in three parts among his three grandsons. The middle slice, Middle Francia , was ruled by Lothair I , and thereby also came to be referred to as "Lotharingia" or "Lorraine". Apart from the original coastal County of Flanders , which was within West Francia ,
2380-499: The Royal Waggoners were disbanded. In 1799, Sir Ralph Abercromby led a British expedition into North Holland to break the French hold on the strategically important Scheldt estuary. Another Transport Corps, overseen by Waggon Master General Digby Hamilton , Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel), was created to support this effort. Initially titled the Royal Waggon Corps, it was renamed the Royal Waggon Train, ranking as
2448-454: The allies' right flank, were garrisoned and fortified by the 1st Battalion, 2nd Nassau Regiment, with additional detachments of jägers and landwehr from von Kielmansegge's 1st (Hanoverian) Brigade. The light company of the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards under the command of Lt-Colonel Henry Wyndham , was also stationed in the farm and chateau, and the light company of the 2nd Battalion, Third Guards , under Lt-Colonel Charles Dashwood in
2516-489: The chateau became an epicenter of fighting in the Battle of Waterloo as it was one of the first places where British and other allied forces faced Napoleon's Army. Napoleon planned to draw Wellington 's reserve to Wellington's right flank in defence of Hougoumont and then attack through the centre left of the British and allies' front near La Haye Sainte . Before the battle started, Hougoumont and its gardens, located on
2584-530: The chateau. The Train's heroics at Hougoumont were included in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's 1891 play Waterloo . Wellington's forces were outnumbered and outgunned, withstanding a barrage of attacks from French forces throughout the day. That evening, Prussian forces led by Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher broke through Napoleon's right flank. This planned attack allowed Britain and her remaining allied forces to counter-attack, driving
2652-658: The defences of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. All three countries were occupied from May 1940 until early 1945. During the occupation, their governments were forced into exile in Britain. In 1944, they signed the London Customs Convention , laying the foundation for the eventual Benelux Economic Union , an important forerunner of the EEC (later the EU ). One of the Low Countries' earliest literary figures
2720-585: The description of the Royal Waggon Train A prolonged peace followed for Britain, until the beginning of the Crimean War in 1854. After the Train's disbandment, logistical support fell solely onto the Commissariat's shoulders. British forces suffered, as the refined infrastructure of the Royal Waggon Train was no more. The Headquarters of the Royal Waggon Train is at Croydon and two hundred years later it
2788-540: The end of the 20th century. In 2003 a settlement was reached between Count Guibert d'Oultremont, owner of the farm, and the Regional Authority after which it became the property of the Intercommunale (1815). By June 2006, the farm appeared to be derelict. The walls, which were once near pristine white, had become a dirty yellow. Several walls were cracked and parts were clearly damaged, most notably
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2856-457: The end of the battle. The Hougoumont battle has often been characterised as a diversionary attack to cause Wellington to move reserves to his threatened right flank to protect his communications, but this then escalated into an all-day battle which drew in more and more French troops but just a handful of Wellington's, having the exact opposite effect to that intended. In fact there is a good case that both Napoleon and Wellington thought Hougoumont
2924-510: The existing transport used by the Army Medical Department and was able to ferry many of the wounded, injured and sick to safety in large convoys. However, the convoys were limited by the technology of the age; wagons were prone to breakdown and often unable to cope with rough and tortuous terrain of the battlefield and lines of communication. The animals pulling the wagons frequently died of starvation or exhaustion. The Train
2992-476: The funds for much-needed repairs and sold the chateau to François de Robiano . Through successive marriages and inheritances within the de Robiano family the estate eventually became the property of the d'Oultremont family in 1917. In 2003 it was sold by Count Guibert d'Oultremont to the Belgian Region of Wallonia through an intercommunal cooperative society, Bataille de Waterloo 1815. In June 1815
3060-473: The funds in return for being allowed to rent part of the property (the Game Keeper's Cottage). Charles, Prince of Wales , unveiled a memorial at Hougoumont on 17 June 2015 dedicated to the British soldiers who fought in the battle. The memorial by Vivien Mallock stands next to the north gate and shows two life-size soldiers struggling to close the critical gates of the farm to save it from being overrun by
