BELGIUM

The country is in the north-west of Europe. It became popular in the Middle Ages for the wealth of its free merchant cities.

In the 15^th century the area belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy.

In 1477 it was taken into the Habsburg Empire by Maximilian I.

Habsburg established its Empire by marrying and therefore the phrase was coined “Other countries win countries by war but you, Austria, win countries by marrying.”

Between 1504 and 1715 the territory was rules by Spain

From 1713 till 1795 it was ruled by Austria and by France
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In 1815 it became a province of the kingdom of the Netherlands and in 1830 it received independence after a national revolution.  Prince Leopold of Saxon-Coburg was elected one year later as King of Belgium

An international treaty was drawn up in 1839 and it guaranteed Belgium to stay neutral. This treaty was ignored in 1914 and 1940 by Germany when Belgium was invaded.

In 1971 a constitutional reform was established which split the federation of Belgium into semi-autonomous regions of Flemish-speaking Flanders, French-speaking Wallonia and bi-lingual Brussels.  Brussels includes the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the European Community (EU).

King Baudouin died in 1983 and was succeeded by his brother, Albert

BELGAE

Large group of Celtic tribes were living in the northern Rhineland, the Low Countries, northern France (Gaul) and southern England during the 2^nd and 1^st centuries BC.

The Belgae were well established people and put a fierce fight against the Romans. 

Eventually the Romans started to respect. 

Julius Caesar conquered Gaul in 50BC. It followed that Belgae noblemen were admitted to the Roman senate.

Today’s name Belgium derived from the name of Belgae.

HABSBURG

The Habsburg dynasty reigned from 15th to 20th century over most of Europe. By marriage and conquest it achieve and empire which strechted from Hungary to Peru. In 1600 the Habsburg were at their greatest power.

The name derived from the family seat Habichtsburg (Hawk's Castle) in Switzerland. The family was founded by Albert, Count of Habichtsburg.

HABICHTSBURG

The first of the Habsburg powerful family was Rudolf I, king of the Romans from 1273 to 1291. He conquered Austria and the province Styria which was passed on to two sons in 1282. The Habsburg made their name in history not to declare war and conquer but to marry. Austria became the Habsburg power base in 1278.

In 1438 Albert II was the first Habsburg who became Holy Roman Empire.  Fredrick III and Maximilian I were his successors and secured the family hold on the imperial crown.

 In late 15th century Maximilian I marriage brought the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Burgundy. Maximilian's son Philip gained through marriage Castle, Aragon, and the Spanish New World Possessions.

HABSBURG REGALIA

The Holy Roman Empire was under the control of the

Habsburg family. The height of their power was in the 16th century. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who was also Charles I king of Spain. Charles inherited the Holy Roman Empire and the family’s Austrian base in 1519.  Charles was King of Spain, its territories in the New World and Naples, Burgundy and The Netherlands.

CHARLES V

He added Peru, Mexico, Hungary and Bohemia to his vast Empire.

Such great Empires always attract enemies and threats of war to be able to gain some territories for their own countries.  Charles was different to the previous Habsburgs. During his whole reign he was at war.

King Francis I, from France was determined to be become Holy Roman Emperor and was at war most of the time with Charles V. In Spain he had to face troubles because he was born in Burgundy and was to Spaniards a foreigner.  From East the Ottoman Turks tried to conquer Hungary and laid siege to Vienna but was unsuccessfully.  Even within the empire he had trouble. At that time the Reformation became established and tried to get hold of more power.  Charles V was a Roman Catholic and defender of it.  In 1555 he was forced to a partial defeat and had to give religious tolerance to the Protestant prince at the Peace of Augsburg.

As the years went on Charles realise it was too much for one man and let his younger brother Ferdinand rule the Austria as Empire of Regent.  Charles abdicated in 1556 and went to live in a monastery.  He divided the huge Empire between Ferdinand and his son Philip.

After Charles died in 1559, the division became permanent and his brother Ferdinand ruled Germany and Austria. Ferdinand's son Philip II ruled over Spain. During the 30 Year War, from 1618, the Habsburg dynasty lost some power but managed to add Portugal to their empire.

In the 18th century the Austrian Habsburg came to new heights under Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II. Austria lost Netherlands and then the title of Holy Roman Emperor at the end of the Napoleon war.

They survived the revolution in 1848 but after 1866 Austrian-Prussian war Habsburg had to make concession to the Hungarian nationalism. They formed the monarchy Austria-Hungary.

EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH 

The emperor Franz Joseph went against Russia because of their control of the Balkan and allied with Germany in 1879. The Nationalists became more and more powerful. The final spark to the more than explosive situation came from Crown Prince and his wife being shot at Sarajevo and the First World War broke out. After the war the empire was broken up.

1918 the last Habsburg monarch Charles I of Austria renounced his title.

PALACE SCHOENBRUNN IN VIENNA - HABSBURG'S FAMILY SEAT

ARCHDUKE OTTO VON HABSBURG -- ELDEST SON OF THE LAST EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA