History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 245
FLEMISH IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA
From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Belgians/Cornelius J. Jaenen
Origins
Migration
Arrival and Settlement
Economic Life
Family and Kinship
Religion
Education
Community Life and Culture
Group Maintenance
Further Reading
Origins
From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Belgians/Cornelius J. Jaenen
The Belgians in Canada trace their origins to the kingdom of Belgium, which, with its
ten million inhabitants within 325 square kilometres, is the second most densely
populated country in Europe. Belgium’s inhabitants are comprised mainly of two
linguistic communities: the Flemings, who comprise nearly two-thirds of the country’s
people, and the Walloons. The Flemings live in the northern half of the country, which
includes the provinces of West and East Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg, and most of
Brabant. The Walloons are found primarily in the southern provinces of Hainaut,
Namur, Liège, Luxembourg, and part of Brabant. The country’s capital, Brussels, is
formally a bilingual (although predominantly French-speaking) city in the province of
Brabant. There is also a small German-speaking enclave along the country’s far
eastern border with Germany. At present, 9 percent of Belgium’s population are
foreigners, nearly half of whom live in the Walloon section of the country.
The Flemings and Walloons trace their historic origins to two tribal groups: the Belgae
of Celtic background, who were incorporated into the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar
in 57 B.C.E.; and the Batavi of Germanic origin who were accorded the status of
border allies by the Romans. In a general sense, the Walloons are descendants of the
Belgae and the Flemings of the Batavi. Roman rule in the region came to an end in
the fourth century A.D. From that time until 1831, the territory of Belgium was either
ruled by self-governing secular and ecclesiastical duchies, counties, and free cities or
incorporated into a larger kingdom or empire. Among the latter was the Empire of
Charlemagne in the early ninth century, the Kingdom of Burgundy (1384–1482),
Habsburg Spain (1516–1713), Habsburg Austria (1713– 93), and Napoleonic France
(1794–1815).
Although the names Belgae for a people and Belgica to designate the entire territory
of the Low Countries were terms used in Roman times, the name Belgium was not
used in its modern political sense until the end of the eighteenth century. Similarly, the
conflict between the country’s two largest linguistic communities, the Flemings and
Walloons, is also of relatively recent origin, dating from 1830 when the state of
Belgium was created.
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