3128-403: The further history the Low Countries can be seen as the object of a continual struggle between these two powers, the title of Duke of Lothier was coveted in the low countries for centuries. In the 14th and 15th century, separate fiefs came gradually to be ruled by a single family through royal intermarriage . This process culminated in the rule of the House of Valois , who were the rulers of
3196-452: The garden and grounds. The two light companies of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, First Guards were initially positioned in the orchard, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Saltoun . Lieutenant-Colonel James Macdonell , Coldstream Guards, had overall command of Hougoumont. (The Guards units were all drawn from General John Byng's 2nd (British) Brigade.) Wellington recorded in his despatches "at about ten o'clock [Napoleon] commenced
3264-439: The hands of these Lords of Gomont and Tiberchamps until 1791 when Jan-André Arrazola de Oñate died childless at the age of 73. His wife remarried with Phillipe Gouret de Louville, a major in the service of Austria. Ridder de Louville did not live in the chateau in 1815 but left the management to Antoine Dumonceau who laid out a splendid French formal garden . After the battle, the then 86 years old Ridder de Louville did not have
3332-537: The heirs. By streamlining the succession law in all Seventeen Provinces and declaring that all of them would be inherited by one heir, Charles effectively united the Netherlands as one entity. After Charles' abdication in 1555, the Seventeen Provinces passed to his son, Philip II of Spain . The Pragmatic Sanction is said to be one example of the Habsburg contest with particularism that contributed to
3400-518: The historic Low Countries, while Nederland (singular) is the normal Dutch name for the country of the Netherlands. However, in official use, the name of the Dutch kingdom is still Kingdom of the Netherlands , Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (plural). This name derives from the 19th-century origins of the kingdom which originally included present-day Belgium. In Dutch, and to a lesser extent in English,
3468-416: The house never contained a large number of troops, Wellington devoted 21 battalions (12,000 troops) over the course of the afternoon to keeping the hollow way open to allow fresh troops and ammunition to be admitted to the house. He also moved several artillery batteries from his hard-pressed centre to support Hougoumont. In his novel Les Misérables , Victor Hugo describes how 300 bodies were thrown down
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#17328015844283536-511: The later modern states of Belgium and the Netherlands. The region politically had its origins in the Carolingian empire ; more precisely, most of the people were within the Duchy of Lower Lotharingia . After the disintegration of Lower Lotharingia, the Low Countries were brought under the rule of various lordships until they came to be in the hands of the Valois Dukes of Burgundy . Hence,
3604-483: The north gate. A desperate fight ensued between the invading French soldiers and the defending Guards. In a near-miraculous attack, Macdonnell, a small party of officers and Corporal James Graham fought through the melee to shut the gate, trapping Legros and about 30 other soldiers of the 1st Legere inside. All of the French who entered were killed except a drummer boy in the desperate hand-to-hand fight. The British and German Garrison were running low on ammunition and
3672-572: The north, the term "Low Countries" continued to be used to refer collectively to the region. The region was temporarily united politically between 1815 and 1839, as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands , before this split into the three modern countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The Low Countries were part of the Roman provinces of Gallia Belgica and Germania Inferior . They were inhabited by Belgic and Germanic tribes . In
3740-559: The only place of consideration which was totally destroyed". In 1474 the Order of Saint John (later to become the Order of Malta ) bought 30 acres (0.12 km ) of forest, Le Goumont, and another 30 acres (0.12 km ) of adjacent heathland for 100 golden crowns. The deed of sale did not mention any building on the grounds. A building had apparently been erected on the land as it was sold in 1536 to Pierre du Fief, attorney-general to
3808-549: The rest of the Low Countries were within the lowland part of this, " Lower Lorraine ". After the death of Lothair, the Low Countries were coveted by the rulers of both West Francia and East Francia . Each tried to swallow the region and to merge it with their spheres of influence. Thus, the Low Countries consisted of fiefs whose sovereignty resided with either the Kingdom of France or the Holy Roman Empire . While
