Flemings

Ethnically, the Flemings are mostly descendants of the Germanic tribes of the Franks , Batavs , Saxons and Frisians . The Flemish ethos also joined the Celtic tribes of the Belgians , who lived in this territory before the Frankish invasion and assimilated by the Franks. As an ethnic group formed in the XVII-XIX centuries. In the Middle Ages, the territory of modern Belgium was divided into separate principalities: Flanders , Hainaut (Genegau), Brabant , Namur, Limburg, Luxembourg , Cambrai, Tournais, Bishopric of Liege. Partly they were subordinate to France, partly Germany .

Then the history of Belgium is connected with the history of the Netherlands (see Dutch ). These lands in the XV century passed from the Dukes of Burgundy to the Habsburgs , that is, they became part of the German Empire. Since the emperors of Germany through dynastic marriage became Spanish kings, the Netherlands (and Flanders in their composition) were subordinate to Spain . Under Philip II , King of Spain, a fierce struggle of the inhabitants of the Netherlands against foreign oppression began, and the Northern Netherlands achieved freedom by forming the Republic of the United Provinces . The southern Netherlands (future Belgium) remained a Spanish protectorate. In 1714 they moved to Austria, in 1794, under the influence of the French Revolution, the Brabant Revolution took place, the region was included in France. After Napoleon, she was annexed to the Netherlands.

In 1830, under the influence of the French July Revolution, the Belgian Revolution took place. An independent state was created. Since its inception, it has pursued a policy that does not take into account the linguistic, cultural and economic rights of the Flemings, although they make up the majority of the country's population. In particular, the only official language of Belgium was declared French. There are contradictions between the Flemings and the French-speaking population. In the long run, Belgium was transformed into a federation of regions and language communities as a result of a series of state reforms of 1970-1993.

Belgium is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is King Philip (since 2013 ). Legislative power is vested in parliament .

The official languages ​​in Belgium are Dutch, French and German, but not one of them has an official status throughout the country. German is spoken almost exclusively in the eastern part of Belgium, which before (before the First World War ) belonged to Germany. The Brussels metropolitan region , which is surrounded on all sides by the territory of the Flemish region , officially uses the French and Dutch languages. Due to the bilingualism of the country, the names of some settlements and other geographical objects have two options: Mons - Bergen, Namur - Namen, Courtrai - Kortrijk , Louvain - Leuven , Liège - Luik, Gand - Gent , Ostende - Oostende , Anvers - Antwerpen , Audenarde - Oudenaarde , Bruges - Brugge , Malines - Mechelen .

The national symbol of the Flemings is a flag with a black lion on a yellow background, with a white border and red claws and tongue. He appeared under Philip of Alsace, Earl of Flanders since 1162. Under the Dukes of Burgundy, it was used in the coat of arms, and during the creation of the United Netherlands it became a symbol of East Flanders. The flag is not state, it is a symbol of the Flemish nationalists.

Belgium is a highly developed industrial country. The independent population is employed in industry, commerce, services, and agriculture. The main industries are engineering, metallurgy, and construction. The direction of agriculture is meat and dairy farming, vegetable growing and grain production.

Transport - a dense network of railways, shipping, road transport. The population lives almost entirely in cities; currently, traditional rural houses and estates remain only in ethnographic reserves. The traditional settlement is a farm . Type of house - so-called. a house with a long pediment, combining housing and utility rooms into one long building. Unlike the Walloon house, the Flemish is plastered and painted white, yellow or pink. Roof ridge decorations in the form of swan heads are characteristic.

Traditional clothing is similar to Dutch. For women, this is a shirt and jacket, dark corsage , several skirts, an apron, a large colored or checkered shawl, a black silk scarf with a fringe, lace caps.

Traditional food: vegetable, cereal dishes, salted fish, mainly herring, chicken stew. On holidays, cakes and rolls are baked.

Families are more large and patriarchal than the Walloons. Adult children usually live with their parents. In the cities, medieval guilds and clubs are preserved.

From handicrafts, it has long been famous for the production of thin linen fabrics, Flemish lace, and metal processing.

Until the end of the XVI century, the art of the Netherlands and Flanders was a single whole. The territory that today includes the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, in other words, Benelux, was called Old Netherlands and was one. Then, due to the political events described above, the provinces were divided. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, Flanders became known as the Southern, Spanish, and later - the Austrian Netherlands, and art - Flemish, and even later, with the formation of a new state, Belgium, Belgian.

The architecture of Flanders from the previous period, all-Dutch, preserved Romanesque and Gothic monuments, the Town Hall and the Municipal Museum in Brussels on Grand Place, the Church of St. Bavon in Ghent, the City Tower (Belfort) in Bruges, etc. Flanders was one of the 17th century leading centers of ceremonial baroque style . Monuments of the XVII-XVIII centuries - the Sint-Carolus-Borromeuskerk church and the Royal Palace in Antwerp, guild houses on the Grand Place in Brussels, etc. Rubens's house , built according to his own design, is widely known. The type of townhouse in Flanders is a narrow high facade , with three to five windows, with a pediment decorated with rich ornaments. Later, French influence came to replace national traditions.

In the XVII century there was a very strong Flemish school of painting. The outstanding master of this school - Peter Paul Rubens , the son of a lawyer, had a diverse education, studied with T. Verhaht, A. van North, O. Venius , was in Italy and Spain. He served as a court painter at the Duke of Mantua, and then with the rulers of the Southern Netherlands. Other famous masters: Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678), Jan Feith (1611–1661), Frans Sneijders (1579–1657), David Teniers (1610–1641), Abraham Jansens van Neuysen ( 1575-1632), Peter Brueghel the Elder (circa 1525-1569). Flanders' painting differs from the Dutch in the greater splendor characteristic of the Baroque style. As a result of the influence of the ruling circles, the French culture developed mainly, while the Flemish fell into decay.

The Flemings have literary traditions, legends, historical traditions, songs, ballads, folklore . In the XVIII century and since then, the writers of Flanders tried to raise their national literature. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Dutch wrote: J. F. Willems (1793–1846), K. Ledegank (1805–1847), van Duisse (1804–1859), and representatives of romanticism . Later other directions began to appear: realism , naturalism , mysticism , symbolism and expressionism , which also had opponents, anti-fascist sentiments. The largest representatives: P. van Ostijen (expressionism), V. Loveling and A. Bergman (social novel of the XIX century), G. Teyrling (playwright, decadent).

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• Brief Encyclopedia of Literature , ed. A.A. Surkova, M. - 1968.
• Peoples and religions of the world , ed. V.A. Tishkova, M. - 1998.