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Map of Belgian colonization
history
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
 Print
this Article About
the Author Bibliography/Sources
Below is an exclusive map
the ELA has published charting the historic power and influence
of the Belgian nation and history in the last 200 years. Detailed
dates and information are noted aside visual aids to trace
Belgium's difficult colonial history in its African colonies.
It does not show the power extent of the the Belgian Empire
at a specific time, but rather all throughout its colonial
history. If you have any questions, notify us.
Mapping Information &
Extra Notes:
Belgium is one of the youngest
countries in Europe. Its ethnic situation and unique history
makes its political evolution very unusual. "Belgium"
and the "Belgians" never existed. The region consisted
of wealthy trade cities like Antwerpen, Brugge, and Ghent
-- primarily populated by Germanic people rather than French
-- who passed from original membership in Germany (the First
Reich) to France, Burgundy, Austria, Spain, and the Netherlands.
Its French minority increased over time, especially during
the Napoleonic conquest of the region of Belgium. Napoleon's
invasion excited the French minority into national revolt.
After Napoleon's crushing defeat, the region was to pass to
the Netherlands. The French minority, refusing to become subjects
to the ethnic Dutch (the majority in Belgium and obviously
in the Netherlands) as well as to become Catholic subjects
to a Protestant nation, declared a national revolution. Many
in the ethnic Dutch majority also sought to escape from Protestant
Dutch rule. Ultimately, by 1830, a new nation was declared
that gave the French minority great cultural and political
dominance over the Dutch majority (which has continued since).
Electing an ethnic German
king, Belgium now sought to become a wealthy colonial power.
Belgium, with Italy and Germany, was among the last colonial
powers in Africa. Like the Italians and Germans, Belgians
sought to expand their coffers and influence by seizing the
few tribal regions of Africa that superior powers (the British
and French) had not already annexed. As the backwater tribal
jungles of the Congo were free from European hands, the Belgians
quickly marched into central Africa, ultimately annexing the
central Congo by 1885. Today, the Congo is divided thricefold:
the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the Belgian Congo only
referring to the last (the previous three were French). The
Belgian Congo has a history noted for the brutality of Emperor
Leopold, who blindly sacrificed the native population in an
effort to harvest the vast resources of the Congo to Belgium.
Liberal estimates cite as many as one million or even three
million dead, though only some of this can be confirmed as
being performed due to Belgian activity. After World War I,
when the Allies forced the German empire to abolish its colonial
empire, the German colonies of Rwanda and Burundi were given
to Belgium due to their proximity. Belgium is also blamed
for inciting tribal conflict in Rwanda and Burundi between
the Hutus and the Tutsis, though the hardship and ethnic discrimination/stratification
existed long beforehand. All three of these colonies were
given freedom by 1962 as new and independent nations. They
are among the poorest on earth.
Today, the ethnic situation
of Belgium remains difficult to the point that many are concerned
Belgium may partition itself into two nations in the near
future. The Dutch majority population despises French minority
influence, and vice versa.
Regions marked in red
denote full colonial conquest by Belgium. Regions marked in
orange refer to territories that
Belgium acquired after World War I from Germany following
the Versailles Treaty at the command of the Allies.
Click the below map
for the full-size version! Click on the map again to zoom.
If an error has been made,
please notify the EHL Staff.
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is a historian
and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have
a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies
(language and history), am presently working for my Masters
in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate.
I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic
identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles
of native European and immigrant minority identities. See
my staff entry for more information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
The image used as the basis for the
map is widely redistributed and is not protected.
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