3876-535: The right-hand door post of the north side gate. Project Hougoumont, supported by, amongst others, the then-current Duke of Wellington , writer Bernard Cornwell and the late historian Richard Holmes , was set up to oversee funding to restore and preserve Hougoumont for the long-term future. The project was completed in June 2015 at a cost of £3m, with organisations including the Landmark Trust contributing to
3944-493: The second probably at Hougoumont, "The French formed a battery by making holes in the garden-wall; here is another well, in which were found 73 men; the trees in the orchard were peppered very much; the ditch around this orchard was used as a battery, and hundreds killed; saw 84 other pieces of cannon taken from the enemy; they took home only 12 guns; counted 40 graves, containing English officers, in one acre of ground, resembling dung-heaps". Hougoumont remained an active farm until
4012-854: The seventeen declared their independence from Habsburg Spain in 1581, the ten provinces of the Southern Netherlands remained occupied by the Army of Flanders under Spanish service and are therefore sometimes called the Spanish Netherlands . In 1713, under the Treaty of Utrecht following the War of the Spanish Succession , what was left of the Spanish Netherlands was ceded to Austria and thus became known as
4080-415: The site. The tourist records that he was shown around that battlefield by the well known guide, Jean-Baptiste Decoster , and that 16 July 1815 (one month after the battle) he saw two wells, one that contained eight men and another that contained 73 men. The first well was at La Belle Alliance "wherein we saw the bodies of eight men of the Imperial Guard of Napoleon; they had jumped down with their arms"; and
4148-438: The term is typically fitted to modern political boundaries and used in the same way as the term Benelux . The name of the country of the Netherlands has the same etymology and origin as the name for the region Low Countries, due to "nether" meaning "low". In the Dutch language itself De Lage Landen is the modern term for Low Countries, and De Nederlanden (plural) is in use for the 16th century domains of Charles V ,
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#17328015844284216-420: The territories as a multitude of duchies and principalities until the Low Countries were eventually united into one indivisible territory, the Seventeen Provinces , covered by the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 , while retaining existing customs, laws, and forms of government within the provinces. The Pragmatic Sanction transformed the agglomeration of lands into a unified entity, of which the Habsburgs would be
4284-401: The troops behind Hougoumont. Wellington's army defended the house and the hollow way running north from it. In the afternoon Napoleon personally ordered the shelling of the house to cause it to burn, Seeing the flames, Wellington sent a note to the house's commander stating that he must hold his position whatever the cost, resulting in the destruction of all but the chapel. Du Plat's brigade of
4352-435: Was a vital part of the battle. Certainly, Wellington declared afterwards that "the success of the battle turned upon the closing of the gates at Hougoumont". Hougoumont was a part of the battlefield that Napoleon could see clearly and he continued to direct resources towards it and its surroundings all afternoon (33 battalions in all, 14,000 troops). The French forces sent in to attack Hougoumont included: Similarly, though
4420-403: Was exiled on Saint Helena, a mid-Atlantic island, where he remained until his death in 1821. Following Napoleon's defeat, the Train was reduced to five troops, primarily utilised for mundane transport tasks. By 1818, only two troops remained, with one stationed in Gibraltar. The Train was finally disbanded in 1833. No person can be more impressed than I am of the absolute necessity of a corps of
4488-470: Was heavily involved in the Peninsular War , supporting Sir Arthur Wellesley's forces as they sailed from Ireland to retake the French naval base at Lisbon in 1808. After command of the British forces temporarily passed to Sir John Moore in the winter of 1809, the Train was again involved, shepherding the wounded and transporting supplies for British forces in the retreat at Corunna ; a 300-mile (480 km) trek through treacherous conditions that ended in
4556-402: Was reduced to five Troops. However, a year later Napoleon escaped Elba and resumed power, rekindling hostilities with the British. Plans to rebuild the Train were fast-tracked; Wellington well-aware of its importance to military success overseas. The Train expanded once more to twelve Troops, which included 1,400 horses. On 18 June 1815, allied British and Prussian forces faced Napoleon's army at
4624-461: Was regulated by a strict set of rules describing what the latter could and could not expect. All of the regions mainly depended on trade, manufacturing and the encouragement of the free flow of goods and craftsmen. Dutch and French dialects were the main languages used in secular city life. Historically, the term Low Countries arose at the Court of the Dukes of Burgundy , who used the term les pays de par deçà ("the lands over here") for
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