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• History of Christianization of Europe
• Soviet Union, Communist influence
• Map of European ethnic groups
• Map of Fascism in Europe (1922-75)
• History of Islamic conquest in Europe
• Religions & ethnic groups in Russia
• Detailed map of French colonization
• Detailed map of British colonization
• Napoleon's conquests & legacy

--MORE & NON-ENGLISH--

• Muhammad cartoon crisis in pictures
• Stalin's private summer home
• Ravenna: capital of Gothic empire
• Czar Nicholas II's Ukrainian palace
• European traditional costumes/dress
• Inside the Vatican, house of all wealth

--MORE & NON-ENGLISH--

• Islamic Mujahidin vs. Spain & El Cid
• Poland-Lithuania vs. Teutonic Order
• Nevskiy's Russia vs. German Crusaders
• Mussolini vs. Libyan Islamic fighters
• Qadafi: Europe will soon be Islamic
• Ivan the Terrible vs. Muslim Tatars 

--MORE & NON-ENGLISH--

• The Gypsies in history and today, Europe's public enemy
• History of Jihad in Chechnya
& Caucasus vs. Russians
• History of the Muslim Tatars in Russia
• Ethnic & religious history of Serbs, Croats, & Bosnians
• Breakaway states and independence movements in Europe
• The ancient Germanic Runic alphabet and Runestones
• Inside Bulgaria, 1st Slavic nation,
land of Thracian masters of gold
• Visual history of Yugoslavia
• 4,000-year-old white mummies of China, bringers of Buddhism 

--MORE & NON-ENGLISH--

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. The region of Belgium has always been known for its ancient and wealthy cities (including Vlanderen, Antwerpen, etc.) that brought great wealth to the German Empire for most of the last 1,200 years dating back to the empire of the German emperor Karl the Great (Charlemagne). As the German empire deteriorated, and power over the Germans transferred from central Germany to German Austria, Belgium passed gradually to Austrian authority as part of Habsburg Burgundy. This shift of authority has incited gradual independence efforts by the Belgians throughout history. Due to dynastic agreements, the Austrian Burgundy (including Netherlands, today's Belgium, and nominally Switzerland) passed to Spanish rule. The 80 Years' War of the 16th century for Dutch Protestant independence from Spanish Catholic hegemony finally succeeded in the gradual establishment of an independent Dutch nation, which included all of modern-day Belgium. Because of its geography and historic inclusion into Germanic nations, the vast majority of Belgium today is ethnically Germanic (Dutch), with the French being a minority; the Dutch are called Flemish, whilst the French are called Walloons with slight dialectical differences among both culture's mother languages. French influence in the region following the Napoleonic wars gradually caused the French minority to assume authority in western Netherlands, and in 1830, Belgium broke from the Netherlands, still with a Germanic majority but with disproportionate French influence in the new nation. This French characteristic is the reason that French was used as a colonial language in their African colonies as opposed to Dutch or German.

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 existed beforehand to a less degree of intensity. 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 Germanic majority population despises French minority influence in the eastern region of Flanders, and vice versa in Wallonia.

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.

________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Mayfield is the owner and Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I am working for a doctorate in history, with a specific emphasis on Islamic and European histories. I am well versed in all world cultures, ethnicities, religions, languages, politics, and historical evolution in relation to and against each other.

BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES USED:

The image used as the basis for the map is widely distributed and not protected.